Railers end 2019 with 4-3 overtime loss in Newfoundland

Worcester Railers HC at Newfoundland GrowlersDecember 31, 2019Mile One CentreMeeting 7 of 9 vs. Newfoundland this seasonRailers are 1-6-0-0 vs. the Growlers this season

Railers end 2019 with 4-3 overtime loss in Newfoundland

Drew Callin scores two goals in loss

Saint John’s, NFLD – The Worcester Railers HC (10-19-2-0, 21pts) closed out 2019 falling 4-3 in overtime to the Newfoundland Growlers(22-10-0-0, 42pts) in front of 3,665 fans at Mile One Centre on Tuesday. The Railers travel back to Worcester on Wednesday and then will take on the Reading Royals in Reading on Friday and Saturday.

Drew Callin (2-0-2) and Dante Salituro all scored goals for Worcester while Bo Brauer (0-2-2) added two assists. Evan Buitenhuis made 32 saves in net for the loss. Newfoundland made it their 12thstraight win on home ice and trailed 3-1 heading into the third period but received goals from Justin Brazeau and Colt Conrad to force overtime. Zach O’Brien finished off the game with a breakaway goal in overtime while Angus Redmond made 25 saves in net for the win.

Worcester took two penalties in the first period and the Growlers would capitalize on the second one when Marcus Power (15th) tapped home a rebound after Evan Buitenhuis at 14:02 to give Newfoundland a 1-0 lead which they took to the locker room after 20 minutes of play. The Growlers outshot the Railers 14-5 in the first frame.

The Railers came alive in the second period when Jordan Samuels-Thomas led a two on one rush and slid a pass to his right to Dante Salituro (8th) who roofed one over the glove of Angus Redmond at 5:30 tie the game at 1-1 in the second period. Just 15 seconds Drew Callin with a laser from the top of the right circle was to hot to handle as it went blazing by the right shoulder of Redmond giving Worcester a 2-1 advantage. The Railers led 2-1 after 40 minutes of play and outshot Newfoundland 12-11 in the second frame.

Newfoundland was able to score two goals in the third frame one at 6:24 from Justin Brazeau (12th) and then at 14:09 from Colt Conrad (4th) to tie the game at 3-3 and then the two teams headed to overtime.

Zach Obrien (8th) proved to be the hero scoring just 24 seconds into overtime on a breakaway beating Evan Buitenhuis through the five-hole to give Newfoundland a 4-3 win for their 12thstraight win on home ice.

Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Evan Buitenhuis (32 saves) 2nd star: Aaron Luchuk (0-1-1, 7 shots) 1st star: Zach O’Brien (1-0-1) …. final shots were 36-28 in favor of Newfoundland…Angus Redmond (6-0-0) made 25 saves on 28 shots Newfoundland… Evan Buitenhuis (6-10-1) made 32 saves on 36 shots for Worcester while Ian Milosz served as the backup…. Worcester went 0-for-2 on the power play while Newfoundland went 2-for-4…. Kyle McKenzie (inj,), JD Dudek (inj) and Tanner Pond (IR), did not dress for Worcester…. Mike Cornell, David Quenneville, Linus Soderstrom, and Jakub Skarek are all currently on recall with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers…. Kyle Thomas signed a PTO with the San Diego Gulls (AHL) on Dec 26…. Connor Doherty is the only Railers player to play in the first 31 games this season….. Drew Callin (0-2-2) recorded his second multi-goal performance of his career and now has five goals in his last eight games…. Dante Salituro (1-0-1) had a team high five shots…. The Railers finished 2019 29-34-6-2…. Worcester scored two goals within 15 seconds which is a Railers record….. the Railers are now 6-10-0-0 under coach Cunniff…. Worcester is now 4-11-0-0 vs. the Growlers all time and 1-7-0-0 at the Mile One Centre.

What’s on tap – Starting 2020 in Reading!

After two games in Reading vs. the Royals to kick off 2020, Worcester returns home on Sunday, Jan 5 as the Railers host the Jacksonville IceMen at 3pm on a KIDS GIVEAWAY SUNDAY with the first 1,000 kids 12-and-under receiving Railers mini sticks presented by AvZ Promotions. Score a SUNDAY FUNDAY ticket pack which includes four tickets and four beverage vouchers (beer/soda) for just $60!

Bring a group of 10 or more people to the game and save BIG $$$$ off Box Office pricing and receive a Railers hat for everyone in your group! Plus, score a Railers experience…Zamboni rides, High-Five Tunnel, post-game photo on ice, and more! Call 508-365-1750 for your customized group experience!

Still and Stir located behind the DCU Center provides hockey fans with a great pregame and postgame atmosphere all season long. Watch all road games broadcast live on ECHLTV.com for a small fee. Listen to all Railers games live on 98.9 Nash ICON with coverage beginning 30 minutes before puck drop with Eric Lindquist and Cam McGuire. Full season memberships, mini plans, and group tickets are on sale now by calling the Railers front office at 508-365-1750 or by visiting www.RailersHC.com.

Worcester Railers Hockey….Ride the Train!