The Worcester Railers HC won their game of the year on March 17, 2023, against the Maine Mariners, with a remarkable performance from Liam Coughlin, who scored his first career hat trick. Worcester had an uninspired first period and was down by two goals, but they made a comeback in the second period and tied the game at 2-2. The victory allowed the Railers to cut their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to 18.
The game also marked the beginning of the annual roster reboot, with the Railers adding a pair of players from college hockey, Adam Goodsir and Anthony Callin, both of whom made their professional debuts. The Callins are the third brother combination in Railers history and sixth in the city’s history.
Other highlights from the game included Ken Appleby’s 26th win for Worcester, moving him past Evan Buitenhuis into second place on the team’s all-time list behind Mitch Gillam. Worcester also had a successful penalty kill, going 6 for 6 in the game and 31 for 34 in the last 13 games.
For more information on Worcester Railers HC’s statistics, check out their stats page.
Worcester Railers HC Win a Classic on St. Patrick’s Day
The Worcester Railers HC played an outstanding game on March 17, 2023, against the Maine Mariners, making it their game of the year so far. Despite being down by two goals halfway through the game, the Railers made a comeback with four consecutive goals to win the game 4-3. Liam Coughlin, a standout player, scored his first career hat trick and registered a power-play, shorthanded, and an empty-net goal. Two of his goals were assisted by rookie Adam Goodsir, who was making his professional debut. Ken Appleby, who made 32 saves, also delivered a tremendous performance in the net.
Jacob Hayhurst scored the other goal for the Railers by scoring shorthanded at 16:50 of the third period, making it just the sixth time in franchise history that Worcester had two shorthanded goals in a single game, the first time since Dec. 16, 2019.
The Railers’ uninspired play in the first period allowed Maine to take a 2-0 lead, but Worcester made a comeback in the second period and tied the game at 2-2.
The victory allowed the Railers to cut their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to 18. Worcester had an emotionally and mathematically satisfying win.
The First Period
Worcester played an uninspired first period and fell behind as Maine took a 2-0 lead. Maine outshot Worcester, and the Mariners had a 14-5 edge.
Alex-Olivier Voyer made it 1-0 at 16:35 on a rebound shot from outside the right post. Cam Askew made it a 2-0 game just 61 seconds later with a 25-foot shot that went over Appleby’s blocker and under the crossbar.
The Second Period
Worcester kept the game within reach in the early part of the second period. Worcester’s turnaround came while killing a penalty. At 10:25, Andrei Bakanov had a breakaway that Francois Brassard stopped in close. Shortly thereafter, the Railers got a power play of their own and made it a 2-1 game with Coughlin converting a pass from Goodsir right in front.
The Railers had more penalty-killing time after that, including 41 seconds of two-men down. The Railers were still a man down when Coughlin was set up by Goodsir again, this time firing a 15-foot wrist shot home from between the circles.
The Worcester Railers HC had a great game on St. Patrick’s Day and will be looking forward to more victories in the future.
Worcester Railers HC Win 4-3 Against Portland
In their game against Portland on March 17, 2023, Worcester Railers HC scored four consecutive goals to win 4-3. Jacob Hayhurst’s shorthanded goal finally put the Railers ahead, followed by Liam Coughlin’s empty net goal at 17:26. The Railers kept the puck out of the net for the rest of the game despite Chase Zieky’s goal for Portland at 18:28.
Annual Roster Reboot
The game also marked the beginning of the annual roster reboot, with the Railers adding a pair of players from college hockey, Adam Goodsir and Anthony Callin, both of whom made their professional debuts. Callin, who is a forward, arrives in Worcester after a five-year career at Clarkson, where he was 34-36-70 with 67 PIM. Goodsir is a forward from Long Island University, where he was 15-19-34 with 64 PIM this season.
Brother Combinations in Railers History
The Callins are the third brother combination in Railers history and sixth in the city’s history. The Railers also had the three Harts – Kevin, Brian, and Ted – and the Saracino brothers, Nick and Chris. The other brother combinations are Jim and Ed Campell of the IceCats, Matt and Michael Pelech of the Sharks, and Joe and Mike Pereira, also of the Sharks.
Additional Game Highlights
Ken Appleby’s performance in the net earned him his 26th win for Worcester, moving him past Evan Buitenhuis into second place on the team’s all-time list behind Mitch Gillam. Worcester also had a successful penalty kill, going 6 for 6 in the game and 31 for 34 in the last 13 games. The Railers are 5-2-0 in their last seven games and have won three in a row for the first time since late January.
Anthony Repaci missed the game due to a death in the family, and Hayhurst was back in action after missing three games due to injury. Quin Ryan, Nick Fea, Philip Beaulieu, and Zach Bross were not in the lineup. Noah Delmas was back on defense after a stint as a forward. Appleby’s stop of Gabriel Chicoine’s shot at 3:03 of the third period was the 10,000th save in Railers history. The game had a crowd of 4,022.
Worcester Railers HC Statistics
For more information on Worcester Railers HC’s statistics, check out their stats page.
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