PORTLAND, ME – October 21, 2023 – Tim Doherty’s four assists and Alex Kile’s pair of goals led the Maine Mariners offense on Saturday night, but they fell short in a 6-4 defeat at the hands of the Trois-Rivieres Lions in their home opener. A sellout crowd of 5,499 witnessed the high-scoring affair.
There was plenty of offense to be had in the opening period alone, as the teams combined for four goals. The Mariners struck with a pair of power play tallies to jump out to a 2-0 lead as Alex Kile and Reid Stefanson each found the net at 10:05 and 12:13 respectively. Stefanson’s goal was instantly answered by Nolan Yaremko, who struck 11 seconds later to get the Lions on the board. Anthony Beauregard ripped a slap shot past Shane Starrett from the right faceoff circle at 17:29 to bring the game back even. The Mariners were outshot 17-9 in the opening period.
The Lions took the lead 2:41 into the third when captain Cedric Montminy drove the net and finished a pass from John Parker-Jones. After a major penalty to Austin Albrecht, Miguel Tourigny one-timed home a power play goal at 4:22 for the Lions’ fourth unanswered tally.
Trailing by two in the third, the Mariners got back in the game with Kile’s second of the night – another power play marker just 3:10 into the final frame. Former Mariner Nick Jermain punched back for the Lions with a rebound goal at 6:17 to put Trois-Rivieres back up two. The Mariners continued to battle, as Ethan Keppen deflected home a Tim Doherty shot with just over seven minutes to play, bringing them back within one. Yaremko found the empty net with 36 seconds left to cinch the Lions victory.
Each team totaled 30 shots, with the Mariners holding a 14-4 edge in the third. Joe Vrbetic improved to 2-0 with 26 stops while Shane Starrett stopped 24 in the losing effort.
The Mariners are back in action next weekend in a home-and-home with the Adirondack Thunder. It begins at home on Friday night at 7:15 PM for a Halloween-themed game. Single game tickets for all regular season home games are on sale at MarinersOfMaine.com or at the Ware-Butler Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena. More information on ticket packages and group discounts can be found by calling 833-GO-MAINE or visiting the Mariners front office at 94 Free St. in Portland. The 2023-2024 season is presented by Hannaford to Go.
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