SERIES PREVIEW | NOVEMBER 19 & 20 @ READING

The Newfoundland Growlers take their hot start to the season on the road this weekend in a doubleheader against the Reading Royals kicking off on Friday at Santander Arena.

Newfoundland come into Friday night’s matchup having played their last six games at home — their most recent outing a 5-3 win against the Worcester Railers last Sunday evening. Reading come in having picked up at least a point in four straight games, last suiting up for a 4-0 victory at home against the Norfolk Admirals this past Saturday.

These two teams last faced off way back on February 21, 2020, where the Royals topped the Growlers 4-3 in Reading — a game where Trent Bourque made his debut for Newfoundland.

The two top teams in the North Division will get nicely reacquainted in the coming weeks however as five of the next eight Growlers games are against the Royals, with a three-game home stand back in NL set for early December.

Puck drops is set for 8:30 pm NL time on Friday and Saturday evening. Growlers fans can watch all three games live on FloSports (subscription required), listen to the call on Mixlr, or follow along on Twitter (@NLGrowlers) for game updates and highlights.

WHO TO WATCH:

NFL – Isaac Johnson (F): The 22-year-old has emerged as a reliable source of offense in his first season with the Growlers, scoring four times in seven games played. Suiting up on the second line with Ryan Chyzowski and Orrin Centazzo, Johnson could be an important scoring threat to lighten the load on the top unit across this upcoming road trip.

REA – Patrick Bajkov (F): Leading the way with six goals for the Railers through their opening nine games, Bajkov is one of the Reading skaters Growlers fans should be most concerned about heading into this weekend’s pair of games.