It was the rubber match, but for the Newfoundland Growlers, it was more like a rubber ball match, because they got got bounced.
The Growlers suffered their most lop-sided loss of the season Sunday evening as they lost 7-2 to the Reading Royals in the third meeting between the ECHL North Division rivals in as many days.
The division-leading Royals had won 5-3 Friday night in Reading and the Growlers responded with a 4-3 overtime victory in a rematch on Saturday.
For most of the early part of Sunday’s contest at the Santander Arena, it looked like the two sides might finish with another close result, but Reading (12-4-3) got two late opening-period goals from Ralph Cuddemi, the first on a power-play at 17:30 and the second with just nine seconds left in the frame to stake the home side to a lead it would not relinquish.
Defenceman Michael Kapla got Newfoundland (11-7-0) on the board in the second period, but the Royals then rattled off four straight tallies, including Cuddemi’s hat trick goal, en route to the victory.
Brady Ferguson had the Growlers’ other marker.
Despite the score, the shots-on-goal stats were pretty even, with Reading sending 31 towards the Newfoundland net and the Growlers getting 29 on the Royals’ Felix Sandstrom.
Maksim Zhukov started in goal for St. John’s, but was replaced by Angus Redmond after Reading’s fourth goal late in the second period. Redmond, who had recorded the win Saturday, stopped seven of 10 shots in his Sunday relief appearance.
It marked the first time this season that head coach John Snowden had given his starting netminder the hook.
Had the Growlers won two of the three weekend games in regulation, they would have been sitting in first place in the North. As it is, they are officially in third place in the division, five points behind the Royals, Both Newfoundland and the Brampton Beast have 22 points, but the Beast have played one fewer game.
With the weekend series completed, Newfoundland is past the halfway mark of a seven-game road trip. The Growlers, who are 2-2 through the first four games of the swing that sees them playing divisional opponents exclusively, see their next action Wednesday when they take on the Railers in Worcester.
Dog Bites
Rookie defenceman Mac Hollowell was returned to the Growlers from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in time for Sunday’s game and recorded an assist on Kapla’s goal … Giorgio Estephan scored in extra time Saturday to give Newfoundland it’s second OT victory of the season … Forward Dylan Vander Esch, signed out of the SPHL earlier in the week, made his Growlers debut in Saturday’s game, but was scratched for Sunday’s rematch …|
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