KEELEY: FOX’S LATE GOAL NOT ENOUGH IN MARINERS LOSS TO READING 

Mariners put together late rally but fall a goal short on Tuesday morning

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners

READING, PA – January 7, 2020 – Dillan Fox scored with 1:26 remaining in the third and an extra attacker on the ice to pull the Mariners within a goal, but the Reading Royals held on for a 2-1 win on Tuesday morning at Santander Arena. It was the third straight time the Mariners have lost to Reading in the head-to-head series.

After Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin was called for holding at 4:41, the Royals scored a power play goal to grab a 1-0 lead. Matthew Strome located a puck that had dropped down from the air and found Matthew Gaudreau alone in front of Connor LaCouvee, who got beat to his stick side. Reading outshot the Mariners 10-8 in the first for the one-goal lead.

Midway through the second period, Corey Mackin doubled the Reading lead when he gathered a rebound off of LaCouvee’s pad and backhanded the puck around it. Gaudreau got his second point of the game with the primary helper. LaCouvee made 14 saves in the period while the Mariners were held to just five shots.

With Reading leading 2-0 and less than two minutes to go, the Mariners pulled LaCouvee and got on the board at 18:34. Ryan Culkin took a shot from  the center of the blue line and beat Reading’s Kirill Ustimenko through traffic, tipped home by Dillan Fox. Alex Kile picked up the secondary assist, giving him a ten game road point streak. The Mariners called timeout and got LaCouvee back to the bench but couldn’t amount a great scoring chance to tie the game. Final shot totals were 33-23 in favor of Reading.

The Mariners are home for three in a row on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the “Winning 3Kend,” presented by Three Dollar Deweys. The Mariners will the host Newfoundland Growlers on Friday at 7:15 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM, while hosting the Adirondack Thunder on Saturday at 6 PM. Fans will have chances to win prizes throughout the week including a $10,000 game of a chance for a lucky fan each game. Friday’s game is a “1-2-3 Friday,” featuring $1 Aquafina water, $2 Pepsi products, and $3 Bud Light Drafts through the start of the 2nd period. Saturday’s game features a Mariners tumbler giveaway to the first 2,000 fans courtesy of the Holy Donut and is also “Beacon’s Buddies” presented by Evergreen Credit Union – with a pet item drive for the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland. Fans who bring two or more items will receive a weekday ticket voucher. Sunday’s game features “Kids Run the Show,” as kids ages 7-12 will help with game presentation.

Family Four packs are available for Saturday and Sunday, starting at $80, but must be purchased in advance of game day. Groups of 10 or more can get discounted tickets to all games by calling 833-GO-MAINE. Individual tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com, at the Trusted Choice Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena, or by calling 207-775-3458.