The Atlanta Gladiators faced off against the Worcester Railers at the DCU Center on February 5, 2025. The Railers started strong, maintaining possession and creating several scoring opportunities. Atlanta responded with solid defense and counterattacks, leading to a back-and-forth battle on the ice. The game saw notable performances from several players, with both goalies making crucial saves to keep their teams in contention.
Period 1
After the faceoff, the Railers iced the puck while trying to clear their zone. Blake Murray’s pass to Easton Armstrong was tipped wide, followed by a shot from Zach Yoder that was denied by Hugo Ollas. Off the faceoff, the Gladiators came very close to scoring but just narrowly missed. Ollas made a stop on Eric Neiley’s shot. Later on, Carbia turned over the puck, and the Railers seized it, but Haider denied them again.
Atlanta made their drive as Jeremy Hanzel passed off to Ryan Cranford, but he was blocked out of shooting contention, resulting in Ollas making the stop. Cody Sylvester won the faceoff, and later Neiley was blocked by Dickinson. Topatigh turned it over, and Repaci snagged it, but his shot was blocked. Later, Anthony Callin got to the puck first, resulting in a score for the Railers, assisted by Anthony Hora and Mark Cheremeta. The Railers led with a score of 1-0.
Armstrong passed to Murray, but he missed wide on that quick response by Atlanta. In the final 10 minutes, Topatigh passed to Cranford, who made a swift attack on the net, but the shot attempt was blocked once more by Ollas.
By the end of the first period, Worcester led 1-0. Anthony Callin scored the only goal of the period at 17:06, assisted by Anthony Hora and Mark Cheremeta. The Railers had nine shots on goal, while Atlanta had eight.
Ethan Haider, who recently returned to Atlanta after a short stint with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), made eight saves on nine shots. Hugo Ollas, the Worcester goalie, stopped all eight of the shots he faced. There were no penalties in the frame, so it was a clean period by both sides.
Shots on Goal:
Worcester: 9
Atlanta: 8
Goals and Assists:
Worcester: Anthony Callin (17:06), assisted by Anthony Hora and Mark Cheremeta
Penalties:
There were no penalties recorded in the third period for either team.
Period 2
The Railers were in possession of the puck when Jackson Pierson made a successful interception, yet he failed to find a chance to score. Cranford took the puck from Welsh, and Topatigh nearly capitalized on a scoring chance, but the Railers quickly thwarted that opportunity. Repaci forced Haider into a tough save, but he managed to stop the shot. A delayed penalty for a cross-check by Carbia sent Atlanta on the penalty kill at 4:55.
Straight out of the box, Carbia made a pass to Pierson, who took a strong shot on the net, but it was denied by Ollas. Armstrong nearly gave the Gladiators the tying goal, but his shot just did not find its way in. It was Easton Armstrong to Murray, with assists from Hanzel and Armstrong, who got the Gladiators on the board at 8:21 with a striking shot on Ollas that went past the blocker to light the lamp for Atlanta.
Randy Hernández passed off to Galloway, who nearly found his second of the season, but Ollas stopped it. Haider later made a stretch to keep a dangerous shot out of the net after an attempt by the Railers. Neiley had a two-on-one opportunity, but the chance by Neiley and Sylvester was blocked. Later on, Denomie took a shot on net, but it headed straight to the glove of Ollas. Dominiks Marcinkevics slotted the puck to Murray, but his shot was blocked. Ollas made a save, but Joey Cipollone tried to find his way through traffic and was unable to get through.
The Gladiators were presented with their initial power play chance when Worcester’s Cheremeta received a high-sticking penalty, sending him to the box for four minutes to serve the double minor. During this power play, Railers’ Matt Ustaski intercepted the puck, leading to a breakaway that was ultimately thwarted by Atlanta. However, time on the clock ran out in the second, and we remained tied at one goal apiece.
Shots on Goal:
Worcester: 14
Atlanta: 8
Goals and Assists:
Atlanta: B. Murray (8:21), assisted by J. Hanzel and E. Armstrong
Penalties:
Atlanta: D. Carabia, two minutes for Cross-Checking at 4:55
Worcester: M. Cheremeta, four minutes for High-Sticking (double minor) at 17:42
Period 3
Cheremeta remained in the penalty box at the start of the third period, still serving his remaining time from the double minor. Anthony Firriolo had two great chances to score, but both of his attempts were blocked and cleared by the Railers. Once the Railers returned to full strength, Repacci tried to set up Jordan Kaplan, but Hernández stepped in to thwart that opportunity. A shot from the high slot by the Railers was skillfully saved by Haider’s strong glove.
Later, the Railers executed a wrap-around play, successfully scoring with a shot from Matt DeMelis, assisted by Ryan Dickinson, at 3:19, reclaiming the lead. They extended their advantage further when Connor Welsh received the puck from Callin, and Haider couldn’t stop the shot. The score now stood at 3-1 in favor of Worcester.
Haider almost faced trouble once more when the Railers took a shot on goal, leading to a chaotic scramble around the net with bodies piled up dangerously. With the last two goals fueling their performance, the Railers gained momentum, creating challenges for Atlanta’s defense.
The Gladiators reached their second goal when Connor Galloway netted his second of the season at 9:47, with assists credited to Michael Marchesan and Cranford.
Cipollone delivered a pass to Hernández, but they could not capitalize on the opportunity. Galloway won the faceoff while Carabia attempted to maneuver the puck. Once again, Galloway secured the faceoff, enabling Firriolo to take a shot despite the lack of an opening. Later, Armstrong nearly scored but was unable to hit the target with just under four minutes remaining. A shot by Mason Klee goes high into the net, stopping play.
The Gladiators pull Haider from the goal to bring in an extra attacker. Toptaigh drives deep and later helps to make a crucial save against the Railers’ shot aimed at the empty net. A time out is called with 53.5 left in the game.
Shots on Goal:
Atlanta: 7
Worcester: 11
Goals and Assists:
Worcester: M. DeMelis from R. Dickinson at 3:19
Worcester: C. Welsh from A. Callin and C. Donhauser at 4:58
Atlanta: C. Galloway from M. Marchesan and R. Cranford at 9:47
Penalties:
There were no penalties recorded in the third period for either team.
Final Summary
The Gladiators fell short after working hard in the third period to catch up after dropping down by two goals. However, it was the Railers who came out with the win, with a final score of 3-2. The Railers’ strong performance in the third period, with goals from Matt DeMelis and Connor Welsh, secured their victory. Despite a late goal from Connor Galloway, the Gladiators just couldn’t close the gap.
Worcester had a total of 34 shots on goal, while Atlanta had 23. E. Haider played 58:41 minutes, stopped 31 shots, and had a save percentage of approximately 91.18%. H. Ollas played 60:00 minutes, stopped 21 shots, and had a save percentage of approximately 91.30%.
Their rematch is set for Friday February 7th at 7:05 PM EST as the Railers host the Gladiators for game two in the three game series.
Three Stars of the Game
- WOR – A. Callin: Scored the opening goal and assisted on the third goal.
- WOR – C. Welsh: Scored the game-winning goal in the third period, extending Worcester’s lead.
- WOR – A. Repaci: Assisted on the first goal and contributed to Worcester’s offensive efforts.
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