Rookie forward Colt Conrad scored his first goal of the season and added four assists for a five-point night, setting a Newfoundland Growlers record in doing so, as the defending ECHL champions defeated the Reading Royals 7-3 Tuesday night at Mile One Centre.
The game closed out a three-game, season-opening series between the two teams.
The Royals, the ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, won Friday’s opener 6-5, but Newfoundland responded with a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday.
In both those games, the winning team rallied from multi-goal deficits, but there was no such comeback Tuesday.
The Growlers led 3-1 after the first period and 5-1 through 40minutes.
Scott Pooley scored twice for Newfoundland, including one of the home side’s four power-play tallies.
Justin Brazeau, with his first professional goal, Zach O’Brien, Aaron Luchuk and team captain James Melindy also scored for the Growlers
Trevor Yates, Garrett Mitchell and Eric Knodel replied for Reading with three power-play markers.
Newfoundland rookie netminder Maksim Zhukov made 19 saves for his first pro win.
Conrad, who is the early-season ECHL scoring leader with nine points. Pooley and O’Brien were the game’s three stars.
The Growlers close out a five-game season-starting homestand with match-ups against the Brampton Beast Friday and Saturday nights at Mile One Centre.
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