PORTLAND, ME – December 14, 2019 – Despite two third period goals in a valiant comeback effort, the Mariners fell a goal short and fell by a 3-2 final score to the Worcester Railers on Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worcester.
Worcester jumped on the Mariners early, scoring 2:13 into the opening period for their Teddy Bear Toss. After a lengthy forecheck in the Mariners zone, Jordan Samuels-Thomas fed Shane Walsh in the slot for a wrister that beat Tom McCollum’s blocker. At 5:33, Ross Olsson was able to sneak a backhand past McCollum’s pad to double the Railers led. The Mariners were outshot 11-3 in the opening period.
Maine responded with a much improved 2nd period, and won the shot battle, 9-3, but they couldn’t solve Railer ‘tender Evan Buitenhuis. Ryan Ferrill and Railers defenseman Justin Murray got into a spirited fight midway through the frame.
Worcester extended the lead to 3-0 when Walsh netted his second goal of the game at 6:50 off a 3-on-2 rush. The Mariners then began to push back and got on the board when Alex Kile finished Terrence Wallin’s net drive at 8:41 to break through Buitenhuis. At 8:41, Zach Tolkinen beat Buitenhuis to the far side from a severe angle below the right wing circle to close the gap to one. Worcester couldn’t hit the empty net but the kept the puck out of their zone in the final minute to preserve the one goal lead.
Buitenhuis made 20 stops to earn the win while McCollum stopped 23.
The Mariners continue their road trip next weekend in Glens Falls, NY against the Adirondack Thunder and are back home on December 26th and 27th to host Adirondack and Reading. Thursday, December 26th is a 7 PM faceoff and is Nickelodeon Takeover Night featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Specialty Jerseys. The puck drops at 7:15 PM on Friday, December 27th and is STEM Night – focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It’s also a 1-2-3 Friday, featuring $1 Aquafina water, $2 Pepsi products, and $3 Bud Lights through the start of the 2nd period. Both games also feature the “Skate and Scarf” package, where fans can get a ticket to the game, a Mariners scarf, and a pre-game skate with Beacon the Puffin plus a snack buffet. Only 100 packages are available for each game.
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. Four tiers of holiday packs for all gift-giving budgets are also available at MarinersOfMaine.com/shop.
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Worcester Railers