MARINERS TOP LIONS ON WILD WEDNESDAY NIGHT

PORTLAND, ME – January 10, 2024 – In a game that featured 13 combined goals and 23 players on the scoresheet, the Maine Mariners topped the Trois-Rivieres Lions 8-5 on Wednesday night at the Cross Insurance Arena. Cam Askew and Wyllum Deveaux lead the Maine attack, with two goals each.

Just 10 seconds into the game, Lions defenseman Miguel Tourigny flipped the puck over the glass, leading to an instant Mariners power play. Askew camped in front the net, deflected an Alex Kile shot home for the first goal of the game at the :49 mark. The Lions responded with three unanswered goals to jump ahead, 3-1. The first two goals came from captain Cedric Montminy, first at 6:40 on the power play, then at 4-on-4 less than two minutes later. At 16:32 of the period, Jared Power made a quick backhand-forehand move from below the goal line and beat Kyle Keyser to give the Lions a 3-1 after 20 minutes.

Coming out strong in the 2^nd period, the Mariners struck quickly with three goals in the first 6:27 of the period to flip the game. Wyllum Deveaux followed his own shot and rifled home his third goal of the season under the crossbar at 2:44 to bring the Mariners back to within one. Jeff Solow would score his first professional goal to tie the game at 6:04, as he snuck one through Joe Vrbetic from a sharp angle, set up by Brooklyn Kalmikov below the goal line. Just 23 seconds later, Curtis Hall flew down the right wing leading a 2-on-1, and ripped one past Vrbetic’s stick side to give the Mariners a 4-3 lead. Vrbetic was replaced by Zach Bouthillier in the Lions net following the goal.

Xavier Filion, playing in his first game as a Lion, tipped in fellow newcomer Cory Thomas’ point shot at 2:33 of the 3^rd period to tie the game at four. Just 16 seconds later, Alex Kile restored the lead, scoring his 21^st goal of the season, and putting him one off the ECHL lead, as he spun to the front of the net and cashed in his own rebound. The Lions had the answer yet again when Markuss Komuls finished a cross ice feed from Parker Saretsky at 6:17, knotting up the game at five. Saretsky recorded four assists in the game for the Lions. Askew’s second goal of the game at 7:28 would put the Mariners back in the lead for good, when his long wrister made its way through traffic and beat Bouthillier. Brooklyn Kalmikov scooped up a loose puck for an insurance goal at 9:40 and Deveaux buried an empty netter with two minutes to go to bring the game to its 8-5 final.

Keyser earned the win, stopping 19 of 24 Lions shots. Bouthillier was saddled with the loss, as he allowed three goals on 14 Maine shots. The Mariners have back to back win for the first time since December 1^st, and now boast a five-game home point streak.

The Mariners (12-13-5-0) will face the Reading Royals for the next six games. A three game series in Pennsylvania begins Friday at Santander Arena with a 7 PM faceoff. The Mariners return home for a $3 Deweys “Threekend” starting on Friday, January 19^th with “Country Night” presented by UNUM, featuring Canadian Tuxedo specialty uniforms and a denim can koozie giveaway to the first 1,000 fans. Game time is 7:15 PM. 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.