By: Kenny Kaminsky | Follow me on Twitter/X @KennyKaminsky
After a decisive victory on Wednesday against the Reading Royals, the Maine Mariners aimed to maintain that momentum in tonight’s game against the Trois-Rivières Lions. This matchup represents a newer rivalry in the East Coast Hockey League, characterized by physical play and a willingness to fight. Additionally, there is an element of rivalry based on team affiliations: the Lions are affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens, while the Mariners are connected to the Boston Bruins. Tensions run high between these two franchises, and Nolan Maier started in goal tonight. Maier has been competing with his tandem partner, Ryan Bischel, for the starting position.
The first period of the game was predominantly calm, serving as a feeling-out process for both teams. Most of the play occurred in the neutral zone, but the Lions had the upper hand in shots on goal and the scoring sheet. Jakov Novak scored to give Trois-Rivières a 1-0 lead, with assists from Logan Nijhoff and Wyatt McLeod. With this goal, Jakov Novak now leads the team in points, totaling seven for the season.
The second period began positively for the Lions, who took a 2-0 lead after Xavier Cormier scored during a power play, with assists from Charles-Antoine Paiement and Vincent Sevigny. The penalty was called in the first period’s final ten seconds. Although Maine struggled to find the net, they had an intense period overall, doubling the Lions’ shot count with 12 shots compared to the Lions’ six.
The third period began with promise as the Mariners finally scored against Trois-Rivières goalie Luke Cavallin. Recently assigned player Jimmy Lambert netted his second goal in as many games, with Mason Millman and Brooklyn Kalmikov providing the assists, cutting the Lions’ lead to 2-1. Just seventeen seconds later, Logan Nijhoff restored the Lions’ two-goal advantage by finishing a three-on-one opportunity, scoring, and extending the lead to 3-1. Although the Lions scored again shortly after, the goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference. Trois-Rivieres would score a short-handed empty net goal give themselves a 4-1 win.
Once again, Maine is struggling to score goals, but it isn’t due to a lack of effort, as the team generates plenty of shots in each game. They dominated the shot count tonight, registering 31 shots compared to the Lions’ 21. Unfortunately, Jimmy Lambert left the game after taking a flying elbow to the head late in the match, which led to a five-minute major penalty and an ejection. Hopefully, Lambert will be okay for tomorrow’s game in Portland.
Nolan Maier struggled in tonight’s game, stopping only 17 of 20 shots. The second goal he allowed barely slipped through his padding, and it’s a goal he wishes he could reclaim. Once again, Maine faced a very skilled goalie and had no answers. They didn’t do well in creating scoring opportunities, and when they did manage to get chances, they could not capitalize on them.
Fortunately for the Mariners, they have a quick turnaround as they host the South Carolina Stingrays tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Arena. The team aims to return to the win column to gain ground in the North Division standings. Although they awarded more points to the team ahead of them after tonight’s game, it is still early in the season, and hopes remain high.
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