WORCESTER POINT-STREAK SNAPS AT EIGHT IN 4-2 LOSS TO MAINE

By Bill Ballou

PORTLAND, Maine – Worcester’s eight-game points streak, second-longest in team history, ended here Friday night via a 4-2 loss to the Maine Mariners. The Railers fell behind very early, eventually trailed by 3-0, and were never able to summon the energy to come all the way back.

“I thought they were flat,” coach Nick Tuzzolino said. “I thought they were emotionless in the first period. It was not my favorite game with that group.”

The defeat was part of a bad standings night for Worcester. Two teams trailing them in the battle for the fourth playoff spot both won. Maine closed to within five points of Worcester and has three games in hand. Reading, suddenly very hot, also won.

The Royals are 5-0-1 in their last six games. They are just one point behind Worcester. Both teams have played 40 games.

Griffin Luce and Jordan Kaplan had the Worcester goals. Luce’s was his fifth of the season, extending a career high. 

Jacob Hudson, Tristan Thompson, Owen Pederson and Nick Jermain scored for Maine. Hudson made it 1-0 a mere 67 seconds into the game as the Railers got off to a tentative start.

Once again a Railers game was stagnated by goal reviews. There were two. Both went against Worcester. One was an overturn of a floating shot by Kaplan that went over goalie Maine goalie Ryan Bischel’s glove with Griffin Loughran in front in the first period.

Right after that, Thompson scored a power play goal that looked like Michael Bullion was interfered with. That goal held up.

It was a game of hard feelings. There were 23 penalties called good for a combined total of 84 minutes, a season high.

Luce’s goal came at 6:07 of the third period. It cut the Maine lead to 3-1 and was scored only 21 seconds after Pederson’s goal. Kaplan scored on a pretty wraparound at 14:40 for the game’s final goal

Bischel got the win as he stopped 27. Bullion made 28 saves for Worcester.

Recent Railers games have been overrun with goal reviews and it really takes away from the flow and momentum. Worcester’s last eight games have averaged 2 hours, 37 minutes. That is well above standards from past seasons.

MAKING TRACKS – The selections of Anthony Repaci and Connor Welsh to the All-Star team marks the first time the Railers have had two All-Stars in the same season. Welsh had an assist to make it 30 for the season. That is a team record for defensemen. Trevor Cosgrove had 27 last year. … Between the two teams there was only one player on the ice with an AHL contract. It was Owen Pederson (Providence) of the Mariners. He was one of the game’s high scorers at 1-1-2 … Mark Cheremeta, acquired from Orlando in a trade for future considerations, made his Railers debut playing left wing on a line with Lincoln Hatten and Kolby Johnson. Worcester’s other new face, defenseman Severi Savijoki, was not in the lineup. … Kaplan’s goal was just the second 4 on 4 goal of the season for the Railers. … Maine forward Tyson Gilmour played his first game for the Mariners. He is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour. … Worcester has three more games left against Maine, all on the road. That includes Saturday night’s match. The Railers stayed over after Friday’s game. … The Mariners honored longtime AHL and NHL coach, the late Tom McVie, before the game. He coached the 1983-84 Maine Mariners to a Calder Cup title. One of his regulars that season was future Worcester Sharks coach Roy Sommer.

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