CALLIN'S GORDIE HOWE HAT-TRICK POWERS WORCESTER TO 3-2 WIN

By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER – It was, simply, one of the best hockey games the DCU Center has ever hosted.

Behind by 2-0 with the game almost half over Friday night, the Worcester Railers came back and tied the Atlanta Gladiators and send things into overtime. With one second left in OT, a little less actually, Anthony Callin delivered an improbable victory and completed an improbable Gordie Howe hat trick as Worcester prevailed, 3-2.

Callin drilled home a 25-foot wrist shot to win it. That finished a three-point night for him as he had assisted on the Railers two previous goals.

He knew the clock was ticking as he closed on the Atlanta net and Gladiators goaltender Drew DeRidder. Linemate Jordan Kaplan was on the left side, something DeRidder had to take note of.

“I actually took a peek (at the clock) at the blue line,” Callin said, “and it said 2-something. I knew I didn’t have time to pass it, so I just put it on net.”

And in net.

It was the latest winning goal in Railers history, the latest regular-season winning goal in city hockey history. Sharks sniper Mathieu Darche also had an overtime game-winner with one second left. He beat San Antonio, 3-2, on March 29, 2007 when OT lasted five minutes.

The victory extended the Railers winning streak to four games, their longest of the season. Worcester is 10-3-3 in its last 16 games, a .719 winning percentage.

Callin fought Michael Marchesan at 7:10 of the third period. That left him with just the goal to finish the Gordie Howe feat, not that such a thing is voluntary. He was reminded by the penalty attendants that he had a chance at the Howe Hat.

Was it Callin’s first?

“It was my first fighting major,” he said, so the answer was yes.

Ryan Mahshie and Anthony Repaci had the other Worcester goals. Mahshie made it 2-1 at 8:36 of the second period, converting a pass from Callin. Repaci tied it on a power play goal at 4:02 of the third via his deadly one-timer from the right circle.

Callin made the pass.

Michael Bullion got the win in net for Worcester. The argument can be made that considering the nature of the game, and the overtime, it was his best performance of the season. After a slow start to the year, Bullion is 5-1-1 in his last seven games.

“I’ve been saying it since I made the move to get him here,” coach Nick Tuzzolino said of his goaltender. “There is a reason I brought him here. I know what he’s capable of when he’s got his chips stacked against him and we’re playing a team from the south and he’s been in the south.”

Tuzzolino had not given up hope of winning even as time wound down in OT.

“Callin’s got that release type of thing,” he said, “and when you’re up against the clock the goalie’s just as nervous as the shooter. It was the perfect time for it.”

The goal was Callin’s 13th of the season. Twelve of them have been scored at the DCU Center. The Howe Hat was Worcester’s second of the season — Kaplan had the other — and its eighth all time.

Reading was idle, so the Railers extended the lead for fourth place. They have 46 points to the Royals’ 42 and both teams have played 45 games.

“The way this team is playing,” Tuzzolino said, “if we keep going and get into the playoffs, I think we have a chance to make some things happen.”

A lot happened Friday night. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. This year’s Railers are taking on the same personality as the first year’s Railers. They started slowly and then roared down the stretch to earn the franchise’s first, and still only, playoff berth.

MAKING TRACKS – Matt Ginn is the Gladiators’ assistant coach. He played goal for the Holy Cross Crusaders from 2011 through 2015 and won 59 games. He was a teammate of current HC associate coach Castan Sommer. … Another face in the crowd belonged to ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin, who is off to Maine Saturday night. … The teams close out the series with a game here at 6:05 Saturday night. … Referee Ryan Siegel made his DCU Center debut. … Worcester went with 17 skaters and will again Saturday night due to Griffin Loughran’s suspension. Aside from Loughran, Matthew Boudens (injured), Kolby Johnson and Benjamin Lindberg did not dress. …Bullion got an assist on Callin’s goal, his first of the season. The Railers are 16-1-3 all-time when one of their goaltenders has an assist.

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