Growlers vs Railers 1/19/19: Pre-Game Notes

Newfoundland Growlers (26-12-1-0) vs Worcester Railers (17-16-3-2)

DCU Center – Worcester, Massachusetts

Saturday, January 19, 2019 – 7:05 EST – ECHL Game #538

989 Nash Icon | ECHL.TV

Referee: Jarred Mitrano (#14)

Linesmen: Shane Kanaly (#39), Stephen Drain (#77)

Match Notes

  • Newfoundland leads the series 3-1.
  • Worcester looks to extend their season-long win streak to five games.
  • Railers can leap into fifth place in the North with a win and a Brampton regulation loss. Growlers can’t go any higher in the North as they are five points ahead of Adirondack.

Players to Watch

  • Tommy Kelley (Worcester) – There’s no question that Tommy Kelley, alongside Bo Brauer and Matt Schmalz are red-hot right now. Kelley has three-points in back-to-back games for Worcester. Look for Kelley and his linemates tonight against Newfoundland.
  • Marcus Power (Newfoundland) – Power scored the only even-strength goal of last night’s game in Worcester. Power, who is a St. John’s native, is averaging just under a point-per-game for the Growlers. He has six multi-point games this season.

Growlers Notes

  • Griffen Molino has scored in all-but-one of his six games with Newfoundland.
  • Josh Kestner leads the Growlers against Worcester with three goals.
  • Growlers have the best penalty kill on the road with 92.3 percent.
  • Michael Garteig is ranked in the top 20 goaltenders in several categories
  • Newfoundland is on a seven-game point streak.

Recent Growlers Additions, Subtractions, Transactions

  • No new transactions to report.

Possible Growlers Scratches

  • Anthony Cortese – on injured reserve.
  • Matt Bradley – on reserve.
  • Maxim Mizyurin – on injured reserve.
  • Ryan Moore – on reserve.
  • Ilya Nekolenko – on injured reserve, last played on November 24.
  • Additional scratched to be determined closer to puck drop.

Railers Notes

  • Worcester is on a four game winning streak.
  • Matt Schmalz is on a four-game point streak (4g, 3a).
  • Tommy Kelley has four points in his last four games.
  • Railers have only allowed two shorthanded goals this season.
  • Barry Almeida leads the Railers against Newfoundland with three points. Tyler Barnes, Woody Hudson, Tyler Mueller, and Ryan Hitchcock each have two points.
  • Cold Streaks: Tommy Panico (14 games), Nick Roberto (7 games), Woody Hudson (6 games), Ivan Kosorenkov (6 games), Dylan Willick (3 games)

Recent Railers Additions, Subtractions, Transactions

  • Kevin Hart was signed to a SPC on Friday.

Possible Railers Scratches

  • Malcolm Gould – on injured reserve, has not played this season.
  • Kyle McKenzie – on injured reserve, has not played since November 27.
  • Tommy Panico – Missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury.
  • Yanick Turcotte – suspended, serving game five of a five-game suspension.
  • Additional scratched to be determined closer to puck drop.

Head-to-Head

Worcester Newfoundland
Goals For  2.37 – 27th  3.72 – 3rd
Goals Against  2.79 -6th  2.74 – 6th
Shots For  32.11 – 11th  29.44 – 24th
Shots Against  33.18 – 21st  30.21 – 9th
Fighting Majors  25 – 8th  11 – 25th
Power Play  11.8% – 26th  20.3% -5th
Penalty Kill  86.1% – 2nd  86.3% – 4th
Avg Height / Weight / Age  6′ 1″ / 195 lbs / 24.43 years  6′ 1″ / 195 lbs / 23.81 years

Team Records

Worcester Newfoundland
Scoring First 12-8-1-2 19-3-1-0
Leading After 1 5-1-1-2 16-2-0-0
Leading After 2 10-0-0-1 21-1-1-0
Tied After 1 8-8-2-0 7-2-1-0
Tied After 2 7-5-2-1 3-2-1-0
Trailing After 1 4-7-0-0 3-7-1-0
Trailing After 2 0-11-1-0 2-8-0-0
Outshooting Opponents 5-8-1-1 13-4-1-0
Out Shot by Opponents 9-8-2-1 13-6-1-0

On the Island and at the Port

  • Isles Show ‘Identity’ In Shutout Win Over Caps [NHL]
    • Third-period goals by Josh Bailey and Cal Clutterbuck give Isles the win.
    • Isles have six road wins.
    • Woo Hockey Alum Thomas Greiss earned the tenth shutout of his career.
  • Islanders host the Ducks at home tomorrow.
  • Sound Tigers host Providence tonight.

Closing Statements

  • For live updates during the game, follow us on Twitter @WooHockeyNews.

Growlers vs Railers 1/19/19: Pre-Game Notes