Railers grab a point in 1-0 shootout loss in Wheeling

Worcester Railers HC at Wheeling Nailers

March 21, 2018

DCU Center

Meeting 9 of 9 vs. Wheeling this season

Worcester went 4-3-0-2 vs. the Nailers this season

Railers grab a point in 1-0 shootout loss in Wheeling

Worcester is now four points out of a playoff spot in the North Division with nine games left

Wheeling, WV – Mitch Gillam made 33 saves for the Worcester Railers HC (30-25-4-4, 68pts) but Worcester could not find the back of the net in a 1-0 shootout loss to the host Wheeling Nailers (32-25-7-1, 72pts) in front of 1,481 fans at the WesBanco Arena on Wednesday evening.   The Railers three game road trip continues with a pair of games at Reading, PA on Friday and Saturday at 7pm vs. the Royals.

Mitch Gillam was spectacular with 33 saves in net and also stopped 3-of-4 shooters in the shootout as the Railers are now four points behind the Nailers for the final playoff spot in the North Division – the Railers have two games in hand with nine games left.  Adam Morrison made 28 saves for the Nailers and Chris Francis was the only goal scorer through four rounds of the shootout.

Neither team found the back of the net in a rather cautiously played first period of play as shots were 9-5 in favor of the Nailers.  Mitch Gillam made nine saves as the Railers killed off two power plays in a period that saw both teams finish their checks.

Wheeling came out buzzing in the second period and fired 16 shots on Mitch Gillam as the Railers rookie netminder stood on his head to keep the game scoreless.  Adam Morrison made seven saves in the middle frame as the two teams headed to the second intermission in a scoreless tie.

The Railers had better chances in the third period as Yanick Turcotte had the best chance with just over two minutes left as he hit the post with a break down the middle.  Shots were 12-4 in the third period in favor of Worcester as the two teams headed to overtime in a scoreless tie.

Worcester had a power play to start overtime period as each team had four shots in a scoreless overtime as shots were 33-28 in favor of Wheeling through 65 minutes of play.

Neither team scored in the first three rounds of the shootout before Chris Francis scored in the 4th round to give Wheeling the 1-0 shootout home victory.

Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Mitch Gillam (33svs) 2nd star: Chris Francis (GWG in SO) 1st star: Adam Morrison (28 svs, Win) …Final shots were 34-28 in favor of Wheeling…Adam Morrison (15-12-2) made 28 saves on 28 shots for Wheeling and stopped all four shooters in the shootout… Danny Tirona was the backup for Wheeling…. Mitch Gillam (17-13-2) made 33 saves on 33 shots in his 14th start in the last 15 games for Worcester and stopped three of four in the shootout… Will King was the backup goaltender for the Railers…. Worcester went 0-for-3 on the power play while Wheeling went 0-for-3…Josh Monk (inj), Justin Agosta (susp), Chris Langkow (inj), and Tommy Kelley (inj) did not dress for Worcester…. Kellen Jones, Eamon McAdam, Ryan MacKinnon, and Kyle Schempp are currently on recall with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Tommy Panico was recalled by the Iowa Wild….Barry Almeida led Worcester with six shots on goal.

What’s on tap? – Railers continue to battle for a playoff spot!

Worcester heads to Reading, PA for two games vs. the Royals on Friday and Saturday at 7pm.  Coverage begins 30 minutes before puck drop on 98.9 Nash Icon.  Worcester returns home on March 28 vs. the Adirondack Thunder at 7pm.

The Railers Tavern, located behind the DCU Center provides hockey fans with a great pregame and postgame atmosphere all season long. Watch all road games broadcast live at Railers Tavern or watch 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 Tom Matthews. 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.