By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
The ECHL Maine Mariners delivered a thrilling performance in their home opener, shutting out the Worcester Railers 3-0 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, yesterday afternoon. The victory marked the Mariners’ first win of the 2026-27 season and came in front of a lively crowd of 5,243 fans.
After a tough 4-2 road loss to Worcester in the season opener last Saturday, the Mariners bounced back with a dominant effort on home ice. Goaltender Luke Cavallin, who allowed four goals in the opener, was rock-solid between the pipes, stopping all 15 shots he faced to earn his first win of the season and the 12th ECHL shutout of his career. Through two games, the 25-year-old netminder now has a 1-1 record, a 2.05 goals-against average, and an .882 save percentage.
The Mariners wasted little time getting on the board. Just 2:02 into the first period, forward Max Andreev opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal—his first tally of the season—assisted by Josh Bloom and Connor Doherty. The early momentum continued as Robert Cronin netted his first of the year at 9:25, with assists from Antonio Venuto and Ryan Francis, giving Maine a 2-0 lead.
The second period saw no change in the score, but the Mariners struck quickly again to start the third. Andreev found the back of the net for the second time, once again shorthanded, at 2:36, with assists from Bloom and defenseman Michael Underwood. Both Andreev and Bloom finished with multi-point games, their first of the season.
The three stars of the game were all Mariners, as the first star honors went to Max Andreev, the second star went to Luke Cavallin, and the third star went to Josh Bloom. Shots on goal in the game had the home Mariners finish with a 24-to-15 advantage and went 0/4 on the power play. On the other side of the special teams, Maine successfully killed off six Worcester Railers man-advantage opportunities.
With the win, the Mariners evened their record at 1-1 and set the tone for the young season. They’ll look to keep the winning ways going this afternoon, hosting the Railers at Cross Insurance Arena for another North Division showdown. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase HERE, and fans can also catch the action by streaming the game on FloHockey.
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