By Bill Ballou

WORCESTER – The Mariners won again Sunday afternoon, 4-2, although it was a close game that the Railers might have taken, or at least tied.

Worcester had yet another goal disallowed due to goalie interference, this one deposited by Riley Ginnell at 19:28 of the first period. It would have closed a 2-0 deficit to 2-1 but was waved off. Since the fourth Maine goal was into an empty net, the wave-off was huge.

It was also the second in the last two games that call went against the Railers.

“Both nights, I think they were wrong,” coach Nick Tuzzlino said. “They decide what they decide but I think it happens a lot to us in this building.”

These goalie interference reviews are becoming a plague. There seem to be one or two every game. They take up time and kill the flow. They are like football pass interference calls. If six people look at them you’ll get six different interpretations.

“I definitely saw our guy being physical with their defenseman outside the paint,” Tuzzolino said. “There was a fight for ice. That’s bound to happen…I think you can call goalie interference on almost every goal, but it is what it is.”

The game marked the Railers debut of former Holy Cross goaltender Thomas Gale, who played two ECHL games for Wheeling last year. Worcester’s goaltending has been inconsistent thus far. Gale seemed to play well enough to earn another start.

“He was good,” Tuzzolino said. “I think maybe the first two he might like back. Then in the second period he stops maybe two or three Grade As, at the end of the first he stops a breakaway. Great energy, great attitude, really fought down to the wire.”

“He was a fire starter, a spark. Not a knock on our other goalies but they’ve had a lot of mental battles and needed a mental break.”

The Railers goals were scored by Drew Callin and Kolby Johnson, playing in just his third game of the season. Lynden McCallum had two for Maine, giving him five for the two games here this weekend. Jacob Perreault and Sebastian Vidmar had the other Maine goals, Vidmar into an empty net.

Luke Cavallin made 22 saves for Maine to improve his career record versus Worcester to 11-5-0.

Maine scored early and late in the first period.

Perrault notched a power play goal at 1:58, blasting a shot home from the left circle on the first shot Gale faced in a Worcester uniform. Maine’s man advantage came about after Railers forward Jesse Nurmi was called for an obvious slashing penalty at 1:50.

McCallum scored his fourth goal of the weekend at 17:17. He snapped a shot under the crossbar from the right circle; the Mariners have been very good so far this season against Worcester at putting the puck on the top shelf.

The home team closed the gap on a power play goal of its own just 1:48 into the second period. Callin beat Cavallin from between the dots with a quick wrist shot after taking a pass from Ryan Miotto. It was a one-goal game for about six minutes.

McCallum went top shelf at 7:46 to re-establish the Mariners’ two-goal lead. It could have been worse for the Railers, though. Maine had a 17-7 edge in shots and Gale made several excellent saves.

Johnson scored at 9:35 of the third period, right off a draw in the left circle. The puck found him alone about 15 feet away from Cavallin and he beat him with an instant release.

MAKING TRACKS – Nurmi’s goal Saturday night made him the second-youngest goal scorer in Railers history. Nurmi was 20 years, 246 days old. That made him one day older than Andrei Bakanov. He was 20, 245 when he scored on Feb. 7, 2023. … Lineup changes included Johnson in uniform, Tanner Schachle not dressed. … Attendance was 2,481.

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