The Newfoundland Growlers may have experienced a disappointing end to their most recent road trip, but nevertheless, the five-game swing that ended in central Florida Saturday has to be seen as a successful trek.
Newfoundland went 3-1-1 on the trip, which finished up with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Orlando Solar Bears, the first extra-time setback in the Growlers’ short ECHL history.
The defeat came a day after Newfoundland had blanked the Solar Bears 3-0 behind Michael Garteig’s 25-save performance.
On Saturday, Garteig and his Newfoundland teammates looked like they might be on its way to back-to-back victories, carrying a 4-2 lead into midway point of the second period. But the Solalr Bears rattled off three straight goals and the Growlers needed Hudson Elyniuk’s third-period tally just to get the game into OT, where Chris Leblanc won it for the home side, scoring his second goal of the contest 100 seconds into the extra frame.
Marcus Power, Brady Ferguson and Scott Pooley each had a goal and assist for Newfoundland (14-6-1), which leads the entire ECHL with 29 points and tops the Eastern Conference with a .690 points percentage.
Giorgio Estephan had the other goal on Saturday for the Growlers, who got three assists from Sam Babintsev.
Garteig made 32 saves.
Veteran Curt Gogol also had two goals for Orlando (9-7-2), with Brady Shaw and Jonne Tammela producing the other markers for the home side.
Solar Bears netminder Corbin Boes faced 30 shots Saturday after dealing with 41 the previous night.
In the latter game, Estephan scored twice for the Growlers, with Pooley getting the other goal.
Newfoundland, which has played more games than any other of the clubs in the other 26 teams in the ECHL, returned home Sunday and will enjoy a considerable break, not getting back into action until next Saturday, when the Growlers host the Brampton Beast in the first game of a six-game homestand at Mile One Centre.
Dog Bytes
Newfoundland assistant John Snowden, who took over for ailing head coach Ryane Clowe during the road trip, used a starting lineup in both games that include forward J.J. Piccinich and defenceman Alex Gudbranson, the two players on the Growlers’ active roster who played for the Solar Bears last year, when Orlando had the affiliation with the Toronto Maple Leafs that now belongs to Newfoundland. Snowden himself had been a Solar Bears assistant coach for three years … Gudbranson was activated from injured reserve just before the two-game series with Orlando. Before that, he had been sidelined 16 games … With Gudbranson back on the active roster, the Growlers released a couple of defencemen, Cody Smith and Tate Olson. Olson was claimed on waivers by the Florida Everblades, while Smith is expected to return to the Peoria Rivermen of the Southern Professional Hockey League … After going minus-two Friday, Orlando defenceman and St. John’s native Cody Donaghey had an assist and plus-two rating to help the Solar Bears win Saturday … Former St. John’s IceCaps forward Stefan Fournier is with Orlando …
