Walter Bird Jr.

One night after serving up the first win for new coach David Cunniff, the Worcester Railers and snapping a seven-game losing streak, the Worcester Railers fell back into their losing ways, falling at home, 4-2, to the Indy Fuel Saturday night.

It was the kind of loss that gets fans hot under the collar and taking to social media afterward. On Facebook, some fans were harping about a gamble taken by Railers goalie Even Buitenhuis (26 saves) when his team was on a power play late in the first period. His team already down, 1-0, Buitenhuis ventured well away from the his goal to play the puck, but fumbled it, allowing Indy’s Bobby Macintyre to knock it into the empty net with just 4 seconds left for a 2-0 Indy lead.

Matt Thompson got the Fuel going at 8:40 of the first period, scoring on a turnover in the Railers’ end to put his team up, 1-0.

Jordan Samuels-Thomas pulled the Railers within one on a penalty shot past goalie Charles Williams (28 saves), making it 2-1. The Fuel went back up by two when Dylan McLaughlin snuck one by Buitenhuis at 16:19 for a 3-1 Indy lead. With less than 2 minutes left in the frame, Worcester’s Bo Brauer made good on one of several chances to cut the lead to 3-2.

The final score came at 11:04 of the third period on a Michael Doherty goal for the Fuel.

One night after registering the Railers’ first-ever regulation hat trick, Dante Salituro did not dress.

The Railers go on the road for three games, starting Wednesday against the Brampton Beast, followed by games in Newfoundland Friday and Saturday with the Growlers.

There weren’t a ton of fans in the house for to watch the Worcester Railers Friday night but those who showed up were rewarded with a night of firsts for the struggling hockey club.

New coach David Cunniff, who was behind the bench on Thanksgiving Eve after replacing former coach Jamie Russell, picked up his first win with the Railers and first in the ECHL. The Railers won their first game in eight tries, snapping a seven-game skid. Goalie Evan Buitenhuis (23 saves) earned his first win at the DCU Center since Jan. 12. Justin Murray notched his first professional point with an assist. And newcomer Dante Salituro registered the first regulation hat trick in Railers history.

It all added up to a much-needed and hard-fought, 6-4 win over the visiting Newfoundland Growlers (12-8-0), who sit well ahead of the last place Railers (5-11-1) in the ECHL North Division.

It was the kind of win that puts smiles on the faces of fans and team executives, which might explain why owner Cliff Rucker and president Mike Myers were on their feet with the rest of the crowd at game’s end, applauding a victory on Country Night at the DCU, which saw the Mychael David Band perform before and during the game.

There was a good vibe all night, although it took a while for the Railers to put a final stamp on this one and mail home the win.

Salituro got things started at 14:59 of the first period on a feed from Jordan Samuels-Thomas on a five-on-three power play, beating Newfoundland goalie Maksim Zhukov (16 saves). The fans were no doubt clapping as much for the fact that the Railers delivered on a power play opportunity as they did for the goal itself. Power plays have been a source of frustration for Worcester this season. The Growlers’ Riley Woods evened things up at 1-1 with less than a minute to go in the opening frame.

Newfoundland jumped on top, 2-1, just 30 seconds into the second frame on a Colt Conrad shot, but the Railers weren’t going quietly. Jordan-Samuels Thomas scored his sixth goal of the season at 4:08 to tie the game, 2-2

The Growlers would go ahead 3-2 a short time later, but Salituro’s second goal of the game tied at 3. Before the second period came to a close, Nic Pierog put the Railers on top 4-3 at 13:14.

In the third, things got mighty rowdy inside the DCU when Ross Olsson blasted the puck by Zhukov for a 5-3 Railers lead. Justin Brazeau pulled Newfoundland within one after the Growlers pulled their goalie, but Salituro’s third goal of the night sealed the 6-4 win for Worcester.

The Railers host the Indy Fuel at 7 p.m. Saturday at the DCU on Nickelodeon Night.

It was the first game behind the bench with the Worcester Railers for new head coach David Cunniff Wednesday. On the ice, it was the same result.

Facing a decidedly tough Newfoundland Growlers team on the day the Railers announced the firing of former head coach Jamie Russell, along with assistant coach Derek Army, the team couldn’t reverse its recent fortunes, losing its seventh in a row, 4-1, at the DCU Center the night before Thanksgiving.

A crowd of 2,004 on a holiday weeknight saw Newfoundland goalie Maksim Zhukov stop 30 of 31 shots – giving up just one goal, to Worcester’s Matt Schmalz – as the Growlers improved to 12-7-0-0.

With the loss, the Railers fell to 4-11-1-0. They are in last place in the ECHL North Division.

Cunniff who most recently was serving as an assistant coach with the first-place Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, promised the Railers would play hard in an interview earlier Wednesday with Public Relations & Social Media Coordinator Cam McGuire, and they came out with purpose to start the game.

It was Newfoundland that capitalized first, however, on a Trey Bradley goal at 13:43 of the first period.

The Growlers scored again in the second period on a Giorgio Estephan score against Railers goalie Jakub Skarek (24 saves).

The lead swelled to 3-0 at 9:07 of the final frame when Brady Ferguson scored.

Worcester finally got on the scoreboard when Schmalz scored just 14 seconds later, but Evan Neugold closed things out for the Growlers with a goal for the final, 4-1, score.

The same two teams go back at it Friday night at the DCU Center at 7 p.m. Then, on Saturday, the Railers play host to the Indy Fuel, also at home. That game also starts at 7 p.m.

The speculation among fans and local media had been building for weeks as the Worcester Railers continued to stumble after a promising opening to their third season. On the day before Thanksgiving, and on the heels of the club’s sixth consecutive loss, the team made it official: Jamie Russell is out as head coach and general manager.

The Railers have replaced him in both roles with former Worcester Sharks assistant coach David Cunniff.

Along with Russell, Derek Army was also let go by the team.

“Over the last three years, Jamie has been instrumental in providing a professional hockey culture for our organization and was able to set up a solid starting point for us,” Railers President Mike Myers said in a prepared statement. “Jamie’s professionalism and commitment to our organization was key in allowing us to succeed on and off the ice from Day 1 and we are appreciative of the foundation that he has put in place for us moving forward to be successful as an ECHL franchise. We wish Jamie and Derek all the best moving forward.”

In Cunniff, the Railers are getting a 49-year-old coach with 18 years experience in the American Hockey League, where this year he was serving as assistant coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack. That team is currently in first place in the AHL Atlantic Division.

Cunniff served on the Iowa Wild’s coaching staff from 2015-19, with a stint as interim head coach for part of the 2015-16 season. Additionally, he spent 12 seasons as either an associate or assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate, including eight seasons with the Worcester Sharks from 2006-2014. He also spend one season, 2014-15, with the Albany Devils.

“Our fans are familiar with the passion and hockey knowledge that David Cunniff brings to the table,” Myers said. “His track record developing players and his hockey pedigree will take the Railers to the next level in terms of on-ice production. We look forward to the next phase and confident that David Cunniff will provide the leadership and the 1know-how to make us successful moving forward.”

In parts of three seasons under Russell, the Railers went 73-66-20 in 159 regular season games. There were 2-4 in their one postseason appearance, which came in their inaugural 2017-18 season.

“It was obviously a very hard decision to come to,” Myers told the Worcester Sports scene. “Derek and Jamie have done a great job. They did a great job creating a foundation for us from Day One. They’ve been nothing but professional and polished, and gave us a great effort day and day out. They’re easy to work.”

At the same time, the team is getting an experienced AHL guy in Cunniff will now bring that to the ECHL level and the Railers.

“We’re excited to have a chance to have a guy like David Cunniff behind the bench. It’s pretty extraordinary, at this level. He brings such a huge amount of experience, coming from a first-place team in the AHL, with I think just shows … his level of competence in being able to get us on the right track and be part of the next chapter to take us where we feel we need to be as an organization.”

Russell was in the last year of his contract. Myers said the team does not not talk publicly about financial arrangements, but said the team considered all factors in making the move.

The decision came after a 5-4 loss in Maine Tuesday night to the Mariners, which marked the team’s sixth straight defeat. Worcester was also turned back at home on Sunday, 5-4, to the Adirondack Thunder.

Whatever proved to be the final straw, by last night the Railers had apparently seen enough.

Cunniff is expected behind the bench tonight, along with player/assistant coach Barry Almeida, when the Railers host the Newfoundland Growlers.

In related team news, the Railers announced vice president of marketing and communications Eric Lindquist will also serve as director of hockey operations.

In desperate need of a win, the Worcester Railers instead picked up a point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Maine Mariners Tuesday.

On the road in Portland, before returning home for three games, the Railers (4-10-1-0) gave up a 4-3 in the third period, then fell late in overtime, with Maine improving to 8-7-0-1) with the win.

It was the sixth straight loss for Worcester.

The winning score came with just 3:07 left in OT, with the Mariners’ Alex Kile following up his own rebound and sending the puck by Railers goalie Jakub Skarek (30 saves).

The teams ended up in the extra frame courtesy of a Ryan Gropp score at 13:59 of the third period, which tied the game up after Worcester entered the period with a 4-3 lead.

The Mariners got things started on a Morgan Adams Moisan tip in front of Skarek at 2:26 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. Kyle Thomas evened it up for Worcester, slapping in a shot on a feed from Connor Doherty to beat goalie Tom McCollum (30 saves) at 5:38. Just 14 seconds later, Maine’s Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin finished off a two-on-one to put the Mariners back up, 2-1. The Railers didn’t given an inch, however, with Matt Schmalz scored off the stick of a Mariners’ defender, making it 2-2.

Gropp scored for Maine 49 seconds into the second period for a 3-2 lead. Cody Payne tied it up for Worcester at 18:19 of the frame, and then, with just 57 seconds left, Nic Pierog snapped a shot over McCollum’s glove to put the Railers on top, 4-3.

Worcester didn’t score in the third period, with Maine tying it up before pulling off the overtime win.

The Railers host the Newfoundland Growlers at the DCU Center Wednesday night. After a Thanksgiving Day break, the same two teams go back at it Friday night. The Railers wrap up the three-game home set on Saturday with the Indy Fuel. All three games start at 7 p.m.

In what may have been among the most anticlimactic announcements in a long time around these parts, Worcester Red Sox officials finally put an end to the drumbeat of suspense surrounding the nickname of the team that is scheduled to start playing in Worcester in 2021.

It’s the WooSox.

Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

The team build up the suspense as much as it could, teasing for months other possible nicknames – the Gritty Kitties, the Rocket Sox, the Worcesters, to name a few. Want more? Among the 200-plus suggested names before it was whittled down to just one were the Americans, the Claws, the Dirt Dawgs, the Polar Bears, the Pride, the Ruby Legs and the Triple Deckers.

In the end, as the title of Monday night’s announcement at the Mercantile Center spelled out so clearly: Who beats the WooSox?

No one, as it turns out.

The unveiling of the nickname and logo – a pretty cool looking smiley face in what appears to be a home run stance and the letter “W” with a heart in where the letter crosses – as well as a temporary retail store inside the Mercantile Center on Front Street attracted several dozen spectators, city officials, team representatives and a healthy contingent of media. The event was broadcast on NESN and hosted by Tom Caron, with retired local sports writing legend Bill Ballou, former Boston Red Sox catcher and current Pawtucket Red Sox coach Rich Gedman and team president Charles Steinberg serving as panelists of sorts. The group waxed poetic about baseball’s significance in y Worcester and shared some fun anecdotes.

But the reason everyone was there, of course, was to find out what, oh what, would that nickname be?

A short video gave the answer, with the narrator finishing by saying, “Nobody beats the WooSox.” Then the banner was unveiled and a stream of local students filed down a set of stairs in the center lobby, showing off the new merchandise. The doors to the store opened soon after, and a steady stream of folks filed in to snatch tee-shits, jerseys, sweatshirts, ball caps, baby onesies, and more.

On stage during the special telecast, when the logo was unveiled, Gedman admitted to being emotional. Inside the store afterward, after helping a customer try on a new hat, he explained why.

“I guess being around baseball my whole life, growing up here and watching the two come together, being at the announcement of what the team is going to be called, it made me feel really special, personally,” the Worcester native who once pinch hit for the great Carl Yazstremski, said. “How many cities would like to have a team there? And to think our group, our people, stood up to make this what their kids are going to a part of. I used to walk through Crompton Park. I used to walk to the Boys Club. I used to walk to City Hall and walk through the Common. I would have been one of these kids trying to find a way into the ballpark. Emotion? It’s incredible.

“Let’s face it, it’s the Red Sox. It belongs here in Massachusetts. The people that stood up to make this happen, that’s the emotion of it. I’m just so proud to be part of it, to be around it. I think it’s so great that it happened.”