RAILERS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT OVER THUNDER IN 3-2 DECISION

By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER – It can be really hard to project the outcome of a game between a team that has nothing to lose and one that has everything to lose.

Such was the case Saturday night in the match here between the Railers and the Adirondack Thunder. Worcester won by a goal, of course, 3-2. Each of the Railers’ last seven victories have been by one goal including a shootout triumph.

Adirondack is out of the playoff race and using many new faces. The Railers’ battle for the final playoff spot in the North Division leaves them no margin for error.

The math is simple even if the task is not. The Railers have three games left, one with Adirondack Sunday and two at Reading next weekend. If they win them all, they make the playoffs with 80 points.

Saturday, the Worcester scorers were Justin Gill, Tanner Schachle and Tyler Kobryn. Ian Pierce and Kaleb Ergang had the Adirondack goals. It was Pierce’s first professional goal.

Gill scored in the first period, Schachle in the second and Kobryn in the third. At one point the Railers had a 2-0 lead, then backslid in the second half of the second period. Ergang scored with 10 seconds to go in the period and it was 2-2 heading into the third.

Kobryn broke the tie with a shot from between the circles at 14:37.

It was his ninth goal in 23 games with Worcester. Kobryn had two in 18 games with Florida this year before being traded to the Railers and 16 in 145 career ECHL games prior to his arrival here.

“Any time you get that kind of production out of a player who was kind of a ‘nothing’ trade,” coach Nick Tuzzolino said, “that definitely helps, but everybody has to fit a role and he fits his role with that line.

“And when he gets chances he doesn’t miss.”

Gill, in contrast, has been a difference maker on offense. He is 7-13-20 in 20 games with Worcester this season and plus-11. The Railers are 12-6-2 when Gill is in the lineup.

Schachle’s goal was his first in a Worcester uniform to go along with three assists.

The Railers were in control of things until they went on a power play halfway through the second period. The power play was, in a word, inept. Momentum turned in Adirondack’s direction and the Thunder dominated the rest of the period.

“It’s not anything they did, it’s something we did,” Tuzzolino said of the power play. “It’s self-inflicted. The biggest problem with our power play right now is that it’s killing momentum. It’s not just that we’re not scoring, it’s killing momentum.”

Michael Bullion continued to be a momentum creator in net, though. He stopped 22 of 24 shots and is 7-1 in his last eight starts.

Worcester’s playoff push is largely a result of a recent great record at the DCU Center. The Railers did not play well at home during the early part of the season but are 14-3-2 in its last 19 games here. That is good for a .789 winning percentage.

Overall, Worcester is 24-13-3 in its last 40 games.

The victory was the Railers’ 34th of the season and brought them to 74 points. They will finish above .500 for the first time 2018-19, their second season in the ECHL. Worcester was 32-29-11 for 75 points that year.

MAKING TRACKS – The Fan Appreciation crowd was 5,070. The Railers are averaging a nifty 4,465 in their last 19 games at the DCU Center. … The three goal scorers were the three stars. With three games left in the season, it looks like Anthony Callin will be this year’s Stars leader. He has 44 points with Anthony Repaci second with 37 points. … The season series and weekend conclude at 3:05 Sunday afternoon with the two teams playing again.

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