The Worcester Railers hosted the Norfolk Admirals for three games this weekend. It was a rollercoaster ride for the Railers, but it was one that ended with the home team leapfrogging into fourth place in the North Division.
Friday started up the rollercoaster with a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. The Railers struck first, with Ryan Verrier netting his second of the season only 3:25 into the game. The Admirals came back with a pair of goals from Aaron Miller and Denis Smirnov to take a lead into the second period. Worcester’s Artyom Kulakov scored late in the second to tie it back up. Riley Piercey regained the lead for Worcester less than two minutes into the third, but Brandon Osmundson tied it back up for Norfolk with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, ultimately forcing overtime. Blade Jenkins became the hero of the game 1:17 into the extra session, winning it for the home team, 4-3.
The ride continued on Saturday. The night started out slowly for the Railers, and they found themselves in a deficit for much of the game. Danny Katic and Keegan Iverson scored a little more than a minute apart in the opening period, and the Admirals held that 2-0 lead until early in the final frame. Jake Pivonka scored a powerplay goal less than two minutes into the third period to break up Norfolk goaltender Kristian Stead’s shutout bid. Not only did it break the shutout bid, but it also broke open the dam for the Railers. Anthony Repaci followed with another powerplay goal at the four-minute mark, and Connor Welsh added an even-strength goal less than three minutes later to take the lead for the first time all night. Anthony Callin later added an empty-netter with less than a minute remaining in the game to seal the deal for Worcester by a final score of 4-2.
The rollercoaster finally came to a stop at the lowest point on Sunday. The Admirals scored a goal in each period (Osmundson in the first, Smirnov in the second, and Andrew McLean in the third) to help netminder Stead get his shutout.
Speaking of Stead, he appeared in the final two games of the three-game series, allowing three goals on 48 shots. Thomas Milic dropped the first game for Norfolk, making 28 saves on 32 shots. On the Worcester side, the veteran John Muse picked up both victories on the weekend, stopping 66 of the 71 shots he faced. Josh Boyko took the loss Sunday with 31 saves on 34 shots faced.
Several skaters from both teams had a multi-point weekend. A trio of skaters had three points apiece: Norfolk’s Smirnov (two goals, assist), Worcester’s Callin (goal, two assists), and Ashton Calder (three assists). Ten players had two points each. One of them was Worcester’s captain Repaci, with an assist on the Jenkins overtime game-winner Friday and his own game-tying goal Saturday. That was Repaci’s 61st goal with the Railers, passing Barry Almeida for the franchise lead.
By the time all was said and done, Worcester finished the weekend one point ahead of Norfolk in the North Division standings. The Railers are now tied with the Trois-Rivières Lions with 37 points. As the Railers look to continue their climb through the standings, the next target is the second place Newfoundland Growlers with 38 points.
Worcester will now travel to Indiana for a three-in-three against the Fort Wayne Komets before returning home for another pair of games with the Admirals. That weekend is also jam-packed, with another three games in three days. The final game of that weekend will also be at home, hosting the Lions.
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