Here are five top performances from another lively night of action in the ECHL on Nov. 14.
This was an especially tough Friday Five to pick with so many great performances, from individual standouts to overall team efforts.
That’s always a good problem to have. Let’s dive in.
Worcester Railers
Yes, sometimes an entire team cracks the Friday Five, and there were several reasons the Railers made the list this week.
Worcester achieved a number of firsts in Friday’s 6-4 victory over the Trois-Rivieres Lions. It was the Railers’ first win in regulation this season, and it came against the defending Kelly Cup Champions.
It was also Worcester’s first home victory of the season. The club hadn’t tasted victory at DCU Center in 209 days, since beating the Adirondack Thunder on April 5.
It had been nearly two years since Railers goaltender Tristan Lennox had picked up a win as he’d missed much of that time with an injury. His last previous victory came at Adirondack on Nov. 25, 2023.
It was the first time Worcester had scored six goals in a game since last March 14 against the Norfolk Admirals, the first time this season it had the lead after one period, and the first time it had a 3-0 lead in a game.
On Friday, the Railers had what looked to be a commanding 5-1 lead with five minutes remaining in the third period. The Lions made things interesting, but Worcester hung on for the 6-4 final.
Six different skaters lit the lamp for the Railers: Cole Donhauser, Matt DeMelis, Drew Callin, Lincoln Hatten, Ross Mitton and Riley Ginnell (empty-netter). Lennox made 30 saves for the win.
Mitch Gibson: South Carolina Stingrays
What do you do after winning ECHL Goaltender of the Week? Come right back and lead your team to a shutout victory.
That’s what South Carolina Stingrays goaltender MitchGibson did Friday with a 1-0 shutout of the Atlanta Gladiators in front of 5,366 fans at North Charleston Coliseum.
Gibson stopped all 33 shots he faced after falling to the Glads two weekends ago. It didn’t take long for Atlanta to test the Pennsylvania native, who saw 11 shots in the 1st period.
Meanwhile, the Stingrays had chances but could not beat Gladiators goalie T.J. Semptimphelter, keeping the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
In the middle frame, the Stingrays offense peppered Semptimphelter and it took nearly the first 10 minutes to break through.
Josh Wilkins found a cutting Kyler Kupka who split the defense and beat Semptimphelter over the glove to put the Stingrays ahead, 1-0, with 10:06 left in the 2nd. Gibson only saw five shots in the period.
That changed in the third, as Atlanta was desperate for a comeback. Across the final 20 minutes, the Gladiators had chances, including multiple opportunities in tight, but Gibson denied every shot. The Glads had 17 shots in the 3rd period alone, which is the most a Stingrays netminder has seen in a single period this season.
Down the stretch, Gibson slammed the door as the Stingrays held on for the shutout. He saved 33 shots for his first shutout this season and the fourth of his ECHL career.
The Stingrays have now won four straight games and sit tied with Atlanta for first in the South Division.
Mike Posma: Wheeling Nailers
The Nailers are hot, picking up their seventh consecutive win with a 5-1 win over the Maine Mariners at WesBanco Arena. Mike Posma tallied two goals as Wheeling moved into a tie for first place in the North Division.
After a scoreless opening frame, Posma netted his first goal at the 3:22 mark after getting a loose puck with heavy traffic in front of the net. Posma slid a shot inside the post to give the Nailers a 1-0 lead.
After Wheeling took a 2-0 lead into the third period, Logan Pietila dished a pass over to Posma, who buried his second of the night into the left side of the twine for a shorthanded goal. It was one of three goals the Nailers scored in the frame.
Posma has points in three straight contests. At 8-1-0, the Nailers are off to their best nine-game start in team history.
Matt Salhany: Adirondack Thunder
Salhany scored two goals including the game-winner in overtime for a 4-3 Adirondack victory over the Reading Royals in front of the second sellout crowd of the year at Harding Mazzotti Arena.
Salhany opened the scoring in the opening frame. At the 15:14 mark, Ryan Wheeler kept the puck in the offensive zone and sent a pass to Alex Campbell in the left circle. Campbell’s shot was tipped by Salhany into the net for the lead. The goal was Salhany’s second of the year and Adirondack took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Royals tied the game 3-3 at 8:41 of the third to send the game into overtime. It took only 14 seconds of bonus hockey for Salhany to strike for the golden goal. He took a pass from Jeremy Hanzel and skated down the left side, shooting the puck over the left shoulder of Reading netminder Keith Petruzzelli for his second of the game and the 4-3 win.
Justin Taylor also potted two goals for the Thunder, including the game-tying goal.
Connor Ungar: Greensboro Gargoyles
The Gargoyles have cast a spell over the Tahoe Knight Monsters.
After defeating them on Thursday, Greensboro won their second straight 2-0 on home ice Friday. Ungar was perfect in net, stopping all 30 shots that came his way.
The Gargoyles’ penalty kill was perfect as well, converting on all four of its opportunities. Greensboro has the best penalty kill in the ECHL at 91.8 percent this season, and they are a perfect 26-for-26 on home ice.
Wade Murphy and Ethan Leyh scored the only two goals the Gargoyles would need, with Leyh getting into his first pro fight and extending his six-game point streak. The goal was his first as a pro. The win was Ungar’s second of the season.
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