Late rally comes up short as Monarchs eliminate Mariners
BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners
MANCHESTER, NH – April 6, 2019 – The Maine Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday night at the SNHU Arena, falling by a 5-2 final score to the Manchester Monarchs. Trailing 4-0 late in the third, the Mariners got two goals to thicken the plot, but an empty netter put the game away. The North Division playoff field will be made up of the Newfoundland Growlers, Adirondack Thunder, Manchester Monarchs, and Brampton Beast. The Mariners have one game remaining in their inaugural season, tomorrow afternoon at home against Newfoundland.
In the opening period, Manchester struck first when Tony Cameranesi stole the puck from Dwyer Tschantz inside the Manchester blue line and skated all the way down the right wing, beating Francois Brassard’s glove for a 1-0 Monarchs lead. The Mariners responded to the goal with consistent pressure and quality scoring chances for the rest of the period, but Manchester held its 1-0 lead. Maine won the 1st-period shot battle, 15-14.
The 1-0 score held up all the way until the 18:33 mark of the 2nd period when Cory Ward finished off a rush with a top-shelf backhander. Just 22 seconds later, David Kolomatis took a shot that trickled through Brassard’s pads to make it 3-0, putting the Mariners in a deep hole entering the third period.
The Monarchs went up 4-0 just 51 seconds into the third when Jack Nevins tipped home a pass from Ward. Finally at 13:36, Maine got on the board when Taylor Cammarata caused a shorthanded turnover and slipped a backhand through the pads of Charles Williams. A minute later, Ty Ronning cleaned up a Terrence Wallin rebound to suddenly make it a two-goal game. Pierre-Luc Mercier found the empty net at 18:43 to seal the game. The Mariners finished with a season-high 45 shots on goal, surpassed their previous high of 43, set on February 1st, also at Manchester.
The Mariners close out the regular season tomorrow afternoon against Newfoundland at the Cross Insurance Arena at 3:00 PM for Fan Appreciation Night. Prizes from the Mariners and their sponsors will be given away throughout the game, including autographed New York Rangers memorabilia. Tickets are available at MarinersOfMaine.com or at the Trusted Choice Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena. The Trusted Choice Box Office can be reached at 207-775-3468.
