Mariners outshot 31-18 in loss
BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners
NORFOLK, VA – November 23, 2019 – The Mariners were held to just nine shots through two periods and couldn’t dig out of a three-goal deficit in the third period on Saturday night, as they fell by a score of 5-2 to the Norfolk Admirals at the Norfolk Scope. The Mariners fell back to the .500 mark at 7-7-0-1.
The Mariners got off to a good start, scoring at the :58 mark, to get on the board first. Terrence Wallin and Ryan Culkin set up Maine native Ted Hart for a redirect right at the top of the crease past Admirals goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos. That was one of just four first period shots for the Mariners, however, and Norfolk got even at 9:54 when Zach Franko one-timed a pass from Sam Povorozniouk past Connor LaCouvee. The game was even at one through one.
The Admirals dominated the middle frame, outshooting Maine 15-5, and scoring three goals. At 5:35, defenseman River Rymsha broke the tie when he ripped a wrister past LaCouvee’s glove off a drop pass from John Gustafsson. At 11:08, Roman Ammirato made it 3-1 when he finished a second chance, helped out again by Povorozniouk, who knocked a rebound out of the air and over to the goal scorer. A shorthanded goal by Alex Jaeckle extended the Adirondack lead to 4-1 at 14:03. Jaeckle worked a 2-on-1 with Shawn McBride and banked the rebound off LaCouvee’s pad from below the goal line.
Franko netted his second goal of the game at the 3:25 mark of the third to put the game out of reach. Zach Tolkinen got a power-play goal at 9:23 to bring the deficit back to three. John Furgele and Michael McNicholas were credited with assists.
Connor LaCouvee made 26 saves in the losing effort. Sakellaropoulos had a fairly easy night, facing just 18 shots, and stopping 16 for the win.
The Mariners have three home games next week around the Thanksgiving holiday – Tuesday at 7 PM against the Worcester Railers, Friday at 7:15 PM against the Indy Fuel, and then Saturday at 6 PM against the Newfoundland Growlers. Tuesday is a sensory reduced game for Autism Awareness featuring no goal horn, lower noise levels, and a quiet space for fans who need relief from the normal hectic atmosphere of a hockey game. Friday features Black Friday discounts at the Mariners merchandise stand: 20% off all Mariners pucks during the first intermission and 15% off all Mariners hats during the second intermission. Both promotions are limited to five items per customer and must be purchased with a credit or debit card. Saturday night will feature specialty Aquaman jerseys as part of the league’s partnership with DC Comics. Groups of 10 or more can call 833-GO-MAINE to get tickets at a discounted price. Individual game tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com, in person at the Trusted Choice Box Office at the Cross Insurance Arena, or by calling the box office at 207-775-3458.
