The Newfoundland Growlers entered Wednesday having gone 9-1 whenever they scored the opening goal of the game during the ECHL playoffs. So, when the Growlers’ Hudson Elynuik converted on a nifty drop pass from Derian Plouffe to open the scoring in the second period of Wednesday’s Game 3 of the Kelly Cup final in Toledo, the odds seemed to have fallen in Newfoundland’s favour.
But odds do not guarantee certainty. And if there was anything certain Wednesday, it was that the Toledo Walleye outplayed the Growlers.
Toledo scored three goals in a four minute and 31 second span in the middle frame en route to a 4-1 win, its first victory of the final.
It means the Growlers will take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series into Game 4 Friday night at Toledo’s Huntington Centre, with Game 5 also set for there Saturday night.
On Wednesday, before a packed house of nearly 8,500, the Walleye outshot Newfoundland 36-18, including 19-6 in the first period, when they were frustrated by the goaltending of the Growlers’ Michael Garteig.
Garteig’s shutout continued until 14:05 of the second period, just over 10 minutes after Elynuik scored his sixth goal of the playoffs.
The Walleye scoring spurt started with a tally by Toledo rookie Zach Gallant, continued a minute and a half later when veteran Greg Wolfe scored what would stand as the eventual game-winner and finished up when Walleye captain Shane Berschbach collected a power-play marker at 18:36.
The Walleye’s three second-period goals matched the Growlers’ entire shot total over the 20-minute frame.
Newfoundland picked up the pace in third, when it outshot Toledo 9-6, but Berschbach scored the only goal of the period, picking up his third point of the night and putting the cap on the crucial victory for the home side.
The Walleye had four power plays, while the Growlers had two. That didn’t match up with the total of 15 minor penalties handed out — eight to Newfoundland and seven to Toledo — because there were three cases of coincidental minors. In fact, Berschbach’s second goal came as the teams played four-on-four.
There was an even a fight in the game. That came in the first period when Growlers rookie defenceman Kristians Rubins got into his first scrap of the season against Toledo playoff penalty-minute leader Bryan Moore.
Dog Bites
The three stars Wednesday were the goal scorers, 1, Berschbach, 2. Wolfe 3. Gallant … The announced attendance of 8,472 meant there were about 1,000 standing-room tickets sold. Friday and Saturday’s games are also sell-outs … With forward Josh Kestner sidelined after being knocked out by a hit to a head in Sunday’s Game 2 in St. John’s, Todd Skirving drew into the lineup in his place. Kestner did skate briefly Wednesday in a no-contact jersey … Walleye defenceman Kevin Tansey, who had delivered the hit to Kestner Sunday and picked up a match penalty as a result, did play Wednesday after the ECHL decided against levying any supplemental discipline …
