By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER – Now that they have seen him on a regular basis, Railers fans can attest to the fact that Parker Gahagen is a Sweet Caroline goaltender.

So good, so good.

Friday night, in another of a series of live-or-die games, Gahagen turned in arguably his best performance in a Worcester uniform as he backstopped the Railers to a 2-1 victory over the Reading Royals.

Reading outshot the home team, 37-22.

Worcester has beaten the Royals on consecutive nights. It is the Railers’ first two-game winning streak since Feb. 19 and 20. Each Reading and the Adirondack Thunder lost on Friday night, so Worcester remains mathematically in the playoff race although it is still in “Miracle on Ice” territory.

The Railers got first period goals from Anthony Callin and Matt DeMelis. Reading’s goal came at 11:37 of the third period, a deflection by Owen McLaughlin.

Gahagen made a lot of terrific saves. Many of them might not have looked terrific because is so fundamentally sound and anticipates well. One that was obviously terrific and was a game-saver happened at 9:40 of the third period.

Reading’s Connor McMenamin had a 120-foot shorthanded breakaway. Gahagen calmly held his ground until McMenamin got in close, then caught the shot in his glove as he sprawled in the crease.

“Part of the strategy is being patient,” Gahagen said, “and not backing in. At that point it’s just about trying to stay balanced and react to what he does.”

Callin scored his 18th of the season at 6:51 of the first period. He took a pass from Case McCarthy and blasted a 40-footer past Keith Petruzzelli for a power play goal. DeMelis converted a great pass from Cole Donhauser to make it 2-0 at 11:52.

He beat Petruzzelli from 12 feet out for his 17th of the year.

After that it was a goaltending contest with Gahagen being busier. Worcester was outshot, 24-9, in the final 40 minutes. Most goaltenders like being busy, but there is a limit.

“It keeps you in the game, up to a certain amount,” Gahagen said, “but it can get tiring.”

The Railers have rebounded well after a disappointing weekend in Wheeling. They are not necessarily playing better, but the puck is finding the net more often.

“We were just as desperate in Wheeling,” coach Nick Tuzzolino said, “we just ran into a goalie we couldn’t beat. If you look at the some of the scoring chances, it was probably some of the best offensive push we had in months.

“And we were able to carry it over in the last couple of nights here.”

After snapping their long power play drought Thursday night, the Railers were 1 for 3 in this game.

“Coach (Chris Rumble) has kind of reconfigured some things,” Tuzzolino said, “created a little more energy. He’s done a good job with that, and we’re not getting frustrated and sticking with it, so credit to him.”

The teams have Saturday off and play again Sunday afternoon. Look for Gahagen and Petruzzelli in net again, and look for another Game 7 atmosphere.

MAKING TRACKS – Thursday night’s 5-3 victory, in which all the Railers goals were by defensemen, was a first in a couple of ways covering 2,239 games of Worcester pro hockey. It was the first time five goals came from defensemen. Three had been the previous high. Case McCarthy’s hat trick was the first by a Worcester blue-liner. IceCats Terry Virtue and Jame Pollock, defensemen by trade, both had hat tricks but were playing as wings when they happened. … Compare the five goals Thursday with the early season. Railers defensemen did not get to five goals combined until Jan. 11, their 31st game. … McCarthy scored for the cycle — even strength, power play, shorthanded. The last Railer to do that was Liam Coughlin on March 17, 2023. … Yes, that familiar face in the crowd was the Railers first captain, Ashton Rome. … Former Worcester defenseman Artem Kulakov, one of the few Railers players to score a goal in his first pro game, is plus-6 in eight games versus Worcester this season. … Attendance was 3,523. … Gahagen is 5-0 with one no-decision in six starts against Reading this season.

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