Railers Cap off Comeback with 5-4 Overtime Win against Rush
ECHL Worcester Railers HC

Railers Cap off Comeback with 5-4 Overtime Win against Rush

Published on February 20, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Worcester Railers HC News Release


Worcester Railers' Ryan Miotto and Rapid City Rush's Brett Davis on the ice
Worcester Railers' Ryan Miotto and Rapid City Rush's Brett Davis on the ice
(Worcester Railers HC)

RAPID CITY, SD - The Worcester Railers HC (23-19-5-1 pts) grabbed a 5-4 overtime victory over the Rapid City Rush (21-23-4-0) on Friday, February 20th at The Monument in front of a crowd of 3,409. The Railers will wrap up their three-game road series against the Rush on Saturday, February 21st, with puck drop at 7:05 p.m. MST.

Rapid City struck first with back-to-back goals from Briley Wood (2-0-2) in the opening half of the first period. Matt DeMelis (1-1-2) got Worcester on the board with a one-timer at 9:35 in the second. Drew Callin (3-0-3) kept it rolling for Worcester with two goals for the Railers, the latter of which was on the power play to put the team ahead 3-2 heading into the final period of play. Rapid City's Ryan Chyzowski (1-1-2) tied the game for the Rush once more at three apiece early in the third. Linemate Blake Bennett (1-0-1) put Rapid City ahead for the second time of the evening with a power play shot atop the right circle to make the new score 4-3 at 10:31. Callin scored his first hat-trick as a Railer and pushed the night into overtime with a quick shot off from the left faceoff circle over the shoulder of Nathan Torchia (4-4). Anthony Repaci (1-1-2) lit the lamp for a final time for the Railers just fifty-nine seconds into OT and picked up the 5-4 victory off a pass from DeMelis.

Rapid City established an early two-goal lead for themselves with back-to-back unanswered goals at 7:05 and 9:43 in the first, both from Briley Wood. Wood (7th) deked out goaltender Tristan Lennox and created an opening along the right side of the Railers' net to score the Rush's first tally. Wood (8th) followed up the play with a second unanswered goal for the team three-and-a-half minutes later, a shot that snuck its way in between the pads of Lennox (0-2). Worcester was unable to respond to the new lead before the horn sounded. No penalties were called in the period. Worcester led in shots on goal with 13 to Rapid City's 6.

The second period was Worcester's turn to chase down the Rush's lead and take the game for themselves. In the span of six minutes and twenty-four seconds, Worcester went from trailing by two to a three-goal lead. Matt DeMelis (14th) got the scoring streak going with a quick one-timer assisted on by a pass through the crease from Riley Ginnell at 9:35 (1-2). Drew Callin (16th) capitalized on a center ice breakaway as Rush goaltender Nathan Torchia was unable to block the push (2-2). Khristian Acosta was then sent down to the ice on the next play as he collided with the Rush's net. The act put the Railers on their first extra-man advantage of the night as Mitchell Smith headed into the box for roughing. The two minutes with the man-advantage proved fruitful as Callin (17th) nabbed a second tally, his fourth in two games. Amidst heavy traffic, Callin finished off a rebound and put the puck into a wide-open Rush net, which gave Worcester their 3-2 lead as the second frame of play came to a close. Shots on goal once again favored Worcester 15-9. Smith's penalty was the only one called for the period.

Rapid City quickly re-tied the game for the second time early in the third. The goal was tucked into the Railers net by Ryan Chyzowski (21st) at 4:18. Rapid City then reclaimed the game lead at 10:31 with a top-shelf shot atop the right circle from Blake Bennett (18th) (4-3). The play came from an man-advantage delivered by a tripping penalty called on Railers' defenseman Adam Samuelsson at 9:35. Drew Callin (18th) kept a victory in the Railers sights with a late-game hat-trick as netminder Lennox was called to the bench to give Worcester the extra body. Callin drove the puck from the left faceoff dot over the shoulder of Torchia, and both teams skated into overtime, nodded up at four apiece. As the overtime clock began to count down, it was Anthony Repaci (15th) who claimed the game winner just fifty-nine seconds into play. Repaci tipped a backhanded pass from DeMelis out in front to claim the Railers' second victory in South Dakota with a 5-4 final score. Worcester put up 53 shots on goal to Rapid City's 20. Worcester and Rapid City each collected one penalty in the third.

NOTES - Three stars: 3rd Star: Briley Wood (2-0-2, +1, 2 shots), 2nd Star: Drew Callin (3-0-3, +2, 5 shots), 1st Star: Anthony Repaci (1-1-2, +1, 3 shots)... Final shots were 53-20 in favor of Worcester...Nathan Torchia (1-1-1) made 48 saves on 53 shots, while Tristan Lennox (5-9-1) made 16 saves on 20 shots...Worcester went 1-for-2 on power plays while Rapid City went 1-for-1... The Railers are now 2-0-0-0 all-time vs. the Rush and 2-0-0-0 at the The Monument... Anthony Hora, Michael Ferrandino, Gleb Veremyev, Ross Mitton, and Thomas Gale did not dress for Worcester... Drew Callin picked up his first hat-trick as a Railer with his goal in the third period...

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Images from this story

Worcester Railers' Ryan Miotto and Rapid City Rush's Brett Davis on the ice
Worcester Railers' Ryan Miotto and Rapid City Rush's Brett Davis on the ice
   



ECHL Stories from February 20, 2026


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