It’s no surprise that we are all missing hockey, so many superfans of the ECHL have spent their time piecing together both who we will see on the ice and when we get to see them. Just over half of the teams in the league have released their home schedules and the Growlers are not one of them. I have decided to analyze what we know so far. These dates are all subject to change.
October (1 game total, 0 home, 1 away)
Who doesn’t love a Canadian hockey rivalry, eh? The first confirmed game for the boys in black, brown and white will be against the only other Canadian team in the league, the Brampton Beast, on Halloween. The time for this game is yet to be determined, however, I suspect it will be played earlier in the day, as not to interfere with Trick-Or-Treating.
November (6 games total, 0 home, 6 away)
The Growlers will finish the two-game series against the Brampton Beast with a matinee game on November 1st, one out of fourteen Sunday games the Beast will host.
After an eight-hour bus trip, the Growlers will play the Worcester Railers at DCU Center for a weekday battle on the 4th. Newfoundland had a winning percentage of .800 in the state of Massachusetts last season.
A trip to “The City of Positive Change” for three games in three days is much needed for the Growlers. After missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-2009 season, the Reading Royals bounced back and clinched a playoff spot in March before the season was cancelled, being one of only six teams to do so. The Growlers held a 6-6 record against the affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers which included a game in December where they came back from a 4-1 deficit with less than 10 minutes left and went on to win it in overtime with a beautiful goal from rookie sensation and NHL hopeful, Joseph Duszak.
To kick off another road trip, the Growlers will head to Glens Falls, New York to play the Adirondack Thunder at Cool Insuring Arena. While it is the smallest active arena in the league by capacity at just under 4,800, Thunder fans are known for being hardcore, especially Section N. To say it will be a rowdy night is an understatement.
December (5 games total, 0 home, 5 away)
Another weekday game in Worcester will take place on Wednesday December 2nd.
To end the road trip, the Dogs will play a Saturday-Sunday series at the CAA Centre, about a half an hour from the home of their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, where multiple alumni now play. We may see high calibre players called down for a game or two to boost chances of a Newfoundland victory.
After the Christmas Break, the Growlers will face an opponent that in three meetings between them, took them into overtime in all matchups. The Fort Wayne Komets lead the ECHL in attendance drawing over eight thousand fans a game. They’ll face them twice, once on Monday the 28th and again on New Year’s Eve to finish the year.
January (6 games total, 0 home, 6 away)
The Newfoundland Growlers will hit the gas and head south towards the capital city of Indiana for their first-ever matchup against the Indy Fuel. Derian Plouffe, a member of the 2019 Kelly Cup-winning squad, took his talents there for the 2019-2020 season.
After the presumed homestand, the Growlers will play back-to-back games in different cities. Friday night will be spent north of the border against Brampton, while Saturday night’s matchup will be against the Adirondack Thunder.
After a Tuesday night game in Reading, the Growlers will finish the weekend with another two games in Glens Falls to take on Adirondack.
February (6 games total, 1 home, 5 away)
The first scheduled home game for Newfoundland will be between the two newest teams in the league, against the Maine Mariners. This Friday night battle will be the first meeting between these two North Division rivals since February 23rd, 2020 in Portland.
After a two-game, end-of-the-weekend meeting in Reading, the Growlers will head to the Sunshine State for a rematch of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals. The Florida Everblades will be the host to the Growlers for three games in four nights for a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday series.
March (4 games total, 0 home, 4 away)
After a presumed homestand, the Growlers will play a full weekend series in Worcester, facing off against the Railers. These three back-to-back-to-back games will be played on the biggest prime nights any squad can have, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Worcester averaged just over 5,300 fans a game on Saturday nights at the DCU Center, so expect to see a large crowd watching these two teams battle. After this, the Growlers will head to Glens Falls for a midweek matchup on a Tuesday night to play the Thunder.
April (2 games total, 0 home, 2 away)
Newfoundland will play a rare Thursday night game in Brampton on the first day of the month. Hopefully, they will not be fooled by it, as it is one of two that they will play this season from what we know. They´ll close this up with a rematch on Saturday.
Overall (30 games total, 1 home, 29 away)
Days of the week:
Saturday’s (10 games total, 0 home, 10 away)
Friday’s (7 games total, 1 home, 6 away)
Sunday’s (5 games total, 0 home, 5 away)
Wednesday’s (4 games total, 0 home, 4 away)
Thursday’s (2 games total, 0 home, 2 away)
Monday’s (1 game total, 0 home, 1 away)
Tuesday’s (1 game total, 0 home, 1 away)
Opponents:*
Brampton Beast (7 games total, 0 home, 7 away)
Reading Royals (6 games total, 0 home, 6 away)
Adirondack Thunder (5 games total, 0 home, 5 away)
Worcester Railers (5 games total, 0 home, 5 away)
Florida Everblades (3 games total, 0 home, 3 away)
Fort Wayne Komets (2 games total, 0 home, 2 away)
Maine Mariners (1 game total, 1 home, 0 away)
Indy Fuel (1 game total, 0 home, 1 away)
*Division opponents written in italics
Dates And Start Times
Saturday, October 31st, 2020 @ Brampton Beast
Sunday, November 1st, 2020 @ Brampton Beast
Wednesday, November 4th, 2020 @ Worcester Railers at 7:05 pm EST/8:35 pm NST
Friday, November 6th, 2020 @ Reading Royals at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Saturday, November 7th, 2020 @ Reading Royals at 6 pm EST/7:30 pm NST
Sunday, November 8th, 2020 @ Reading Royals at 3 pm EST/4:30 pm NST
Friday, November 27th, 2020 @ Adirondack Thunder at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020 @ Worcester Railers at 7:05 pm EST/8:35 pm NST
Saturday, December 5th, 2020 @ Brampton Beast
Sunday, December 6th, 2020 @ Brampton Beast
Monday, December 28th, 2020 @ Fort Wayne Komets at 7:30 pm EST/9 pm NST
Thursday, December 31st, 2020 @ Fort Wayne Komets at 7:30 pm EST/9 pm NST
Saturday, January 2nd, 2021 @ Indy Fuel at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Friday, January 22nd, 2021 @ Brampton Beast
Saturday, January 23rd, 2021 @ Adirondack Thunder at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Tuesday, January 26th, 2021 @ Reading Royals at 10:30 am EST/12 pm NST
Friday, January 29th, 2021 @ Adirondack Thunder at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Saturday, January 30th, 2021 @ Adirondack Thunder at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Friday, February 5th, 2021 vs. Maine Mariners
Saturday, February 20th, 2021 @ Reading Royals at 6 pm EST/7:30 pm NST
Sunday, February 21st, 2021 @ Reading Royals at 3 pm EST/4:30 pm NST
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 @ Florida Everblades at 7:30 pm EST/9 pm NST
Friday, February 26th, 2021 @ Florida Everblades at 7:30 pm EST/9 pm NST
Saturday, February 27th, 2021 @ Florida Everblades at 7 pm EST/8:30 pm NST
Friday, March 19th, 2021 @ Worcester Railers at 7:05 pm EDT/8:35 pm NDT
Saturday, March 20th, 2021 @ Worcester Railers at 7:05 pm EDT/8:35 pm NDT
Sunday, March 21st, 2021 @ Worcester Railers at 3:05 pm EDT/4:35 pm NDT
Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 @ Adirondack Thunder at 7 pm EDT/8:30 pm NDT
Thursday, April 1st, 2021 @ Brampton Beast
Sunday, April 3rd, 2021 @ Brampton Beast
The Remaining Road Games
Only seven out of the 36 Growlers road games are not known by the public. It is presumed that these will all take place in Portland, Maine against the Mariners as they are both a division rival and have not yet released their home schedule. Teams that have released their home schedule that will not play host to Newfoundland are the Allen Americans, Atlanta Gladiators, Cincinnati Cyclones, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Idaho Steelheads, Jacksonville Icemen, Kalamazoo Wings, Rapid City Rush and Toledo Walleye.