ECHL: Newfoundland Growlers Record-Setting Season Continues 

NL Growlers NL Growlers

It was no April Fool’s joke when the Newfoundland Growlers concluded their latest road trip by beating the Norfolk Admirals 3-0 at the Norfolk Scope on April 1st.

The first period-and-a-half zero-zero tie was finally broken when Brett Budgell crushed the deadlock with 10 seconds remaining in the second period giving the Growlers a 1-0 lead going into the third.

Brandon Kruse scored six minutes into the third with a shorthanded snipe on the 2-on-1 to make it 2-0 Newfoundland.

Todd Skirving, who was just awarded a PTO with the Toronto Marlies, sealed his 30th career goal with an empty netter in the final seconds. Goaltender Luke Cavallin made 28 saves to secure the shoutout and a 3-0 Newfoundland victory marking his 2nd pro shutout.

 

In other Marlie/Growlers news, the Marlies, an AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, are in the playoffs claiming the North Division title. Growlers fans couldn’t help but notice some ECHL stars on the ice the last time the Marlies played. Noel Hoefenmayer played the 2021/22 season with Newfoundland and assisted Zach Solow (currently with the Marlies but who spent most of the season with the Growlers)  on a goal. Zach O’Brien scored on the power play with Hoefenmayer on the assist again – along with Pontus Holmberg – to tie the game against rival Belleville.  

Orrin Centazzo was also on the ice with his Growlers teammates as the Marlies took the win, making the Growlers playoff run all the more exciting – and nerve-wracking – as fans wonder who will suit up for the AHL and who will wear the Growlers black and gold. 

In the meantime, the Growlers wonder who they will face in the race towards the Kelly Cup. Will it be the Worcester Railers or Adirondack Thunder!?

Newfoundland returns home to host the Trois-Rivières Lions this Friday night for the last three games of their regular season.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

ECHL Kelly Cup Final- Game 1 Recap : Trois-Rivières Lions vs Toledo Walleye

The 2025 Kelly Cup Final kicked off in Ohio, where the Toledo Walleye welcomed the Trois-Rivières Lions in Game 1. It was a night of firsts, as the Trois-Rivières Lions made their inaugural appearances in the Kelly Cup Final, and these two formidable teams clashed for the first time in history. Both teams, having triumphed […]

Read More

ECHL: 2025 Kelly Cup Final Preview | Trois-Rivières Lions vs Toledo Walleye

Get ready for a series that will go down in the history books, as the Eastern Conference and Western Conference clash in a battle for the prestigious Kelly Cup. The Kelly Cup, the ultimate prize in the ECHL, is awarded to the playoff champion at the end of each season. The potential seven-game showdown kicks […]

Read More
Jared Nightingale

ECHL: Jared Nightingale Heads Back to AHL

The South Carolina Stingrays are once again on the hunt for a head coach. Announced May 30th, Jared Nightingale has accepted a position with the Rockford IceHogs as Head Coach. Jared Nightingale joined South Carolina in the postseason of the 2023-24 season. The team was recovering from a poor record, which saw them with a […]

Read More