BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners
Feb. 11, 2019 – While Friday and Saturday turned out to be games to forget, the Maine Mariners (23-24-0-1) bounced back on Sunday with a much needed 4-1 win, bringing their homestand to 2-2-0-0 heading into its conclusion on Wednesday night against Worcester. A five-game road trip begins on Friday and signals a stretch of eight of the nine away from Portland, which will take the Mariners into the month of March, and the true home stretch of the season. Sitting on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, the Mariners could use a return to their November and December form to make a push to the postseason.
The week that was
Friday, Feb. 8th – CIN: 8, MNE: 1
The Western Conference-leading Cincinnati Cyclones came into the Cross Insurance Arena and showed why they possess the second best record in the ECHL, dropping a seven-spot on the Mariners in just the first period. Former Mariner Brady Vail netted a hat trick, while Pascal Aquin finished the night with five points – a goal and four assists. Of the eight goals scored, five came against Connor LaCouvee and three on Ed Minney. Greg Chase scored the only Maine goal, on the power play. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday, Feb. 9th – GRN: 8, MNE: 2
While Greenville didn’t carry the same clout into Portland as Cincinnati before them, they too put on an offensive display – using the second period as their anchor, with six goals. The Swamp Rabbits built a 4-0 lead early in the 2nd before Jason Salvaggio and Dillan Fox showed signs of a potential comeback. Sloppy defensive play and another shaky performance from LaCouvee was the story the rest of the way. Hannu Toivonen made a relief appearance and allowed two of the eight. Chris Izmirlian scored four goals for Greenville, who would go on to put up 7 on Sunday in Manchester. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS
Sunday, Feb. 10th – WHE: 1, MNE: 4
Head Coach Riley Armstrong faced his former team for the first time after serving as an assistant in Wheeling the previous two seasons. In desperate need of a win, the Mariners started with a 16-7 shot advantage in the first and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 2nd thanks to a 5-on-3 goal by Terrence Wallin and an even-strength tally by Greg Chase. LaCouvee stood tall and shut the Nailers down until midway through the third when Wheeling got a power play goal from Michael Phillips. Wallin scored his second goal of the day late in the third and Drew Melanson added an empty netter to seal it. LaCouvee stopped 34 of 35 shots. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS
Transactions
-G BRANDON HALVERSON WAS RECALLED TO AHL HARTFORD
-G CONNOR LACOUVEE SIGNED A TWO-WAY AHL CONTRACT WITH LAVAL AND WAS ASSIGNED TO MAINE
-F MORGAN ADAMS-MOISAN WAS RECALLED TO AHL LAVAL
Coming up (all times Eastern)
Weds, Feb. 13th vs. Worcester Railers – 7:00 PM (HOME)
Fri, Feb. 15th @ Norfolk Admirals – 7:00 PM (AWAY)
Sat, Feb. 16th @ Norfolk Admirals – 7:00 PM (AWAY)
The Mariners resume divisional play on Wednesday night with Worcester in town at 7:00 PM. Maine has won six of the first nine meetings with the Railers this season and currently trail them by two points in the North Division standings. The road trip begins in Norfolk on Friday as the Mariners meet the Admirals for a weekend series in Virginia. Norfolk currently sits sixth out of seven teams in the South Division and will visit Portland for one game on March 6th. The Mariners will swing back up through Reading, Glens Falls, and Manchester next week on their way back home.
Coach’s Show:
The Mariners Coach’s Show airs on Tuesday from Noon to 1:00 PM on MarinersOfMaine.com/listen via Mixlr. This week’s guests included Riley Armstrong and Connor LaCouvee. Fans who submit questions through Mixlr will be entered to win a pair of tickets to Wednesday’s game. All previous Coach’s Shows and game broadcasts are archived here: http://mixlr.com/mainemariners/showreel/.
Looking ahead:
On Sunday, February 24th, following the 3:00 PM game against the Worcester Railers, the entire team will be on hand to sign autographs for fans of all ages in the concourse.
Fun Facts/Notes:
-Greg Chase has scored a goal in four of his last five games
-With his goal Sunday, Drew Melanson became the fifth Mariner this season to reach a double-figure goal total (Kile, Adams-Moisan, Chase, McNicholas). Jason Salvaggio and Ty Ronning each have nine goals
-The Mariners are now 3-1-0-0 on Sundays at home, with six Sunday home dates remaining
