ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The Newfoundland Growlers begin their first real schedule-induced challenge tonight in northeast Pennsylvania.
It’s not so much about their opponent, although the Reading Royals did hand the Growlers (4-3-0) one of their losses in their ECHL season-opening game at Mile One Centre earlier this month.
It’s mostly because tonight’s contest represents the start of a stretch that sees Newfoundland playing three games in three days in three different cities.
After the game against Reading (3-3-1), the Growlers will bus to Worcester, Mass., where they will face the Railers. Then it’s on to where their five-game trip began —Portland, Me., for a Saturday-night matchup with the Maine Mariners.
But while the road swing began at what be called a moderate pace, with back-to-back meetings with the Mariners last Friday and Saturday, followed by four-plus days before tonight’s game, things get downright hectic.
Besides playing three games, the Growlers will spend seven-plus hours on the bus, making a 515-kilometre trek to Worcester from Reading and then another 230 kilometres from Worcester to Portland after Friday’s contest.
What’s more, they’ll be facing well-rested teams in the Railers and Mariners. Friday’s contest will be Worcester’s first since a 6-0 road loss to the Brampton Beast on Sunday, while Maine won’t have played since suffering a 5-2 loss to Newfoundland this past Saturday.
At least that can be said about the Royals, who played Wednesday night in Norfolk, Va., where they shaded the Admirals 2-1.
Before the Growlers started the current trip, head coach John Snowden spoke about the players’s need to pay particular attention to rest, recovery and nutrition during this span and about the onus on him in terms of bench/shift management during games.
There is also some lineup flexibility available for Snowden, even with veteran forward Zach O'Brien still on recall to the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
ECHL teams dress 18 players for games and have a couple of more on their active rosters. Newfoundland also has three players — forward Todd Skirving, along with defencemen Tommy Panico and Alex Gudbranson — on reserve lists. All three are travelling with the team, although Gudbranson is on injured reserve and hasn't yet played a game this season.
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After tonight, the Growlers will have played half of their first eight games against the Royals, the ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The two teams opened the 2019-20 with three straight games at Mile One Centre in St. John’s, where each posted a regulation-time win and Newfoundland also came away with an OT victory … Newfoundland rookie forward Colt Conrad has 12 points (5G, 7A), giving him a share of the ECHL scoring lead with Giovanni Fiore of the Rapid City Rush. Conrad was one of three Growlers in the top 10 in league scoring, along with Giorgio Estephan (11 points) and Aaron Luchuk (10)… Game time tonight is 8:30 p.m. NT. Chris Ballard's play-by-play broadcast of the contest is available online at http://mixlr.com/nlgrowlers/
Twitter: @telybrendan
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