The Newfoundland Growlers have kept on driving their points home … all the way to an ECHL record.
Evan Neugold, Todd Skirving and Riley Woods each had a goal and an assist while netminder Parker Gahagen made 25 saves as the Growlers defeated the Maine Mariners 5-1 at Mile One Centre in St. John’s Friday night, setting an ECHL record for consecutive home-ice victories.
It was Newfoundland’s 19th straight win at Mile One, surpassing the the old record of 18 set by the South Carolina Stingrays a quarter century ago in the 1994-95 season.
The Growlers’ home streak began Nov. 8, 2019 with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Gladiators and has seen them outscore the opposition 91-44 during the 19 wins.
Tommy Panico and Zach O’Brien, returning to action after missing a couple of games with an injury, had the other goals for Newfoundland.
Neugold, who had a plus-four rating on the night, was the first star, with Woods and Skirving getting the second and third nods, respectively.
A crowd of over 4,200 watched as the North Division-leading Growlers improved their overall season record to 36-11-1 for a winning percentage of .760, tied for best in the league with South Carolina.
And even though they have 24 games remaining, including a rematch against the Mariners (27-21-3) tonight at Mile One, the defending Kelly Cup champion Growlers are guaranteed to have a winning percentage over .500 in the 2019-20 campaign.
