After opening the weekend with a couple of games that were goaltending duels, the Newfoundland Growlers found themselves in a shootout for three periods Sunday evening in Brampton, Ont.
And then they found themselves in another.
In their third road contest in less than three days, the Growlers were beaten 7-6 by the Brampton Beast in a result decided by a shootout.
It marked the first time in 42 ECHL games this season that Newfoundland (30-11-1) was in a game that went further the seven minutes of overtime. Prior to Sunday, the Growlers had gone past regulation seven times this season, winning in OT each time.
North Division-leading Newfoundland (30-11-1), which earned three points in its three weekend games, had arrived in Brampton in the wee hours of Sunday morning after a six-hour bus trip from Pennsylvania, where it had taken on another North Division rival, the Reading Royals, in games Friday and Saturday.
Sunday’s game was markedly different from the ones played in Reading.
On Friday, the Royals won 4-1, ending what had been an 11-game winning streak for Newfoundland. That game was 2-1 until the final couple of minutes when Reading scored a couple of empty-netters.
Saturday’s rematch was basically a role reversal, with the Growlers taking a 2-1 lead into the late stages before getting their own empty-netter to cap off a 3-1 victory.
Parker Gahagen had been the Growlers’ goaltender on Friday, getting the nod as third star with 31 saves, while Angus Redmond earned first-star honours for Newfoundland with a 30-save performance Saturday.
But neither was between the pipes on Sunday. Instead it was third goalie, Maksim Zhukov, who had just come off the injured reserve list and was seeing his first action since mid-December.
Zhukov gave up three goals on 12 first-period shots and the Beast led by two going into the second. But the Growlers battle back with three goals of their own in the middle frame and the game was tied 4-4 at the second intermission.
Each side scored twice in the third, with Growlers defenceman Garrett Johnston making 6-6 with a tally with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the period.
Newfoundland had a late power play that carried over into OT, but couldn’t produce a winning tally.
After an overtime where none of the four shots by each side went in, Lindsay Sparks of the Beast was the only player to score in the three-round shootout. Brampton goalie Alex Dubeau turned aside attempts by Newfoundland’s Aaron Luchuk and Marcus Power, who had both scored in regulation, and finally, Zach O’Brien.
Evan Neugold, Justin Brazeau, and Joseph Duszak had the other goals for the Growlers, who totalled a season-high 42 shots.
Duszak had two assists for a three-point game, while Power, whose marker was his team-leading 20th of the season, joined Luchuk and Johnston as players with a goal and an assist.
Daniel Leavins, with two goals, Matt McLeod, Francois Beauchemin Matt Petgrave and Daniel Vallorani had the regulation tallies for Brampton (25-17-2), which is in second place in the North, nine points behind Newfoundland, which has two games in hand.
Sunday’s game was the first of three straight between the two teams; the Growlers play host to the Beast at Mile One Centre next Friday and Saturday in what will be a brief two-game homestand for Newfoundland.
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