GLENS FALLS, NY – March 8, 2023 – The Mariners scored three power play goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Adirondack Thunder on Wednesday night at the Cool Insuring Arena. Pat Shea led the way with a pair, as Maine improved to 7-0-1 against Adirondack this season, and lowered their “magic number” to 20 points.
Power play goal number one opened the scoring at 9:09 of the first period. A cross ice feed from Tim Doherty was finished by fellow University of Maine alumnus Pat Shea from the left circle, his team-leading 24th goal of the season. The Mariners doubled their lead with a “buzzer beater” when Tyler Hinam, playing in his first game since February 4th, whipped a turnaround shot home with under a second to play in the period. The Mariners led 2-0 through 20 minutes.
The Mariners played a strong second frame, but the only goal was a power play tally from Adirondack. At 13:55, Sebastian Vidmar backhanded a rebound around the reach of Michael DiPietro to get the Thunder on the board, and cut the Maine lead to 2-1.
In the third, Grant Gabriele added insurance with his power play tally off the rush, finishing a give and go with Fedor Gordeev at 7:50. The Thunder then flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game infraction and Shea buried his second of the night to make it 4-1. Adirondack pulled their goaltender early when they received a power play with a little over six minutes left and Gordeev hit a long empty netter to finish the 5-1 win.
Michael DiPietro earned his 13th win with 27 stops. The Mariners jumped back into sole possession of second place in the North Division and now just need a combination of 20 points gained and points lost by Adirondack to clinch a playoff spot for the second consecutive season.
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Iowa Heartlanders
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers