GLENS FALLS, NY– The Worcester Railers HC (4-5-0-0, 8 points) snapped their four game losing streak with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Adirondack Thunder (5-3-0-2, 12 points) on Friday evening in front of 4,213 at the Cool Insuring Arena. The same two teams will square off against one another on Sunday, November 10 at 3pm in Glens Falls.
Bo Brauer, Shane Walsh, Jordan Samuels-Thomas, and Ross Olsson all scored goals for Worcester while Evan Buitenhuis made 43 saves in net for his first win of the season in a game that featured 70 penalty minutes. Matt Schmalz and Barry Almeida each added two assists as the Railers snapped their four-game losing skid with the shootout victory. Evan Cormier allowed four goals on 23 shots in net for the Thunder while Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored twice, while Mike Szmatula and Kelly Summers each scored for Adirondack in their home shootout loss. Shane Walsh and JD Dudek each scored in the shootout whole Evan Buitenhuis made three stops on four shots.
Adirondack grabbed the first goal of the game just 1:44 in as Pierro-Zabotel banged in a loose rebound past Buitenhuis. The Railers would then score twice in a 35 second span as Brauer (1st goal of season) tapped in a feed from Schmalz at 10:35 and then Shane Walsh (1st goal) sent one by Cormier in the high slot off of a feed from Brauer at 10:10. Adirondack outshot Worcester 12-7 in the first stanza.
In a second period which featured 40 penalty minutes the Railers struck twice. Jordan Samuels-Thomas (3rd goal) with an excellent effort circling the cage slid one past Cormier to give Worcester a 3-1 lead at 3:50. Szmatula (2nd goal) answered on the power play banging home a rebound behind Buitenhuis with 4:22 left in the frame to decrease the deficit for Adirondack 3-2. Things would escalate after Olsson (1st goal) tipped one past Cormier giving Worcester a 4-2 lead with 1:47 left in the middle stanza. Olsson (2nd fighting major) was then jumped by Gabriel Verpaeslt (2nd fighting major) and the two were assessed fighting majors. Worcester held a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Adirondack was able to strike twice in the final period, first at 13:32 when Summers (2nd goal) blasted one home from the point at 13:32 making it a 4-3 game. Pierro-Zabotel (4th goal) scored his second of the game at 17:32 tapping home a rebound tying it up at 4-4. Connor Doherty (2nd fighting major) dropped the mits with Robbie Payne (1st fighting major) with under five minutes to play in the third period. The game was deadlocked at 4-4 after regulation with the Thunder outshooting the Railers 41-21.
Each team had two power-plays in the overtime with back and forth action as Adirondack outshot Worcester 6-2 but neither team would score sending it into a shootout.
Walsh and Dudek each scored goals for Worcester in the shootout while Evan Buitenhuis made three saves on four shots.
The same two teams will square off against one another on Sunday, November 10 at 3 p.m. in Glens Falls.
Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: JD Dudek (Shootout Winner), 2nd star: Bo Brauer (1-1-2, +3) 1st star: Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2-1-3, +3)…Final shots were 47-23 in favor of Adirondack… Evan Cormier (0-1-0) made 19 saves on 22 shots for Adirondack… Evan Buitenhuis (1-3-0) made 43 saves on 47 shots for Worcester while Linus Soderstrom served as the backup… Worcester went 0-for-5 on the power play while Adirondack went 1-for-5… Ivan Chukarov (injury), Tanner Pond (injury), Jack Stander and Chris Rygus did not dress for Worcester… Connor Doherty registered a game high 15 penalty minutes with a 10 minute misconduct and five minute fighting major… Cody Payne received a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and ten minute game misconduct in the second… Bo Brauer (1-1-2), Matt Schmalz (0-2-2), and Barry Almeida (0-2-2) all recorded multi-point games… Mike Cornell, Nic Pierog, and Jakub Skarek are currently on recall with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers… Worcester is now 18-8-2-0 all-time vs. the Thunder and 11-4-1-0 at the Cool Insuring Arena.
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