Matt Ustaski and Mark Cheremeta have improved Worcester's play since coming aboard in January.

The Worcester Railers have inserted a number of new faces into their lineup recently, and couldn’t have asked for a better debut from a couple in particular: forwards Matt Ustaski and Mark Cheremeta.

After signing with Worcester Jan. 29, The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Ustaski made his Railers debut two days later in a 4-3 victory over the Adirondack Thunder. He potted a goal at the 17:25 mark of the first period on a short shot that put Worcester ahead 2-0.

It was Ustaski’s first ECHL goal since the 2019-20 season, when he played for the Idaho Steelheads.

Ustaski became the 26th player in Worcester hockey history to score in his debut and the second this season.

The native of Glenview, Ill. tallied another goal in a 5-2 win in Maine over the Mariners Feb. 2. At 5:23 of the opening period, he took a pass from Jordan Kaplan and found the back of the net for his second goal in as many games. It was the first time Ustaski had scored in back-to-back contests since 2017-18 with the Jacksonville Icemen.

Cheremeta was acquired a week earlier in a trade from the Orlando Solar Bears in exchange for future considerations. It took until his third game to get his first goal in a Railers sweater, and he ended up with two plus an assist in the Jan. 31 victory over Adirondack.

Cheremeta wasted little time potting his first goal, coming on a rebound at the 1:47 mark. He earned a helper on Ustaski’s goal that increased Worcester’s lead to 2-0.

The second from Cheremeta gave the Railers a 3-2 lead at 10:31 of the middle frame on a shot from the bottom of the left circle. That gave him three points on the night.

Cheremeta’s lone tally on Sunday against the Mariners came 15:52 into the third period on a breakaway, increasing Worcester’s lead to 4-2. Cheremeta’s four points on the weekend surpassed his total of three over 14 games with the Kalamazoo Wings earlier this season.

Ustaski had 60 ECHL games under his belt before joining the Railers, with 18 points in his ECHL career to go with 19 penalty minutes.

Over 93 games in the SPHL across five seasons, Ustaski notched 89 points (45-44-89), 66 penalty minutes and a +13 rating.

Drafted 192^nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the seventh round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Ustaski went on to play in one game with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League during the 2017-18 season.

Prior to his professional career, the center/left winger played in four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey with the University of Wisconsin. With the Badgers, he had 22 points (13-9-22) along with 44 penalty minutes and a -24 rating.

Before joining the Railers, the 25-year-old Cheremeta played in 18 games this season between the Wings and Orlando Solar Bears. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound left-shot winger had eight penalty minutes to go along with his three points upon arriving in Worcester. Cheremeta is in his rookie campaign.

Before turning pro, Cheremeta played five seasons of NCAA hockey between Boston University, Ohio State, and Sacred Heart. In 112 collegiate games, he had 46 total points (11-35-46) to go with 26 penalty minutes.

The Railers have played much better over the past month since Nick Tuzzolino took over for Bob Deraney as head coach in mid-December. The club went 5-2-3 in the month of January and is currently on a six-game home point streak, fifth-longest in the league this season.

The Railers sit in fourth in the North Division at 18-19-2-4 for 42 points. They begin a three-game series at home against the Gladiators on Wednesday. Puck drop is set for 7:05 Pm ET.