By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
Last night, the Maine Mariners played game two of three on the weekend, shutting out the visiting and new ECHL franchise, the Lake Tahoe Knight Monsters, 3-0. The game was held at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, in front of an impressive crowd that seems to get larger and larger as this stretch of home games continues.
Mariners goaltender Nolan Maier got the start in goal for the Boston Bruins “AA” minor-pro affiliate, stopping all 37 shots he faced, some of them showcasing his athleticism and quick reflexes. This was Maier’s third victory of the season and second shutout of the year in seven appearances. Maier, a 5′-11″ 175-pound Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native, played for the Reading Royals last season, appearing in 40 games for the Philadelphia Flyers ECHL affiliate, posting a regular season record of 15-18-4 with a goals-against-average of 3.07 and save percentage of .903. Maier is 3-4-0 in his first season with the Mariners this season and has a GAA of 2.17 and .915 Save%.
Looking at the offensive side of the Mariner’s effort last night, the team not only got solid contributions in the crease but also the defense and forward effort, locking down any effort from the visiting Knight Monsters. Forward Nick Jermain got the offensive side of the game started early for Maine as he got the Mariners to a 1-0 lead at the 2:40 mark of the opening period. The lone assist on Jermain’s third goal of the season went to forward Chase Zieky.
Eight minutes later in the first period, the Mariners extended their lead to 2-0 over the visiting Knight Montsers courtesy of defenseman Justin Bean, who scored his third goal of the season on the power play. The helpers on Bean’s man-advantage tally went to defenseman Christian Berger and forward Matthew Philip. The Mariners would seal the deal tonight with a third-period goal from defenseman Alex Sheehy, who notched his first goal of the season. The assists on Sheehy’s first of the year went to forward Sebastian Vidmar and forward Xander Lamppa.
Maine went one for three on the power play against Lake Tahoe and was outshot in the game by a 37 to 21 margin. With last night’s courageous victory over the Knight Monsters, the Mariners moved out of the North Division basement as they slid into the sixth position, passing the now seventh-place Reading Royals by one point (27).
The Mariners play the final game of the weekend against Lake Tahoe this afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena. The puck drop for this afternoon’s game and the third game of the weekend is set for 3pm. Look for former University of Notre Dame netminder Ryan Bichel to get the start in the final contest against the visiting Knight Monsters as Maine looks to climb even further up the North Division standing as the halfway point of the 2024-25 ECHL regular season second half approaches.
If you’d like to watch this afternoon’s Maine Mariners home game against the Lake Tahoe Knight Monsters, we highly recommend you get a subscription to FloHockey. Sign up for the FloHockey.com streaming service HERE to access games from the AHL, ECHL, NCAA, USHL, and many other developmental leagues throughout North America, as well as some European action via the Swedish Hockey League.
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