Game two of this three game set between the Worcester Railers and Newfoundland Growlers featured Braveheart Night at the DCU Center. The first 1,000 fans to show up received commemorative Braveheart hats.
With the Railers battling it out in a statement win against these same Growlers Wednesday night, they hit the ice, and they expect Friday’s contest to be no different. The team has sudden life, which has had a pretty dormant offense of late. The Railers would win in comeback fashion 3-2 while outshooting their opponent 36-30
A messy opening puck drop for both teams to start the game, however the Worcester Railers were able to recover for possession. Less than two minutes into the game, the Growlers seized the momentum when forward Grant Cruikshank was able to put one to the back of the net by goaltender John Muse, assisted by forwards Zach O’Brian and Tyler Weiss. The crowd quickly got behind the teams back. Forward Joey Cipollone was able to stay with the Growlers and steal the puck on back to back possessions, unfortunately for the Railers it yielded no goals. A massive no-penalty call occurred where defenseman Nathan Staios held forward Reece Newkirk’s stick, which the crowd was displeased with. A creative wrap-around by Weiss for the Growlers that was almost netted, luckily, was gloved by Muse, the goaltender. While the Railers were able to regain their footing and keep the Growlers out of the net, they entered the lockers down a goal.
Immediately, the Growlers came with more intensity than the Railers in the second period. Forward for the Growlers, Mathieu Gosselin drove, but luckily for the Railers, the shot hit the crossbar. A crazy collision occurred in the net where Railers forward Anthony Callin crashed into the net trying to score and took the entire team with him, which resulted in a Dryden McKay save. The road did not get much easier for the Railers as Forward Grant Cruikshank faked out the defense and found forward Zach O’Brian for the goal on a power play. As the Railers desperately look for a spark, they enter the lockers down 2-0.
The Railers came out with intensity, knowing this game, like many others, had huge playoff implications. It took 44 minutes and 57 seconds for them to crack the score column, but they finally did, with forward Anthony Callin chipping one in that erupted the crowd. The Railers continue to fight and claw for every puck in crucial situations. After a few stops by the Growlers goaltender forward for the Railers, Blade Jenkins pushes one to the back of the net to even the score at two apiece, switching all of the momentum back to the Railers. The Railers kept pushing and pursuing to get their first lead of the game with only 6:10 on the clock, where Reece Newkirk scored and delivered the fatal blow.
