The Newfoundland Growlers return home to the Mary Brown’s Centre this weekend for the first time in nearly a month. The team has just completed an eight-game, 20-day road trip that took them as far west as Boise, Idaho, where they took two out of three games against the league’s current top team, the Idaho Steelheads.

This weekend the Growlers will face off against division rival Maine Mariners for the first time this season. It will be the first three games of nine total against the Mariners this season, though these upcoming games will be the only matches that take place here at home.

“Gonna be three tough games,” Growlers captain Todd Skirving said. “Maine’s always been a good hockey club, we’re gonna see a very fast paced kind of series with high-end skill. It’s gonna be like playoff hockey this weekend.”

The team has an all-time winning record against Maine, particularly at home where they’ve won 13 of 18 games in the five seasons since both teams joined the ECHL. In 10 total contests last season, the Growlers amassed a 7-3 record versus the Mariners.

Grant Cruikshank, the team’s leading scorer, was called up to the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies after the road trip ended. However, the team’s roster has been bolstered by the Marlies assigning defenceman David Farrance and forwards Isaac Johnson, Ty Voit, and Keenan Suthers to Newfoundland.

Voit is particularly noteworthy as he is a highly touted 20-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs prospect. He made his professional hockey debut with the Growlers in Idaho, where he made an immediate impact by scoring 4 points in 2 games.

Saturday night’s game will also feature the annual NTV Teddy Toss in support of the Salvation Army. Fans attending are asked to bring stuffed toys to the arena to toss onto the ice at first intermission to be given to those in need.