The Newfoundland Growlers look to get back in the win column on the road this weekend as they get set to take on the Maine Mariners in a doubleheader beginning on Friday night at the Cross Insurance Arena.
Newfoundland come into Portland without a loss in regulation through six games, their most recent outing a 4-3 overtime defeat against the undefeated Worcester Railers on Wednesday evening at DCU Center.
Despite the small setback their last time out, the Growlers still own the top two spots in the ECHL scoring race as Isaac Johnson (5G, 6A) and Zach O’Brien (1G, 10A) are tied on 11 points, two more than any other skater in the league.
Maine was most recently in action last weekend where they took two out of three games on the road against the Norfolk Admirals – securing the series in the rubber match with a 5-3 win on Sunday.
Currently third in the North Division in the early stages of the season, the Mariners should once again prove one of the Growlers main threats for a postseason berth after they finished in the 4th and final divisional playoff spot in 2021-22.
The last time these two met was back on April 16 in Maine, Newfoundland’s second last game of the regular season, where the Mariners topped the Growlers 4-3 in a shootout.
In the first meetings this season between two teams with genuine playoff ambitions in the North Division, this weekend should offer two spirited contests.
Puck drops is set for 8:45 pm on Friday and 7:30 pm on Saturday evening (all times listed in NL time). Growlers fans can watch both 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 Reigning ECHL Player of the Month in October, Johnson is tied for the league lead in both goals and points. After being held off the scoresheet for the first time this season on Wednesday in Worcester, the 23-year-old will look to this weekend as a chance to get back to filling the net.
MNE – Nick Master(F): As one of the skaters tied with Johnson on five goals to top the league, Master also finished 2nd on the Mariners in scoring last year with 53 points in 2021-22.