RAILERS SHOCK THUNDER WITH THIRD PERIOD COMEBACK

By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER – It took about 13 minutes of playing time for something Railers owner Cliff Rucker said to change from wishful thinking into ESP Friday night.

“We got this one,” Rucker said, matter of factly, at the end of the second period after his team left the ice trailing the Adirondack Thunder, 3-2.

The score stayed that way for much of the third period, then Mason Klee tied it at 12:32 on the power play and Matt DeMelis got the winner 29 seconds later.

It was a marvelous way to begin the second half of the season and was probably as close as the Railers will get to a perfect mathematical night. They gained in the standings on every team except Norfolk. That included adding to their lead in the battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.

Maine and Adirondack both lost. Reading earned a shootout point. Worcester is four points up on both Maine and Reading.

Riley Ginnell and Matt Kopperud had the other Railers goals. Worcester actually trailed by 3-1 about halfway through the game, then Kopperud scored a big momentum goal with 45 seconds left in the second period.

The Railers have put together a six-game points streak. They are 4-0-0-2 for 10 points during the streak, their longest of the season.

During the streak Worcester has been getting production from players who have been fairly infrequent visitors to the score sheet. It was Ginnell’s third goal, Klee’s fifth and DeMelis’ second.

Lincoln Hatten’s assist was his seventh of the season. Matias Rajaniemi got his third.

“There’s a game within the game,” coach Nick Tuzzolino said, “and when certain lines and guys are going you’ve got to be able to give them ice time. That was no different with DeMelis’ line finishing it off.”

Hugo Ollas made 29 saves and got the victory. He is 2-0-0-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average and .929 saves percentage since arriving in town. Combined, he and Michael Bullion have allowed only 11 goals in the last five games.

Worcester finished with a 41-32 edge in shots on goal. Until that third-period surge, though, it looked like the Railers would not be rewarded for their efforts.

“We could have very well been ahead after the first period and instead we were down by one,” Tuzzolino said. “It comes down to our leadership and bench demeanor. 

“But we’re really playing well right now and my comment was — let’s not sell the farm on offense. Let’s not put on so much pressure that we give up a 2 on 1 or something like that.”

The Railers had scored the game’s first goal in each of their first five straight games with a point. That did not happen this time, though.

Ryan Conroy gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead at 1:28 of the first period. He put a high backhander past Ollas from in close after a scramble. Ginnell tied it on a wraparound at 8:00 of the second period but the tie did not endure. Kevin O’Neil scored on a high wrist shot from 35 feet at 10:17, then Adirondack took a 3-1 lead a little more than a minute later.

With Klee in the penalty box for high sticking, O’Neil scored from the right circle. It was a disappointing moment for the Railers who had just failed at two chances of clearing the puck with nothing but open ice in front of them.

Kopperud capitalized on a long flip to make it 3-2 at 19:15. He notched his eighth of the season from in close. Klee converted Hatten’s pass to make it 3-3, Worcester on a power play.

DeMelis snapped a high backhander under the crossbar to provide what became the winning margin and make Rucker look like a pyschic.

MAKING TRACKS – The Wheeling Nailers are here for the next two games. It will be their only regular-season visit to the DCU Center. Former Railers assistant Derek Army is in his fifth season as their head coach. … Thunder goaltender Jeremy Brodeur faced the Railers for the 13th time. He is 5-5-1 versus Worcester. Brodeur is tied with Nolan Maier for the second-most career appearances against the Railers. Charles Williams faced them 18 times, 17 of those games with Manchester. … Scott Allan was one of the referees. It was his first game ever involving Worcester. Allan played in the ECHL for the two previous seasons and at 6-foot-8, 265 pounds, is likely the biggest ref ever to work a game at the DCU Center. … The Railers have not been shut out this season, but were shut out in the last game last year. Their active streak of 37 games without being blanked is the longest in team history. … Veteran Matt Boudens, out with an injury, served as Tuzzolino’s assistant coach. … Worcester is 32-20-3 playing the first game of a 3-in-3 set.

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