MARINERS WIN OT THRILLER IN FRONT OF SELL OUT CROWD

PORTLAND, ME – January 6, 2023 – Trailing by two goals more than halfway through the third period, the Maine Mariners stormed back for a 5-4 overtime win over the Adirondack Thunder on Friday night at the Cross Insurance Arena. Mitch Fossier scored at 3:34 of OT to complete the comeback in front of a sellout crowd of 5,179.

The teams traded power play goals in the opening frame, with Adirondack’s Shane Harper making it 1-0 Thunder at 7:12 and Alex Kile tying the game at 12:01. Just over two minutes after Kile’s goal, a one-timer by Nate Kallen put Maine out in front 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Adirondack scored twice in the second to flip the score back in the favor. Patrick Grasso jumped on a Mariners turnover at 7:36 of the middle frame to tie the game at two with his 16th goal of the season. At the 13:24 mark, rookie Travis Broughman forced a shot through Mariners goaltender Kyle Keyser from a sharp angle to put the Thunder back in the lead, 3-2. Adirondack carried the one-goal advantage into the third.

At 6:30 of the third period, Thunder forward Brandon Schultz finished off a 2-on-1 to give Adirondack a two-goal lead. Down but not out, the Mariners got a key deflection goal from Tyler Hinam at 11:11 to slice the deficit back to one. After a hooking penalty to Yanick Turcotte gave the Mariners a late power play, they pulled Keyser and found the equalizer with just 56 seconds to go. Kile intercepted a clearing attempt down the slot and ripped home his second goal of the game to tie it at four and force overtime.

The Mariners didn’t have the puck much in the sudden death session, but on their only shot of overtime, Mitch Fossier slid a deceptive backhander past Theut to complete the comeback at 3:34. Kyle Keyser earned his second win in as many starts with a 29 save effort. Theut turned aside 30 in the loss. The Mariners have won all six of their meetings with Adirondack this season.

The Mariners (17-11-1-1) now hit the road for five in a row, starting Wednesday, January 11th at Norfolk. Their next home game is Friday, January 27th, also against Norfolk and it’s “Flannel Friday,” presented by Three Dollar Dewey’s – the first game of a Three Dollar Dewey’s “3Kend,” with home games each night from January 27-29.