Four-Straight Home Games?

April is a weird time in Canada when it comes to weather. It can be sunny and double-digits on the positive side of the thermometer during the day before plunging below zero at night. Various snowy and icy storms look to strike one last time before winter releases its grip on the Canadian landscape, and it seems that two ECHL teams were affected by Old Man Winter one more time as one Kelly Cup playoff series was postponed last night.

According to reports, the Newfoundland Growlers were looking to return home after taking a 2-1 series lead over the Adirondack Thunder only to end up in Montreal "due to adverse travel conditions" that caused flights to be cancelled from flying into St. John's. The delayed game will be played on Thursday with Game Five being rescheduled for Sunday.

What makes this scenario unique is that if this series goes the distance, Games Six and Seven would also be played at the Mary Brown's Centre in St. John's, giving Newfoundland four-straight home games in the playoffs! If that seems a little unfair, the first three games were played in Glens Falls, New York - another quirk rarely seen in the playoffs! The ECHL makes these adjustments due to some of the flights in and out of cities, so we may see more scheduling fun if Newfoundland advances.

With the team stuck in Montreal as they waited for the St. John's airport to re-open to flights, Growlers broadcaster Chris Ballard said the team was "spending some quality time together and getting some down time" in preparation for Game Four tomorrow night. I'm not certain if they need it, but getting a little more rest and relaxation before jumping in a pivotal fourth game could prove beneficial. Of course, Adirondack may be have done the same, so we'll see which team comes out ready for the game on Thursday!

It should be noted that Newfoundland went 6-5-0 against the Thunder in the season series while Adirondack was 5-4-2, so that 2-1 series lead by the Growlers seems to be following the script. Pavel Gogolev led the Growlers in the head-to-head matchups with nine goals and 16 points while Harper led the Thunder with eight goals and 16 points - both teams need those guys and a few more to step up in order to advance to play the winner of the Reading-Maine series. That series is tied 2-2 with Game Five going tonight!

It should be noted that the Growlers eventually did land in St. John's on Tuesday, so it seems both them and the Thunder will get a chance to practice today before the series resumes tomorrow. I suspect the crowd at Mary Brown's Centre might be a little more raucous than a Tuesday night, so this new schedule could benefit the Growlers in a big way. If they can find a way to win the next two games, those potential four-straight home games just becomes the stuff of legend in the ECHL's lore.

I'll be cheering for the Growlers from afar as they look to capture their second Kelly Cup in franchise history. They'll need a solid effort against Adirondack if they're going to close out this series, so we'll see how this playoff series plays out over the next few days. After all, it could all be over by Saturday if the Growlers get the results they want, and that would certainly help their chances when it comes to winning another Kelly Cup!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!