Newfoundland Growlers (26-11-1-0) vs Worcester Railers (16-16-3-2)
DCU Center – Worcester, Massachusetts
Friday, January 18, 2019 – 7:05 EST – ECHL Game #525
Referee: Alexander Ross (#11)
Linesmen: Nathan Frechette (#30), Sam Schildkraut (#86)
Match Notes
- Newfoundland leads the season series at 3-0. In each of those match-ups, Newfoundland had a multi-point lead over Worcester.
- Worcester looks for their first win over Newfoundland in their first of two games between the two this weekend. They last played against each other on November 7.
- With a win and a Brampton loss, Worcester can take sixth place in the North. Newfoundland will remain in first in the North Division regardless of tonight’s outcome.
Players to Watch
- Matt Schmalz (Worcester) – Schmalz has been making a name for himself on the Worcester Railers. He has collected six points (3g, 3a) in this last three games and was nominated for last week’s Player of the Week.
- Brady Furguson (Newfoundland) – Brady Ferguson has eight points against Worcester and has played in all three games in the series thus far.
Growlers Notes
- Former Railer Eamon McAdam makes his first trip back to Worcester after being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. He has been on recall with the Toronto Marlies for most of the 2018-19 season.
- Zach O’Brien had a great week, producing 7 points (3g, 4a) in four games for the Growlers last week. The St. John’s native was named a runner-up for last week’s player of the week, alongside former Railer Nick Bligh (2 gp, 4g, 1a, 5 pts).
- James Melindy leads the Growlers in fighting majors with six this season. He has one against Worcester. (vs Bryan Arneson, November 6).
- Josh Kestner leads the Growlers in goals against Worcester with three. Brady Furguson leads in assists and points with 6 assists and 8 points.
- Michael Garteig is the only goaltender on the roster with experience against Worcester (3-1 win on November 6). Mario Culina, who played in the other two games, left the team around Christmas time for University around Christmas.
Recent Growlers Additions, Subtractions, Transactions
- Ryan Moore was assigned to Newfoundland by Toronto (AHL) on Sunday.
- Griffen Molino was returned on loan from Toronto Marlies on Tuesday.
- Goaltenders Michael Garteig and Eamon McAdam were returned to the Growlers from Toronto on Tuesday, with other goaltenders Eric Levine and Brad Barone being released in a separate transaction.
- Timothy Liljegren was recalled to the Toronto Marlies on Thursday.
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
- Matt Schmalz is on a three-game point streak (3g, 3a).
- Railers have scored first in their last five games, winning four of those five games.
- Barry Almeida is one goal away from reaching his 100th goal in the ECHL regular season. He currently has 10 this season for Worcester.
- The line consisting of Tommy Kelley, Matt Schmalz, and Bo Brauer produced five of the eight goals last weekend.
- Woody Hudson leads all active Railers with a goal and an assist against Newfoundland. Tyler Barnes, Ivan Kosorenkov also have a goal against the Growlers while Barry Almeida, Tyler Mueller, Tommy Panico, and Nick Sorkin each have an assist.
- Cold Streaks: Tommy Panico (14 games), Nick Roberto (7 games), Tyler Mueller (7 games), Woody Hudson (5 games)
Recent Railers Additions, Subtractions, Transactions
- Matt Gaudreau and Josh Holmstrom were recalled to Bridgeport on Monday.
- Ryan Hitchcock was assigned to the Railers by Bridgeport on Friday.
Possible Railers Scratches
- Malcolm Gould – on injured reserve, has not played this season.
- Ivan Kosorenkov – has not played since January 6. Considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
- Kyle McKenzie – on injured reserve, has not played since November 27.
- Yanick Turcotte – suspended, serving game four of a five-game suspension.
- Additional scratched to be determined closer to puck drop.
Head-to-Head
| Worcester | Newfoundland | |
| Goals For | 2.35 – 27th | 3.76 – 3rd |
| Goals Against | 2.81 -7th | 2.74 – 6th |
| Shots For | 32.43 – 8th | 29.34 – 24th |
| Shots Against | 33.19 – 21st | 30.47 – 10th |
| Fighting Majors | 25 – 8th | 11 – 25th |
| Power Play | 12% – 26th | 20.7% -5th |
| Penalty Kill | 86% – 2nd | 85.8 – 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 | 11-8-1-2 | 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 | 7-8-2-0 | 7-2-0-0 |
| Tied After 2 | 6-5-2-1 | 3-2-0-0 |
| Trailing After 1 | 4-7-0-0 | 3-7-1-0 |
| Trailing After 2 | 0-11-1-0 | 2-8-0-0 |
| Out shooting Opponents | 5-8-1-1 | 2-8-0-0 |
| Out Shot by Opponents | 9-8-2-1 | 13-6-1-0 |
On the Island and at the Port
- Islanders continue to streak in three games this week.
- Sound Tigers return from mid-week Charlotte trip empty-handed
- Sound Tigers Blanked in Charlotte 1-0 (Tuesday) [Sound Tigers]
- Fritz Scores Twice in 6-4 Loss to Charlotte (Wednesday) [Sound Tigers]
- Matt Gaudreau had two assists on Wednesday.
- Islanders take on the Capitals in Washington tonight.
- Sound Tigers host Providence on Saturday night.
Closing Statements
- Promo of the Night: Boston Bruins legend Terry O’Reilly and US Hockey Hall of Famer Paul Stewart will be appearing at tonight’s game and will be signing autographs on the concourse from 6 to 7:30 PM.
- For live updates during the game, follow us on Twitter @WooHockeyNews.