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New coach, same result as Worcester Railers drop seventh straight

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It was the first game behind the bench with the Worcester Railers for new head coach David Cunniff Wednesday. On the ice, it was the same result.

Facing a decidedly tough Newfoundland Growlers team on the day the Railers announced the firing of former head coach Jamie Russell, along with assistant coach Derek Army, the team couldn’t reverse its recent fortunes, losing its seventh in a row, 4-1, at the DCU Center the night before Thanksgiving.

A crowd of 2,004 on a holiday weeknight saw Newfoundland goalie Maksim Zhukov stop 30 of 31 shots – giving up just one goal, to Worcester’s Matt Schmalz – as the Growlers improved to 12-7-0-0.

With the loss, the Railers fell to 4-11-1-0. They are in last place in the ECHL North Division.

Cunniff who most recently was serving as an assistant coach with the first-place Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, promised the Railers would play hard in an interview earlier Wednesday with Public Relations & Social Media Coordinator Cam McGuire, and they came out with purpose to start the game.

It was Newfoundland that capitalized first, however, on a Trey Bradley goal at 13:43 of the first period.

The Growlers scored again in the second period on a Giorgio Estephan score against Railers goalie Jakub Skarek (24 saves).

The lead swelled to 3-0 at 9:07 of the final frame when Brady Ferguson scored.

Worcester finally got on the scoreboard when Schmalz scored just 14 seconds later, but Evan Neugold closed things out for the Growlers with a goal for the final, 4-1, score.

The same two teams go back at it Friday night at the DCU Center at 7 p.m. Then, on Saturday, the Railers play host to the Indy Fuel, also at home. That game also starts at 7 p.m.

Updated: Worcester Railers fire General Manager, Coach Jamie Russell

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The speculation among fans and local media had been building for weeks as the Worcester Railers continued to stumble after a promising opening to their third season. On the day before Thanksgiving, and on the heels of the club’s sixth consecutive loss, the team made it official: Jamie Russell is out as head coach and general manager.

The Railers have replaced him in both roles with former Worcester Sharks assistant coach David Cunniff.

Along with Russell, Derek Army was also let go by the team.

“Over the last three years, Jamie has been instrumental in providing a professional hockey culture for our organization and was able to set up a solid starting point for us,” Railers President Mike Myers said in a prepared statement. “Jamie’s professionalism and commitment to our organization was key in allowing us to succeed on and off the ice from Day 1 and we are appreciative of the foundation that he has put in place for us moving forward to be successful as an ECHL franchise. We wish Jamie and Derek all the best moving forward.”

In Cunniff, the Railers are getting a 49-year-old coach with 18 years experience in the American Hockey League, where this year he was serving as assistant coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack. That team is currently in first place in the AHL Atlantic Division.

Cunniff served on the Iowa Wild’s coaching staff from 2015-19, with a stint as interim head coach for part of the 2015-16 season. Additionally, he spent 12 seasons as either an associate or assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate, including eight seasons with the Worcester Sharks from 2006-2014. He also spend one season, 2014-15, with the Albany Devils.

“Our fans are familiar with the passion and hockey knowledge that David Cunniff brings to the table,” Myers said. “His track record developing players and his hockey pedigree will take the Railers to the next level in terms of on-ice production. We look forward to the next phase and confident that David Cunniff will provide the leadership and the 1know-how to make us successful moving forward.”

In parts of three seasons under Russell, the Railers went 73-66-20 in 159 regular season games. There were 2-4 in their one postseason appearance, which came in their inaugural 2017-18 season.

“It was obviously a very hard decision to come to,” Myers told the Worcester Sports scene. “Derek and Jamie have done a great job. They did a great job creating a foundation for us from Day One. They’ve been nothing but professional and polished, and gave us a great effort day and day out. They’re easy to work.”

At the same time, the team is getting an experienced AHL guy in Cunniff will now bring that to the ECHL level and the Railers.

“We’re excited to have a chance to have a guy like David Cunniff behind the bench. It’s pretty extraordinary, at this level. He brings such a huge amount of experience, coming from a first-place team in the AHL, with I think just shows … his level of competence in being able to get us on the right track and be part of the next chapter to take us where we feel we need to be as an organization.”

Russell was in the last year of his contract. Myers said the team does not not talk publicly about financial arrangements, but said the team considered all factors in making the move.

The decision came after a 5-4 loss in Maine Tuesday night to the Mariners, which marked the team’s sixth straight defeat. Worcester was also turned back at home on Sunday, 5-4, to the Adirondack Thunder.

Whatever proved to be the final straw, by last night the Railers had apparently seen enough.

Cunniff is expected behind the bench tonight, along with player/assistant coach Barry Almeida, when the Railers host the Newfoundland Growlers.

In related team news, the Railers announced vice president of marketing and communications Eric Lindquist will also serve as director of hockey operations.

Worcester Railers make a point in 5-4 loss to Maine Mariners

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In desperate need of a win, the Worcester Railers instead picked up a point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Maine Mariners Tuesday.

On the road in Portland, before returning home for three games, the Railers (4-10-1-0) gave up a 4-3 in the third period, then fell late in overtime, with Maine improving to 8-7-0-1) with the win.

It was the sixth straight loss for Worcester.

The winning score came with just 3:07 left in OT, with the Mariners’ Alex Kile following up his own rebound and sending the puck by Railers goalie Jakub Skarek (30 saves).

The teams ended up in the extra frame courtesy of a Ryan Gropp score at 13:59 of the third period, which tied the game up after Worcester entered the period with a 4-3 lead.

The Mariners got things started on a Morgan Adams Moisan tip in front of Skarek at 2:26 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. Kyle Thomas evened it up for Worcester, slapping in a shot on a feed from Connor Doherty to beat goalie Tom McCollum (30 saves) at 5:38. Just 14 seconds later, Maine’s Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin finished off a two-on-one to put the Mariners back up, 2-1. The Railers didn’t given an inch, however, with Matt Schmalz scored off the stick of a Mariners’ defender, making it 2-2.

Gropp scored for Maine 49 seconds into the second period for a 3-2 lead. Cody Payne tied it up for Worcester at 18:19 of the frame, and then, with just 57 seconds left, Nic Pierog snapped a shot over McCollum’s glove to put the Railers on top, 4-3.

Worcester didn’t score in the third period, with Maine tying it up before pulling off the overtime win.

The Railers host the Newfoundland Growlers at the DCU Center Wednesday night. After a Thanksgiving Day break, the same two teams go back at it Friday night. The Railers wrap up the three-game home set on Saturday with the Indy Fuel. All three games start at 7 p.m.

Off The Post: Nov. 25, 2019

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Once again we go Off the Post, and with all the local press being given to Holy Cross football for winning their seventh Patriot League championship and earning an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA football championship subdivision playoffs, we’ll instead focus on sending congratulations to WPI for having their best season in program history by defeating Western Connecticut, 35-6 in a New England Bowl Series game.

The Engineers finish their 2019 campaign with a program-best 10 wins, surpassing the nine wins from 2017, a year in which they also won the New England Bowl Series game, and 1992. With a 3-yard rush late in the first quarter McAllen surpassed Jason Wooley, who amassed 3,766 yards in his four-year career, as the all-time leading rusher in WPI’s 130-year history. McAllen closes his illustrious career with 3,878 ground yards.

One thing we like to do here on Off the Post is talk about some of the college student-athletes and sports that don’t get a lot of coverage, and Anna Maria College’s equestrian team fits the bill. They competed at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and Assumption College shows the past two weeks, and had strong showings at each. Isabelle Smith (Shrewsbury) paced the Amcats as she qualified for regionals in 2020. At the URI Show Gina Houghton (Bay Path Regional) led Anna Maria with two third-place finishes in the flat and fences events. Smith also tied Houghton for third in on the flat, and Gina Carbone was right behind them in fourth place. Other notable finishes on the day for Anna Maria included Katie Barnes (West Brookfield) and Grace Bond tying for sixth place finishes in the on the flat event.

At the Assumption College Show, Jocelyn Trifiro (Mahar Regional) led the day for the squad with a first-place finish in on the flat event. Several other Amcats rounded out the placing for on the flat: Smith (second), Bond (third), Carbone (third), and Houghton (reserve). Trifiro also saw a fifth-place finish in the over fences event. The Amcats’ equestrian fall season comes to an end, and they will begin their spring season Saturday, Feb. 29 when they travel to the Community Show at the Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Gales Ferry, Connecticut.

In other local college sports, on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in men’s basketball, Clark University notched its second win of the season as the Cougars erased a 13-point deficit before withstanding a fiery comeback attempt to defeat Regis College, 78-76. For the fourth consecutive game, junior Tyler Davern (Bartlett High) paced the Cougars in points, posting a game-high 25 to lead the offense. He recorded his third consecutive double-double collecting a game-high 13 rebounds. Biko Gayman shot six-of-eight from the field for 15 points, while dishing out six assists. Joel Arteaga added a season-high 12 points to go with six assists and seven rebounds. Antonio Lapeyrolerie logged a season-high 12 points off the bench. WPI saw four players record double figures, including a career-high 21 points from Dakota Wheeler, as the Engineers ran away with a 91-50 victory over Salem State University. Colin McNamara (16), Kahleb Downing (14), and Jake Wisniewski (12) were the other WPI players with double digit points. WPI shot 54 percent from the floor in the game including 45 percent from behind the arc, while Salem shot just 35 percent and 21 percent from behind the arc.

In women’s basketball, four different Amcats scored in double figures as Anna Maria topped the Lesley Lynx, 66-25. Sienna Johnson led all Anna Maria scorers with 18 points to go along with two rebounds, and three steals. Alexis Levels also contributed 15 points and eight boards with three steals. Ashley Rufo and Sierra Johnson also produced double figures in the scoring column with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

In men’s ice hockey, Anna Maria improved their record to 4-1-2 after a 2-1 win against Southern Maine University. The Amcats started the scoring off with just 3:45 left in the first period when Will McGoughran forced a Huskie turnover and found an open Gavin Proeh, who passed the puck to a streaking Sam Cyr-Ledoux for the finish. The Huskies then tied it with 2:51 left in the first. With 13:50 left to play in the third Jack Sitzman stole the puck away and got a one on one with the Husky tender. Sitzman made a few puck handling moves to then sneak the puck past his outstretched skate to the left for the game winner. Julius Huset (W, 2-0-1) saved 26 of the 27 shots that he faced.

On Wednesday, Nov. 20 in men’s basketball, Worcester State defeated Dean College, 87-63. A D’Caran Anderson bucket gave the Bulldogs a 7-1 lead just 1:37 into the contest, but it would be all Lancers from there. Worcester State went on a 16-4 run over the next three minutes to take a 17-11 lead. By the half, Worcester State had extended its lead to 48-22. Senior Tyler Dion (Wachusett Regional) led all scorers with 13 first half points, while junior Erik Bjorn (Wachusett Regional), sophomore Corey Olivier and junior Chris Cardoso all scored eight. For the game Dion scored 21 points to lead all players, while Bjorn had an impressive 14-point, 15-board double-double. Cardoso knocked down 18 points in the victory.

Thursday, November 21st saw WPI’s Spencer Vinson posting a double-double of 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds as the Engineers knocked off host Fitchburg State 62-41 in Women’s basketball. Vinson was 7-for-14 from the field while 10 of her boards were on the defensive side. The senior was joined in double figures in scoring by Lisa Cristiano and Melanie Presseau, who registered 16 and 12 points, respectively. Bailey Savage (Shepherd Hill Regional) aided the effort by sharing for the game-high in assists with three and adding seven points while Maddie Blake grabbed six boards. In a dominant team game where every Anna Maria player scored, the Amcats defeated the Bay Path University Wildcats, 78-42. Amber Wilson led all scorers with 16 points, Sierra Johnson and Ashley Rufo rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Hailey Moore (Wachusett Regional) season-high 10 rebounds as she helped Anna Maria out-rebound Bay Path, 42-28.

In men’s soccer on Friday, Nov. 22, Assumption College’s Kevin Hernandez scored the game-winning goal on a rocketed shot from inside the box as the Greyhounds defeated the West Chester Golden Rams, 2-1, in the second overtime to claim the program’s first ever NCAA tournament win in its first-ever NCAA tournament game. Hernandez, who scored both goals for the Hounds, scored with just 4:41 left in overtime. Hernandez had also put his team up, 1-0, just 9:46 into the contest. Sebastian Jimenez made four saves and improved to 13-7-0 on the year. The win moves Jimenez into sole possession of third-place in most wins in a career in program history. He also holds first-place in wins in one season, minutes in one season and games in one season.

In men’s basketball, WPI big man Garrett Stephenson was scorching hot from the field, scoring a career-high 26 points as the Engineers led Eastern Nazarene wire-to-wire in an 83-69 victory in the semifinals of the Paula Titus Memorial Tournament. Stephenson shot 10-for-13 overall, but carried the load for the Engineers in the second half, hitting all six of his field goal attempts and going six-of-seven from the line to score 18 points after the break and prevent a Lions comeback. Dakota Wheeler went three-for-four from beyond the arc as he chipped in 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Jake Wisniewski (West Brookfield) matched him with seven boards, including four on the offensive glass, while Logan O’Donnell reeled in six rebounds in just nine minutes.

In men’s ice, hockey Becker College picked up their first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) win of the season with a resounding 4-1 victory over visiting Western New England University at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center in Worcester. Jason Diamond had a natural hat trick for the Hawks, scoring the final three goals of the contest. Freshman forward Ian Zaleski tied the game, 1-1, for Becker with a second-period strike. Goalkeeper Zach Skop got the start between the pipes, recording 26 stops on the day for the win.

In women’s ice hockey, after a tightly-contested match all night, Sophia Zimmerman gave Anna Maria their first win of the season over the King’s College Monarchs, 1-0, at the New England Sports Center. Neither side was able to find the back of the net despite several scoring opportunities. Anna Maria peppered Monarch’s goalie, Kiva Sierra Stoltz with 11 shots, while Julia Smith saw nine shots. Just 4:53 into the third, Zimmerman netted her first goal of the season after she received a great lead pass from Grace Dodge for a shorthanded goal. With the triumph, Smith earned her first collegiate win and shutout.

In men’s basketball Saturday, WPI, led by tournament MVP Garrett Stephenson, earned a 68-62 win over UMass-Boston in the championship game of the second annual Paula Titus Memorial Invitational. Stephenson’s MVP performance consisted of 18 points and eight rebounds, as the Engineers big-man dominated in the paint all afternoon. The Engineers Colin McNamara led all scorers with 21 points on six-of-eight shooting, nine-of-10 from the line.Behind a combined 11 three-pointers coming from Joel Arteaga and Anthony Grzembski (Bartlett High) Clark was able to outlast Connecticut College 78-77 in a double overtime thriller. In the second overtime the Cougars took over for good as Biko Gayman drained his first three-pointer of the contest with 4:14 to go for a 69-66 lead. Antonio Lapeyrolerie made it a four-point advantage with 2:08 on the clock. The Cougars went onto convert six-of-eight from the charity stripe to seal the 78-77 victory. Tyler Davern (Bartlett High) led Clark with nine rebounds. Assumption held off Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in a Northeast-10 Conference battle. In a game that saw 10 ties and 24 lead changes the Greyhounds captured the 87-86 victory with just seconds to play. The Penmen pulled ahead by as many as six with just over a minute to play before Assumption closed out the game on a 3-0 run with a layup by Malik Brown, a clutch three by senior Branislav Vujadinovic, and a game-winning layup by Matthew Kelly. Brown led the Greyhounds with 20 points and seven rebounds on the day. Patrick Fleming added 13 points, four assists and two steals. Kani Glover came off the bench with 12 points as he went four-for-six from three-point range. Cal Connelly, Vujadinovic, and Saxon Thompson all finished with 11 points as six Greyhounds put up double figures in the victory. Kelly finished with a game-leading five assists. Becker junior forward Guney Kilitcioglu buried two free throws with two seconds left to lead the Hawks to a 71-70 victory over the host Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA). Kilitcioglu led Becker with a career-high 18 points, shooting four-of-five from the floor and nine-of-nine from the free throw line. The junior-transfer also pulled down five rebounds and added two steals in the effort. Mateus Ribeiro posted 15 points and 11 rebounds on the day. It was Ribeiro’s fourth double-double through just seven games this season.

In women’s basketball, Assumption took down SNHU by 10 points to start their season off 1-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference with a 61-51 win. Brianna Cappachione led the Greyhounds with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Monica Spain recorded 14 points and six rebounds. Temi Falayi had eight points and eight rebounds in the win while Meghan Reen added four points, seven rebounds and five assists. Assumption shot 41.1 percent from the floor, 36.4 percent from three and 56.3 percent from the foul line while earning 40 rebounds, 16 assists and nine steals. Worcester State rallied from 13 points down with under a minute to play in the third quarter to shock Keene State College, 66-61. Erin Gallella and Catherine Sweeney were Worcester State’s leading scorers on the afternoon, each finishing with 13 points. Sweeney was just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards, matching a team-high with Sarah Blomgren. Junior Colleen Cutting (Auburn High) hit double figures in points with 10 on the day, while freshman Charlotte MacMillan scored nine points on a trio of three-pointers.

In men’s ice hockey, Assumption and Worcester State battled to a 5-5 tie at the Worcester Ice Center. Dante Maribito, Elliott McGuire, William Smith, Brendan Philippon and John McDonagh all scored for the Greyhounds, who trailed, 4-2, entering the third period. Assumption had the next three, and led, 5-4, until the Lancers Matthew Manning notched his second of the game to tie it. Tim Drevitch, Gunther Stange and Mark Revniaga had the other Worcester State goals. McDonagh and McGuire added two assists for the Greyhounds, while Drevitch and Sean Gavin had two helpers each for Worcester State.

On Sunday an otherwise great and unexpected season came to an end on Sunday afternoon for the Assumption Greyhounds men’s soccer team, losing, 5-0, to the second-seeded Gannon Golden Knights in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Greyhounds end their season after accomplishing many new records. They set the program’s consecutive win streak of six games, won their first Northeast-10 playoff game and NE10 Championship in the same season, then went on to win their first NCAA tournament game in their first appearance in program history. Assumption also tied the program record of most wins in a season by winning 13 games this year.

YUP, IT’S THE WOOSOX

This is usually the point where I wax on about some subject I’ve been thinking about for the last couple days. But this time it’s a bit different as I get a chance to instantly react to the news released at the “reveal party” at the Mercantile Center in Worcester last night that was so big it was broadcast on NESN.

You know, the news that when the Pawtucket Red Sox move here they’ll be called what everyone has been calling them from day one?

I mean seriously folks, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in you-know-where they were going to be called anything else. And yet everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the official word that they’ll be the WooSox.

Surprise! Or, you know, not.

One of the many things the Red Sox organization is good at is marketing. The proof of that was the event itself to announce a name that they themselves were already using. Surem they say it was the fans that decided. But of course it wasn’t. It was all marketing.

Now somebody get me a hat.

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Photos: It’s official: WooSox is nickname for Worcester Red Sox

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In what may have been among the most anticlimactic announcements in a long time around these parts, Worcester Red Sox officials finally put an end to the drumbeat of suspense surrounding the nickname of the team that is scheduled to start playing in Worcester in 2021.

Walter Bird Jr. photo

It’s the WooSox.

Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

Left to right, Tom Caron, Rich Gedman, Bill Ballou and Charles Steinberg talk about the new logo for the WooSox (Walter Bird Jr. photo)

The team build up the suspense as much as it could, teasing for months other possible nicknames – the Gritty Kitties, the Rocket Sox, the Worcesters, to name a few. Want more? Among the 200-plus suggested names before it was whittled down to just one were the Americans, the Claws, the Dirt Dawgs, the Polar Bears, the Pride, the Ruby Legs and the Triple Deckers.

Former Boston Red Sox catcher and current Pawtucket Red Sox coach Rich Gedman dons a a new Worcester Red Sox hat (Walter Bird Jr. photo)

In the end, as the title of Monday night’s announcement at the Mercantile Center spelled out so clearly: Who beats the WooSox?

A customer browses merchandise in the temporary Worcester Red Sox retail store inside Mercantile Center in Worcester. The store is open until Christmas, Monday-Saturday. (Walter Bird Jr. photo)

No one, as it turns out.

The unveiling of the nickname and logo – a pretty cool looking smiley face in what appears to be a home run stance and the letter “W” with a heart in where the letter crosses – as well as a temporary retail store inside the Mercantile Center on Front Street attracted several dozen spectators, city officials, team representatives and a healthy contingent of media. The event was broadcast on NESN and hosted by Tom Caron, with retired local sports writing legend Bill Ballou, former Boston Red Sox catcher and current Pawtucket Red Sox coach Rich Gedman and team president Charles Steinberg serving as panelists of sorts. The group waxed poetic about baseball’s significance in y Worcester and shared some fun anecdotes.

A table of sweaters inside the Worcester Red Sox retail store. (Walter Bird Jr. photo)

But the reason everyone was there, of course, was to find out what, oh what, would that nickname be?

A short video gave the answer, with the narrator finishing by saying, “Nobody beats the WooSox.” Then the banner was unveiled and a stream of local students filed down a set of stairs in the center lobby, showing off the new merchandise. The doors to the store opened soon after, and a steady stream of folks filed in to snatch tee-shits, jerseys, sweatshirts, ball caps, baby onesies, and more.

Fans outside the glass window of the Worcester Red Sox store wait in line for a chance to look at the new merchandise. (Walter Bird Jr. photo)

On stage during the special telecast, when the logo was unveiled, Gedman admitted to being emotional. Inside the store afterward, after helping a customer try on a new hat, he explained why.

A customer surveys some of the items for sale. (Walter Bird Jr. photo)

“I guess being around baseball my whole life, growing up here and watching the two come together, being at the announcement of what the team is going to be called, it made me feel really special, personally,” the Worcester native who once pinch hit for the great Carl Yazstremski, said. “How many cities would like to have a team there? And to think our group, our people, stood up to make this what their kids are going to a part of. I used to walk through Crompton Park. I used to walk to the Boys Club. I used to walk to City Hall and walk through the Common. I would have been one of these kids trying to find a way into the ballpark. Emotion? It’s incredible.

“Let’s face it, it’s the Red Sox. It belongs here in Massachusetts. The people that stood up to make this happen, that’s the emotion of it. I’m just so proud to be part of it, to be around it. I think it’s so great that it happened.”

Losses mount for Worcester Railers as Thunder roll in 4-1 win

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The Worcester Railers aren’t waiting for Thanksgiving to serve up turkey. The team lost its fifth in a row on Sunday, this one a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Adirondack Thunder on Kids’ Giveaway Sunday at the DCU Center.

The Railers are in danger of giving away their season, although there’s plenty of calendar left. Still, at 4-10-0-0, they are firmly nestled in the basement of the ECHL North Division, looking up at the five other teams, including the Thunder (8-7-0-2).

In this one, Jakub Skarek stopped 30 of 33 shots by the Thunder, but the Railers simply couldn’t put points on the board, with Barry Almeida scoring the lone goal for the home team, playing before 4,351 fans in the Sunday matinee.

The real damage came in the third period, which started with both sides even, 1-1. Adirondack netted three unanswered goals to take control and earn the win, however.

First, Blake Thompson got one past a blocker in front of Skarek for a 2-1 Thunder lead. Then, with 4:21 to go in regulation, James Henry took a pass from the right circle and slapped it past Skarek for a 3-1 lead. Then, with Skarek pulled in favor of an extra skater, Ryan Walker scored the empty netter with 1:43 left for the final score.

A scoreless first period saw neither team able to light the lamp, but the Thunder struck quickly in the second on a Hayden Verbeek score just 51 seconds in.

Almeida evened things up at 3:42, on a feed from Dante Salituro.

Former Railers net-minder Eamon McAdam made 22 saves on 23 shots for the win.

The game saw the return from Bridgeport of Mike Cornell and Nic Pierog for the Railers.

The team went 0-for-2 on the power play.

Worcester has a busy holiday week on tap, heading to Portland, Maine Tuesday to take on the Maine Mariners. The Railers return home Wednesday night to host the Newfoundland Growlers at 7 p.m. After the Thanksgiving break, the team hosts Newfoundland once more. Then, on Saturday, the Railers welcome the Indy Fuel.