It seems only fitting that the ECHL’s only two Canadian-based teams will square off against one another in the first round of this year’s playoffs.The Lions and the Newfoundland Growlers will continue their rivalry with the opening game of the North Division semifinal tonight in St. John’s at Mary Brown’s Centre. Puck drop is at 5:30 p.m.The Lions finished the regular season in third place in the North Division with a 34-29-6 record and a winning percentage of .536.The Growlers’ 42-20-5 record and .664 winning percentage was good for second place in the North.The teams squared-off against one another 14 times in the regular season: The Growlers won 10 of those games while the Lions won four (three in regulation time and one in overtime). Four of the 14 games were decided by one goal in regulation time.The schedule for the first four games of the best-of-seven series is as follows:Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at Newfoundland (5:30 p.m.)Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at Newfoundland (5:30 p.m.)Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at Trois-Rivières (7:00 p.m.) Game 4 – Thursday, April 28 at Trois-Rivières (7:00 p.m.)
Players to watch:Lions’ forward Anthony Nellis was the team’s leading scorer with 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points in 67 games.Newfoundland forward Orrin Centazzo was the Growlers’ leading scorer, average a point a game with 28-23-51 totals in 51 games.
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