A lot has been made — and rightfully so — of the Newfoundland Growlers’ young offensive stars early in their first-ever ECHL season, but don’t ignore the contributions the expansion team is getting in the defensive end of the ice.
That was never made more clear than it was Saturday night at Mile One Centre, where the Growlers wrapped up a perfect four-game homestand with a 3-0 whitewashing of the Manchester Monarchs.
The victory, which came the night after Newfoundland (11-5-0) had doubled Manchester 4-2, extended the Growlers’ winning streak to six games and kept them atop the league’s overall standings.
On Sunday, Newfoundland netminder Michael Garteig stopped all 44 shots he faced in posting his franchise’s first-ever shutout, adding to a victory skein that has seen the Growlers outscore the opposition 24-10.
For a while, much of the offence was coming from the rookie line of league-leading scorer Brady Ferguson, Giorgio Estephan and Josh Kestner, but against the Monarchs (4-6-2), the bulk scoring came from other sources, with Scott Pooley tallying twice on Friday and Ryan Moore doing the same in Saturday’s rematch.
But throughout the winning streak — and particularly the homestand, during which time the Growlers allowed just five goals in four games — those on the defensive side also made a statement, punctuated by the efforts of Garteig, who continues to show he’s more than capable of being a workhorse; he has started 12 of Newfoundland’s 16 games.
That workload — and the fact the Growlers entered Sunday having played at least two more games than any team in the league — has Garteig at the top of the lists when it comes to games, minutes played (717), and wins (8) for ECHL goaltenders. But the 27 year-old also has solid numbers when it comes to stats that don’t have anything to do with how much he’s played. His goals-against average (2.26) is eighth-best among qualifying goaltenders, while his save percentage (.930) is third overall.
The Growlers head back onto the road later this week, beginning what will be a five-game road trip Friday night in Pennsylvania, where they’ll take on the Reading Royals
Dog Bites
J.J. Piccinich had Newfoundland’s other goal, scoring on a power play in the third period. The Growlers have at least one power-play goal in their last seven games… Forward and St. John’s native Zach O’Brien, back in the Growlers’ lineup after missing 10 games with an injury, had an immediate impact, registering two assists … With O’Brien back on the active roster, Newfoundland placed defenceman Tate Olson on the reserve list … The three stars Saturday were all Growlers: 1. Garteig; 2. Moore; 3. defenceman James Melindy …
