Worcester Railers crush Thunder 5-1 in front of 8,137 fans at DCU Center

Adirondack Thunder at Worcester Railers HC

October 12, 2019

DCU Center

Meeting 1 of 14 vs. Adirondack this season

Railers are 1-0-0-0 vs. the Thunder this season

Worcester Railers crush Thunder 5-1 in front of 8,137 fans at DCU Center

Five different goal scorers find the back of the net for Worcester in win

Worcester, MA – The Worcester Railers HC(1-0-0-0, 2pts)opened up their third season of ECHL action with a commanding 5-1 victory over the visiting  Adirondack Thunder (1-1-0-0,2pts) in front of 8,137 fans at the DCU Center on Saturday evening. The Railers are back in action on Friday, October 18 with a 7pm battle on home ice vs. the Maine Mariners with a Halloween Celebration on a 2-3-4 Friday night.

Worcester came out strong with three first period goals and Kyle Thomas recorded a Gordie Howe Hattrick while 19-year-old Jakub Skarek made 24 saves on 25 shots in net in his first professional start in North America for the Railers.  Jordan Samuels-Thomas (1-1-2), Barry Almeida, Ryan Hitchcock, and JD Dudek (1-1-2) also scored for Worcester in the victory.  Michael McNiven made 26 saves in net for the Thunder and Ryan Walker scored the only goal for Adirondack.

Worcester charged out to a 3-0 first period lead as Jordan Samuels-Thomas (1st) slammed home a rebound after an initial shot by Tanner Pond at 4:10.  Kyle Thomas (1st) gave Worcester a 2-0 lead with a one timer from the right slot past netminder Michael McNiven assisted buy Bo Brauer and Connor Doherty at 7:57.  Barry Almeida (1st) would then strike with a goal on a two man advantage at 11:34 to put the Railers ahead by three.  Kyle Thomas (1stFM) would win a one-sided fight at 17:36 with a series of rights vs. Brent Thompson as everything went Worcester’s way in the opening frame.  The Railers outshot the Thunder 13-3 through 20 minutes of play.

Ryan Hitchcock (1st) jammed home a loose rebound just 19 seconds in the second period with Nic Pierog and Matt Schmalz.  The Thunder finally got on the board after a turnover in the Worcester zone as Ryan Walker (1st) deflected home a score from inside the crease to cut the Railers lead to 4-1. Rookie goaltender Jakub Skarek was sharp in the middle frame with 15 saves as Worcester took a three-goal lead into the second intermission with Worcester holding a 22-19 shot advantage.

JD Dudek (1st) scored his first professional goal ay 5:22 of the third period and Jakub Skarek shut the door the rest of the way with six more saves as Worcester controlled the rest of the game for a commanding 5-1 victory.

Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Jordan Samuels-Thomas (1-1-2) 2nd star: Jakub Skarek (24 saves, Win) 1st star: Kyle Thomas (1-1-2, fight) …. final shots were 31-25 in favor of Worcester…Michael McNiven (0-1-0) made 26 saves on 31 shots Adirondack… Jakub Skarek (1-0-0) made 24 saves on 25 shots for Worcester while Evan Buitenhuis served as the backup…. Worcester went 1-for-4 on the power play while Adirondack went 0-for-6…. Anthony Florentino (inj), Henrik Samuelsson (inj), Chris Rygus, and Cody Payne did not dress for Worcester….. Barry Almeida fired a game high five shots on goal…. Tanner Pond, Bo Brauer, Connor Doherty, Nic Pierog (2), Matt Schmalz, Jordan Samuels-Thomas, and JD Dudek all added assists for Worcester….defenseman Justin Murray made his professional debut for the Railers and finished +2……Barry Almeida wore the C while Mike Cornell and Connor Doherty wore A’s for the Railers….Worcester dressed four rookies and four veterans…Kyle Thomas finished +3….10 different Railers recorded a point…..Terry Virtue, Shaun Heaphy, Bill Ballou, and George Brown dropped the ceremonial first pucks of the game in honor of the 25 year anniversary of the first pro hockey game played in Worcester…..the Railers will paly the Thunder six times in the first 10 games this season….Worcester is now 16-6-2-0 all-time vs. the Thunder.

What’s on tap – Home again on Friday!

The Railers host the Maine Mariners on Friday, October 18 at 7pm on the first 2-3-4 Friday night of the season with an early Halloween Celebration. Enjoy $2 popcorn, $3 sodas, and$4 bud lights in the Bud Light Zone.  Go trick-or-treating on the concourse and enjoy an on-ice costume parade! It is the first INSTAGRAM FRIDAYof the season presented by the EDGE at Union Station – snap a photo and win prizes in the IG Zone!  Tickets start at just $15!

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 508-365-1750or by visiting www.RailersHC.com.

Worcester Railers Hockey….Ride the Train!