By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER — Considering that the two goaltenders were a combined 13 feet, 1 inch tall it was no surprise that the Railers and Royals played a low-scoring game Friday night.

Worcester lost it, though, 2-1 to Reading in a shootout. Max Dorrington had the Railers goal while Kyle Haskins scored for the visitors. Carson Golder converted Reading’s first shootout try and it turned out to be the winner as Jesse Nurmi, Matt DeMelis and Ryan Miotto all missed for Worcester.

The goaltending was essentially mistake-free. There were more Grade B chances than Grade A overall, but the game was tied for about 61 1/2 minutes out of 67 so every save was critical.

The Railers’ Henrik Tikkanen stopped 28 of 29. Keith Petruzzelli, who improved to 6-4-0 lifetime versus Worcester, made 27 saves.

There are no moral victories in pro sports but Worcester played its best home game of the season. It held a team that had scored 21 goals in its first four games to one goal.

Tikkanen has been a bright spot in Worcester’s first five games. He has played in three of them and compiled a 2.22 goals-against average and .917 saves percentage.

Those kinds of numbers should give the Railers a chance to win, as they did Friday night, but Worcester has to find a way to finish.

The first period featured the Railers’ debuts of two Finnish rookies dispatched here by Bridgeport, Jesse Pulkkinen and Nurmi, both just 20 years old.

Pulkkinen is a big defenseman at 6-6, 215 pounds. He was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft. Nurmi is a forward, smaller but quick. He is the first player in Railers history born in 2005. It was Nurmi’s North American professional debut; he was taken in the 2023 draft.

They are also the first two players named Jesse in Railers history and merely the second and third in Worcester pro history. Jesse Rezansoff played for the 2000-01 IceCats, who were division champions.

The first period ended 0-0.

The scoreless tie was broken early in the second when Haskins scored his third goal of the season on a shot that went in under the crossbar. It happened merely 54 seconds after the opening faceoff.

Dorrington, a rookie, tied it for Worcester at 6:02 when he took a pass from behind the net and snapped an old-fashioned backhander past Petruzzelli from about 15 feet out front. Shrewsbury native T.J. Walsh picked up an assist for his first point in a Railers uniform.

The goal was scored shortly after the Railers had a great chance to score as they had a two-man advantage for 47 seconds starting at 2:41. Worcester had a couple of chances, the best being back-to-back shots by Riley Piercey and Drew Callin in close.

Reading had a 12-5 edge in shots on goal in the third period but Tikkanen preserved the tie. Both teams had one great chance in OT. Tikkanen denied Brandon Saigeon, who came into the night with six points in four games, 20 seconds after overtime started.

Worcester defenseman Michael Ferrandino was stopped by Petruzzelli at 6:30.

MAKING TRACKS — With the two Jesses on the roster, Calle Odelius was recalled to Bridgeport. … The teams play nine more times this season, the next one Saturday night at 6:05. … Artyom Kulakov, a Railer for parts of two seasons, returned to the DCU Center as a Royal. He wore the same Number 88 he had here. … Worcester has one goal on 14 power play chances this season. … The Railers have scored one third period goal in 100 minutes of play so far.

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