LABERGE BURNS THUNDER AGAIN IN MARINERS SUNDAY WIN

PORTLAND, ME – January 9, 2022 – Pascal Laberge registered a multi-goal game against the Adirondack Thunder for the second time in an eight day span on Sunday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena. Laberge scored the only goals of the game over the first 40 minutes, and the Mariners closed out a 4-1 victory to take two of three from the Thunder.

In similar fashion to Saturday night’s game, an early power play goal would put the Mariners in the 1-0 lead. Laberge ripped off a writer from the top of the right faceoff circle at 2:39 of the opening frame, with help from a Cam Askew screen. Zach Malatesta and Alex Kile assisted on the goal and the Mariners led 1-0 at the end of one.

Laberge once again scored the only goal of the second, this time at even strength. At the midway mark of the period, Nick Master carried into the zone and dropped to Laberge, who beat the stick side of Alex Sakellaropoulos to make it a 2-0 game.

Still leading 2-0, the Mariners went to the penalty kill at 15:51 of the third after a Kile cross checking call, and capitalized on a shorthanded goal to up the lead to three. Askew tipped a puck ahead for a breakaway by Pat Shea and Shea, who was initially stopped, poked in the rebound. A scrum ensued after the goal, resulting in misconducts handed to Adirondack’s Sebastian Vidmar and Blake Thompson along with Askew and Connor Doherty. The Thunder finally beat Jeremy Brodeur 21 seconds later, when Ryan Smith fired home a power play goal, but Master found an empty netter to seal the game with 25 seconds left.

Brodeur won his fourth consecutive start, stopping 36 of 37 Adirondack shots. The Mariners are up to 30 points on the season, jumping them over Adirondack, Reading, and Trois-Rivieres, and into second place in the North Division.