Growlers home for a while, or just a bit
It depends on how you look at their upcoming schedule, which begins tonight against Thunder
Officially, the Newfoundland Growlers begin their longest homestand of the season tonight as they take on the Adirondack Thunder at Mile One Centre.
Then again, the games against the Thunder today and Wednesday might qualify as the Growlers’ shortest Mile One stay during the 2019-20 ECHL season.
That’s because after Wednesday’s contest, Newfoundland doesn’t play again for 12 days, much of that separation because of the team’s annual Christmas break. Its next game will be Dec. 30 against the Worcester Railers, the first of six more contests at Mile One.
The Growlers (18-10-0) continue to top the ECHL’S North Division, although after losing their last two games, during a three-game visit to Utah, but their lead is only two points over the Reading Royals.
But after making the long cross-continent back to St. John’s Sunday, the defending ECHL champs learned they were getting three key players on re-assignment from the AHL’S Toronto Marlies. Forwards Brady Ferguson and Scott Pooley and rookie defenceman Mac Hollowell are the players being returned.
Ferguson still leads Newfoundland in goals with 13 on the season, while Pooley had 10 goals in 12 games before being called up to the Marlies last month.
With those three arriving, the Growlers made some corresponding roster moves, putting rookie forward Trey Bradley, who was hurt in Utah, and defenceman Tommy Panico on the reserve list, while releasing defenceman Mike Crocock.
Newfoundland also placed goaltender Angus Redmond on injured reserve.
Adirondack (11-11-5) arrives having lost five games in a row, although three of those setbacks were in extra time.
The Thunder also came to town short a goaltender.
It didn’t seem that long ago that Adirondack had a netminding glut, but Chris Neil was traded to the Florida Everblades, Canadiens prospect Michael Mcniven was reassigned to the Jacksonville Icemen and when Evan Cormier was recalled to the AHL’S Binghamton Devils, it left former Growler Eamon Mcadam as the only contracted goalie on the roster.
That’s why local senior hockey goalie A.J. Whiffen has been signed by the Thunder as an emergency back-up (EBUG).
Whiffen has made a bit of a
career as an ECHL EBUG. He’s had some similar duty for the Growlers on a few occasions, including earlier this season, and also filled in for the Maine
Mariners once during the 2018-19 campaign.