WORCESTER TAKES FIVE OF SIX POINTS FROM ADIRONDACK

By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER — The Railers must love the DCU Center to death because they are doing everything they can to make sure that Sunday was not the last hockey game they play here this season.

It was wonderful game that ended on a sour note as the visiting Adirondack Thunder prevailed in overtime, 3-2. The match was close all the way. It featured lots of contact, a drop or two of blood and splendid goaltending on both ends.

“We didn’t kick the extra point,” is how Worcester coach Nick Tuzzolino looked at the outcome.

The Railers did get the standings point, though. That is what mattered most. It gave Worcester five of a possible six points for the three-in-three weekend.

“Any time you get five out of six and you’re upset,” Tuzzolino said, “you’re probably in the wrong business.”

The Railers came out of the weekend in better playoff shape than they went in. Reading lost to Wheeling Sunday, so Worcester is two points up on the Royals. They have a game in hand, Wednesday at Norfolk. If Reading wins it, the Royals and Railers will be in a dead tie at 75 points heading into their two-game series in Reading Friday and Saturday.

That is the same scenario it has been for weeks. If Worcester wins both games, it is in.

If Reading loses Wednesday, the Railers would have a chance to clinch Friday night with a victory.

Sunday, the Railers scored the game’s first and third goals. The Thunder made it 1-1, then 2-2 before Kishaun Gervais scored at 4:47 of overtime to win it for Adirondack

Both goaltenders were very good. Jeremy Brodeur made 40 saves, Michael Bullion 31 for the home team. Brodeur’s most important work came in the first period when the Railers attacked relentlessly. They outshot the Thunder, 16-5, and could easily have headed into the second period with a lead of 3-0 or so.

Worcester did win the battle of special teams. The Railers were 2 for 5 on the power play and 4 for 4 killing penalties.

They were especially good at the end of the third period when Griffin Luce was called for tripping with 17 seconds left in regulation. A goal there would have made it impossible for Worcester to rescue a point but the Railers kept it a tie through the end of the period and into overtime.

Gill put the home team ahead at 12:20 of the first period. In five games prior Worcester’s power play was 0 for 12. It took Gill only nine seconds into the man advantage to give the Railers a 1-0 lead.

This goal was almost identical to the one he scored Saturday night. Gill fired a wrist shot from the left circle that somehow traversed a previously invisible seam through traffic and beat Brodeur to the glove side.

Ebrahim tied it at 8:07 of the second period with a whack job of a bouncing puck above the crease and it was 1-1 going into the third period.

Mahshie scored late in a power play at 3:49 of the third period to put Worcester back ahead. He converted a great pass from Cam McDonald, firing a high snap shot from the right circle that an octopus could not have stopped.

In overtime, the Railers’ best chance was a Gill breakaway that he could not convert. Gervais won it from between the circles.

Worcester continued its strong play down the stretch. The Railers are 7-3-1 for 15 points in their last 11 games. That is .682 hockey.

MAKING TRACKS — Tuzzolino made some lineup changes from the first two weekend games. Defenseman Kadore Dunn and forwards Riley Ginnell and Alec Cicero were in. Jordan Kaplan, Tyler Kobryn and Griffin Loughran — all forwards — were rested. … Attendance was 5,297.

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