Worcester Railers HC vs. Wheeling Nailers

March 27th, 2026

WesBanco Arena

Meeting 6 of 8 vs. Wheeling this season

Railers are 4-2-0-0 vs. Nailers this season

WORCESTER DROPS SERIES OPENER TO NAILERS 4-0

Jordan Kaplan made Railers season debut.

WHEELING, WV— The Worcester Railers HC (27-26-5-2, 61 pts) fell to the Wheeling Nailers (40-16-6-0, 86 pts) in a 4-0 shutout on Friday, March 27th, in their first meeting of a three-game weekend at the WesBanco Arena. The Railers will drop the puck against the Nailers again at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, March 28th, for their second of the three matchups in Wheeling.

Wheeling picked up the first goal of the evening late in the first as Tristan Thompson (1-0-1) fired off a backhanded shot out in front at 17:57 in the first. The Nailers extended their lead to two after Connor Lockhart (1-0-1) scored early in the second period. Matt Quercia (1-0-1) scored a third unanswered goal nine seconds into the final frame. A final goal from Ryan McAllister (1-0-1) scored at 14:25 on the empty net left Worcester trailing by four to close out the night. 

The Nailers nabbed the game’s first goal late in the first at 17:57. Tristan Thompson (5th) fired off a backhanded shot out in front of recently returned Parker Gahagen for the score. Thompson’s goal was the lone tally of the period. Worcester and Wheeling each received one penalty for high-sticking and tripping, respectively. Shots on goal favored Worcester with 11 to Wheeling’s 10. 

Wheeling quickly extended their one-goal lead to two early in the first as Connor Lockhart (19th) found the top corner of the net just 27 seconds into the frame off the Nailers’ first shot of the period. Worcester received a chance to retaliate with a power play just under five minutes later as Blake Bennet took a seat for tripping at 5:22, though the opportunity went unfulfilled. Cam McDonald for Worcester and Logan Pietila for Wheeling also took trips to their boxes for roughing at 18:27 as game tensions rose. A brief stint of 4-on-4 hockey turned 4-on-3 in favor of the Nailers as Anthony Callin also saw time in the box to close the period for tripping. Worcester remained shut out through the second. They led in shots on goal for a second time with 12-8. Penalties were evened at two a side at the frame close. 

The Nailers got an early goal from Matt Quercia (13) at just nine seconds into play in the final frame. Worcester’s decision to pull Gahagen in the final minutes of play led the Nailers to a fourth and final tally unanswered. Despite having a consistent offensive presence and a lead in shots on goal, Worcester would remain shutout as the clock ticked away. Worcester collected 34 shots over the course of the evening, while Wheeling had 22. Mike Posma was the only player on either side that saw time in the box for the third period for holding at 7:31. 

NOTES: Three stars: 3rd Star: Matt Quercia (1-0-1, +1, 2 shots), 2nd Star: Connor Lockhart (1-3-4, +3, 2 shots), 1st Star: Taylor Gauthier (34 saves, 0GA, 1.000 SV%)… Final shots were 34-22 in favor of Worcester… Taylor Gauthier (17-7-2-3) made 34 saves on 24 shots for Wheeling, while Parker Gahagen (15-9-4-1) made 19 saves on 22 shots for Worcester… Worcester went 0-for-3 on power plays while Wheeling went 1-for-2… Drew Callin rejoined the Worcester lineup for the first time since March 8th against the Trois-Rivières Lions… Jordan Kaplan rejoins the Worcester lineup for the first time since playing for the team in the 2024-25 season…The Railers are now 6-2-1-0 all-time vs. the Nailers and 1-2-0-0 at the WesBanco Arena...

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