MARINERS FALL TO LIONS ON CONTROVERSIAL CALL

TROIS-RIVIERES, QC – November 18, 2023 – With 41.5 seconds remaining and the Mariners trailing 2-1, Adam Mechura appeared to tie the game when he ripped one past the glove of a sprawling Zachary Emond. However, after the officials conferred, a glove pass was ruled taking the goal away, and the Trois-Rivieres Lions secured the win on Saturday afternoon at Colisee Videotron.

After pouring on seven early shots, the Mariners took consecutive penalties midway through the opening frame and the Lions made them pay. At 11:01, Jakov Novak beat Shane Starrett with a low wrist shot, a 5-on-3 goal to put Trois-Rivieres up 1-0.

The middle frame was marked by a flurry of penalties, making 5-on-5 play a rarity. At 11:02, Lions defenseman Christopher Ortiz rushed toward Starrett and beat him with a backhand to double the Trois-Rivieres lead. Starrett made several big saves throughout the remainder of the period but Lions netminder Zachary Emond continued to blank the Mariners through 40 minutes.

Defenseman Adam Samuelsson, making his Mariners debut, finally broke through when his slap shot from the left faceoff circle beat Emond at 9:07 of the third. The Mariners mounted a strong final push, but Mechura’s reversed goal stalled their comeback effort. Emond stopped 36/37 to earn the victory while Starrett turned aside 24 in defeat.

The Mariners (3-7-0) travel to Worcester to play the Railers on Sunday afternoon at 3:05 PM. The game can be seen and heard on the Mariners Broadcast Network via FloHockey and Mixlr, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:50 PM. The Mariners are back home after Thanksgiving, hosting the Reading Royals on November 24^th and 25^th. Friday, November 24^th is Jersey Friday, and features a youth replica jersey giveaway to the first 500 fans ages 12 and under, courtesy of Taro Health. The Mariners are also raising funds for the Lewiston community through a special warmup jersey auction. 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.