Michael Garteig made 27 saves and Brady Ferguson registered three points for a second straight game as the Newfoundland Growlers snapped a season-high five game losing streak by beating the Manchester Monarchs 5-1 Wednesday night.
The result means the North Division leading Growlers (40-19-6) need just a single point to clinch an ECHL playoff spot.
Newfoundland has seven regular-season games remaining, including two on its current six-game road trip.
The trek finishes up with games against the Reading Royals Friday and Saturday.
Ferguson has points in six of seven games since returning to the Growlers from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. He has seven goals and four assists in that stretch, including a goal and two assists in a first-star performance Wednesday. That followed his two-goal, one-assist game Sunday in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Maine Mariners.
In both his recent games, Ferguson has scored in the game’s opening minute. On Wednesday, he beat Monarchs goaltender Charles Williams with a wrist shot 59 seconds in.
It was Ferguson’s 26th goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with Zach O’Brien, who did not dress for a second straight game, and Scott Pooley, who is on recall to the Marlies.
Captain James Melindy, Matt Bradley, Todd Skirving and Giorgio Estephan had the other Growlers markers Wednesday.
Matheson Iacopelli was the only Manchester player to beat Garteig. Williams faced 40 shots for Manchester (33-27-4), which is trying to hold on to the fourth and final spot in the North.
Dog Bites
Defencemen Adam Pardy and Garrett Johnson joined forward Josh Kestner with two assists Wednesday for the Growlers … Prior to the game in Manchester, Newfoundland announced it had signed goalie Zachary Bouthiliier and placed him on the team’s reserve list. The 19-year-old Bouthillier, a seventh-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs last June, had been with the Saint John Sea Dogs, who failed to advance to the QMJHL playoffs …
