By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
The Maine Mariners split the first two games of their North Division Semifinals series at home in Portland against the Adirondack Thunder. It was then time to head West for the next three games of the series to be played in Glens Falls, New York. The Mariners struggled to win on the road against the Thunder throughout the regular season, but earned a huge 5-2 win in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Now, Game 4 of the Mariners-Thunder series has arrived tonight at Harding Mazzotti Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The Mariners are poised to take control against the Thunder and go up 3-1 in the series.
There was some concern heading into Game 3 for the Mariners after the team fell 3-2 in Game 2 at home. The Mariners lost six of eight road meetings against the Thunder this season. One big change the Mariners made in Game 3 was giving goaltender Brad Arvanitis the start over Luke Cavallin, who got the first two starts of the series. Cavallin recorded a 1.46 GAA in the first two games and made 32 saves in Game 2’s loss.
In the first two games combined of the series, the Mariners’ offense scored four goals against Thunder goaltender Jeremy Brodeur. The Mariners had their best game offensively in the series, scoring five goals and finishing Game 3 with 41 shots on goal. The Mariners jumped out to a 3-0 lead 5:40 into the second period after goals from Antonio Venuto, Ty Cheveldayoff, and Loke Johansson. Then, the Thunder got two goals back and made it a 3-2 game after Tag Bertuzzi scored 2:19 into the third period.
However, the Mariners didn’t panic and got a huge goal from forward Shawn Element less than five minutes after Bertuzzi’s goal, making it 4-2. Element had not played a game for the Mariners since Dec. 6, 2025, so his return had a huge impact, restoring a two-goal lead. Forward Max Andreev scored an empty-net goal with under one minute remaining in regulation to ice the game for the Mariners. After difficulties scoring against Brodeur in the first two games of the series, the Mariners finally had their best game against him when the team needed it most to take a series lead on the road. Arvanitis was steady in his first start of the series, making 16 saves to earn the win.
Mariner forwards Jacob Hudson and Wyllum Deveaux each recorded two assists in Game 3, and Venuto and Andreev each recorded a two-point game, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Hudson and Andreev also each finished with a +3 rating to lead the Mariners.
If the Mariners win Game 4 tonight, they will take a 3-1 series lead over the Thunder and can close out the series tomorrow night on the road in Game 5. If the Thunder win, the series will be tied 2-2 and will have to go back to Cross Insurance Arena in Portland for at least a sixth game on May 5.
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