Mariners unable to break through on Adirondack netminder in shutout loss
BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners
PORTLAND, ME – November 15, 2019 – Adirondack goaltender Evan Cormier stopped all 25 Mariners shots while his offensive provided him with four goals in a 4-0 Thunder shutout win over the Mariners on Saturday night at the Cross Insurance Arena. The loss ended Maine’s four game win streak and was their first defeat of November.
Adirondack’s first shot of the game ended up in the back of the net at 5:05 of the opening period, when Blake Thompson’s shot deflected off of Craig Martin and looped up and over Mariners goaltender Connor LaCouvee. The Thunder seemed to gain momentum from the goal, dictating play for the remainder of the period. At 15:31, Jake Linhart crashed the net to finish a rebound created by a Mike Szmatula shot and make it 2-0 Thunder. Adirondack won the opening period shot battle, 15-7. Mariners alternate captain Scott Savage dropped the gloves with Adirondack’s Robbie Payne attempting to gain the Mariners some momentum late in the period.
“He said he wanted to go when we went down 2-0 so I thought it would be a good time to get some energy for our team,” said Savage.
The Mariners did find energy in the 2nd period, but Adirondack netminder Evan Cormier was on his game, stopping all 13 Maine shots, including several high quality chances on a Mariners power play and in the minutes after. The score remained 2-0 at the end of two.
“You’re going to run into hot goalies once in a while but once you hit a hot goalie it’s what you do the next game,” said Mariners Head Coach and Assistant General Manager Riley Armstrong. “It’s that you don’t get frustrated , stay the course, and if guys go into slumps or they think they’re in slumps it’s working hard going to the right spots where you have to score, and that’s in the dirty areas.”
The Thunder added to their lead at 3:32 of the third when Ryan Walker finished a pass from Matt Salhany at 3:32. Defenseman Kelly Summers banged one past LaCouvee at 15:25 of the third to put the game away. The Mariners were outshot 14-5 in the third as Cormier finished the 25 save shutout.
LaCouvee made 34 saves in the losing effort, as Maine fell to 6-5-0-1 on the season, but finished their home stand with a 5-2-0 record.
The Mariners spend next week on the road traveling to Norfolk, Virginia to play the Admirals on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday – all 7:30 start times. Broadcast coverage will begin at 7:15 PM each night on the Mariners broadcast network – MarinersOfMaine.com/listen and ECHL.tv. The Mariners return home on Tuesday, November 26th to host the Worcester Railers at 7:00 PM. It’s Autism Awareness night, featuring a game presentation with lower sound, and loud noises for fans with sensitives. Individual game tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com, in person at the Trusted Choice Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena, or by calling the box office at 207-775-3458. For information on group tickets, holiday packs, and other ticketing options, call 833-GO-MAINE.
