ST. JOHN’S, NFLD – In a seven game playoff series, winning games on home ice is arguably the biggest advantage a team can give itself. When doing so in the face of adversity, it can provide an even bigger psychological advantage over an opponent.
Sunday night, the Newfoundland Growlers sent a message to the Toledo Walleye that they can handle just about anything thrown at them and still protect their home sheet at the Mile One Centre.
Scott Pooley scored twice, the biggest coming with 3:59 left in the first overtime, to push the Growlers to a heart-stopping 2-1 victory over the Walleye in Game 2 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals in front of an announced crowd of 5,689 in St. John’s. Newfoundland now leads the best-of-seven series at two wins to none as the teams head to Toledo where the Walleye will have to dig deep to extend the series.
The win by the Growlers may have been costly as rookie Josh Kestner, the hero of Game 1, was leveled late in the second period by an open ice hit from Toledo’s Kevin Tansey. Kestner had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher and his status for the rest of the series – as well as that of Tansey who could face supplemental discipline – is in doubt.
Pooley’s winning tally came off if what looked to be a broken play. After Hudson Elynuik intercepted a clearing attempt by the Walleye, he sent the puck to Pooley in the face off circle to the left of Toledo goalie Pat Nagle. Pooley attempted to feed the disc to teammate Giorgio Estephan but the pass was blocked back at him. Pooley used the sudden change in direction to blast a one-timer past Nagle, setting off a celebration both on the ice and in the stands.
The goal ended what had been a superb goaltending battle between Nagle, who finished with 35 saves on the night, and Newfoundland’s Michael Garteig, who turned away 22 of the 23 shot he faced.
In the wake of Saturday’s series opener in which a mere four minor penalties were whistled, the two teams were much more engaged in physical play. In what turned out to be a scoreless opening period in Game 2, there were six infractions called, providing each side with a pair of power play chances that went unfulfilled as the two netminders were on point. Toledo controlled the tempo throughout much of the early going and held a 9-6 advantage on the shot clock when the first intermission rolled around.
A penalty to Elynuik three minutes into the second frame put the Walleye on their third man advantage of the night and this time the visitors cashed in. Off of an offensive zone face off win, Toledo’s Dylan Sadowy sent a pass down low to A.J. Jenks. Jenks turned and whipped a Feed across the slot to Shane Berschbach who fired the puck over a diving Garteig for his second goal of the series and 7th of the 2019 post-season.
From there, the goalies again stole the show. Garteig kept it to a one-goal game with some scrambling work in his crease while Nagle turned away Zach O’Brien from in close, then snared a sure score by Estephan with his catching glove and denied Derian Plouffe on an odd-man rush.
The tenor of the contest turned with 1:13 remaining before the second intermission. Kestner had the puck in the high slot and was looking to make a pass to the wing. Just after he released it, his head was down and he was off balance when Tansey hit him. After several minutes of laying on the ice seemingly out cold, Kestner was put on a backboard and stretchered off. At that point Tansey, who had been sent to the penalty box, was ushered to the locker room with a match penalty for an illegal hit to the head and a game misconduct.
Although the Growlers did not capitalize before the break, the power play continued in the third and that is when they struck. The sequence started when Garrett Johnston lined up a shot but it was blocked. Matt Bradley got control and skated behind the Toledo net before slipping a feed to the face off circle where Pooley one-timed it past Nagle for his 8th playoff goal at 2:45.
Both teams had their chances to gain control in regulation as the whistles came back out. First the Walleye had a power play at the 7:47 mark that yielded nothing. Then the Growlers got their chance with six minutes of advantage time in the final eight minutes of play – four coming on a pair of minors to Bryan Moore in the same sequence – but came up dry.
Garteig and Nagle continued to star as the extra period opened. Each goalie was called on to make key stops. As time continued to wind along, it looked more and more like a second overtime might be needed – that is until Pooley took advantage of some puck luck that turned into the game-winning score.
The scene now shifts to the Huntington Center in Toledo with Game 3 set for Wednesday night. Game 4 is scheduled for Friday and if necessary Game 5 will be played on Saturday. All three games in Toledo will drop the puck at 7:35 p.m.
Game Notes: Final shots were 37-23 in favor of Newfoundland… The Growlers went 1-for-7 on the power play while Toledo was 1-for-5… According to the ECHL, this is the first time in the 31 years the league has been in existence that the first two games of its championship series have gone to overtime.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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