Having lost Ben Holmstrom to injury on Friday afternoon and Brock McGinn to suspension on Saturday night, he did not have much time to find a replacement before Sunday’s 1 p.m. start. Given the time of week, most ECHL clubs, the usual source for such additions, had played games on each of the previous two days, meaning fatigue would be a factor. Finding suitable flights was also a problem.
So, while he may not have otherwise asked a player to play a fourth game in three-and-a-half days, he made the call to sign Andrew Rowe, the South Carolina Stingrays captain who had the right mix of skill set and availability.
“We gave him the option, and I wanted to make sure he was aware there was going to be an opportunity on Sunday,” said Daniels. “Who knows in a week or month from now if that opportunity was going to be there. He was going to get a chance to play and play power play, so I think he realized it was a good opportunity and he took it.”
For Rowe, taking the opportunity meant extending an already-exhausting few days. After a Thursday night game in Greenville, SC, he took a three-hour bus ride for a 2 a.m. arrival in the Stingrays’ home of Charleston, where he played on each of the next two nights.Immediately after the third game, he got the call that Daniels wanted him to be in Charlotte for a game 15 hours later. Though the 26-year-old veteran of nearly 250 professional games had transferred between the two leagues on many previous occasions, the four-in-four was going to be new territory.
“We were actually looking into rules about players being able to do that,” said Rowe. “But that’s what we’re here for – to get promotions and move up, and that’s why I play the game. I was excited.”
With no one saying he couldn’t, Rowe hopped in his car at around 11 p.m., made the three-hour drive to Charlotte, stopping for food along the way, checked into his hotel and was asleep by 4 a.m. Basically, the ideal pregame routine.
“There’s no routine on the fourth game,” he said. “It was basically to get food in me and then get to the rink to loosen up after a long car ride and no sleep.”
Considering the circumstances, Rowe did quite well. Though he did not register a point, he had a few good chances and fired four shots on target while playing on a line with Brody Sutter and Chad LaRose and receiving the promised time on the man advantage.
“When the game hits it’s all adrenaline,” said Rowe. “The legs were tired but it’s the nature of the beast. You train all summer for situations like that. We’re professional athletes and we’ve got to step up when they need you.”
“We knew we were kind of rolling the dice a bit but we also knew we were getting a guy that was going to be excited about an opportunity,” said Daniels. “We told him to give us what we had. Even if it was 20 or 30-second shifts, give us that and show us what you can do.”
Even with McGinn’s suspension over and the Checkers now possessing 13 healthy forwards, Rowe has remained on the roster and on that line throughout the week and seems to be on track to earn more playing time during this Saturday’s home game against Texas. With the Checkers still starved for offense (their average of 1.86 goals per game is the second-lowest in the league), Rowe, who had seven points in seven ECHL games at the time of his recall, could end up providing a spark. While playing for Greenville last season, the one-time Philadelphia Flyers prospect earned All-ECHL Second Team honors with 31 goals, 66 points and a plus-28 rating in 64 games.
“In the East Coast I’m a goal scorer and a playmaker, and here I’d like to do the same thing but it’s all about opportunity,” said Rowe. “Coach JD seems like he’s giving me a pretty good shot right now so I guess I’ll see what happens.”
Rowe is also familiar with the AHL, having now totaled 102 AHL games in the last four seasons, though he hasn’t been a regular in the league since suiting up for Adirondack in the 2011-12 campaign. Ironically, he was then teammates with Holmstrom and McGinn’s brother, Tye, giving him close connections to the two players whose circumstances allowed him to join the Checkers in the first place.
Whether those circumstances allow Rowe to remain for a few more days, weeks or months remains to be seen. If nothing else, he should have a more traditional warm-up for his next game.
