TOLEDO, Ohio – The Newfoundland Growlers are one win away from hoisting the Kelly Cup following a 4-2 road win over the Toledo Walleye in front of 8,504 fans at the Huntington Center on Friday night.
Brady Ferguson scored twice for the Growlers, while Michael Garteig stopped 37-shots en route to his ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs leading 15th win.
For the third time in the series, Newfoundland struck first, taking a 1-0 lead 8:51 into the game on Ferguson’s sixth goal of the playoffs from Zach O’Brien. During a rush in front of Toledo’s Pat Nagle, Ferguson picked up a rebound and fired a shot from the slot that beat Nagle glove-side.
The Walleye tied the game five-minutes later on Greg Wolfe’s 10th post-season goal during a five-on-three power play. With Hudson Elynuik and Matt Bradley both in the penalty box, Wolfe collected a pass from Matt Register inside the left circle and fired a shot through traffic and past Garteig to make it 1-1 at 13:56 of the first.
Newfoundland re-gained the lead on Ferguson’s power play goal at 9:40 of the middle frame, with assists going to Giorgio Estephan and O’Brien. With Bryan Moore off for goaltender interference, Ferguson found himself in perfect position to tip in the puck from the left side of the crease.
Moore would find the equalizer, scoring late in the second period for his eighth of the playoffs, on assists from Register and Trevor Hamilton. From the right face off dot, Moore collected a deflected Register shot and fired it into the net past the glove of Garteig to make it 2-2 heading into the second intermission.
Newfoundland took over and put the game away mid-way through the third period, despite being out-shot 12-6 in the period.
Kristians Rubins netted the would be game-winner at 11:14, taking a cross-ice pass from Estephan and scoring from the bottom of the right circle into the right side of the net past an out of position Nagle to make it 3-2.
Just over three minutes later Bradley added an insurance goal, banking the puck off of Nagle and into the net from behind the net to make it 4-2.
The win gives the Growlers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series as they became the first road team to win in the Kelly Cup Finals series. Newfoundland can close out the Walleye and clinch the Kelly Cup Saturday night. Game five is set for a 6:35pm ET start at the Huntington Center.
Contact the Writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com
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