Melanson scores twice, McNicholas adds three points as Mariners split in Brampton
BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners
BRAMPTON, ON – November 17, 2018 – Drew Melanson’s shorthanded goal at 7:25 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie and the Mariners (7-6-0-1) were able to hold off a late Beast rally to pick up a 3-2 win and a weekend split on Saturday night at the CAA Centre. Melanson scored twice while Michael McNicholas added three points in the victory.
Brampton struck first at 11:37 of the opening period when Nicholas Todd banked a shot off of Brandon Halverson’s pad from below the goal line as Halverson attempted to slide back into his net. Less than two minutes later, McNicholas tied it up with a power-play goal, taking a feed from Sean Day out of the corner and beating Etienne Marcoux for the first time all weekend. The Mariners pelted 15 shots on Marcoux in the first period, but the game remained tied at one.
At 2:27 of the second, Melanson gave the Mariners the lead when McNicholas found him open in front of Marcoux and he slid one between the pads of the Brampton netminder. That lead lasted just over three minutes, however, as Jordan Henry re-tied the game at 5:35, following a scramble around the Mariners net. Henry scored his ECHL defense-leading sixth goal of the season and the game entered the third period tied up at two.
The Mariners, who had piled up the shorthanded breakaways, finally converted when McNicholas and Melanson caused a neutral zone turnover at the 7:25 mark of the third and Melanson rocketed a wrist shot past Marcoux. Immediately after, Morgan Adams-Moisan got called for a double minor for high-sticking, giving the Beast a 1:18 long two-man advantage. The Mariners got the power play back to 5 on 4, and then caught a break when Brampton was caught with too many men on the ice. The Beast made a push in the closing minutes, but Melanson beat out an icing in the game’s final seconds to seal the win.
Brandon Halverson stopped 28 of 30 shots for his fourth win while Marcoux turned aside 38 of 41 in the loss. The Mariners jumped back into a fourth-place tie in the North Division with the Beast.
Maine returns home on Saturday, November 24th to host the Manchester Monarchs at 6:00 PM. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night and the first 2,000 fans through the gate will receive a Mariners’ winter beanie. Tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com or by calling 207-775-3458.
