TROIS-RIVIERES, QC – April 3, 2024 – Alex Kile set a new Maine Mariners franchise record for points in a season with his 74th, helping the Mariners top the Trois-Rivieres Lions 5-2 on Wednesday night at Colisee Videotron. Five different Mariners found the net in Maine’s second straight victory in Trois-Rivieres, continuing their push for the playoffs.
A quick start by the Mariners created the opening goal just 1:09 into the game. Owen Pederson came up with a puck in the neutral zone and fed one ahead for Xander Lamppa, who wristed home his second goal as a Mariner beyond the glove of Lions goaltender Strauss Mann. It would remain a 1-0 game thanks largely to Mann, and the Lions got even with a late goal at 17:08 of the first from Tyler Hylland, unassisted right off a Mariners turnover.
The score remained 1-1 through most of the 2nd period, with six minutes of 4-on-4 hockey taking place along the way. Finally, at 15:43, Gabriel Chicoine broke the tie with a shot from the right circle that beat Mann up high to put the Mariners back on top. A little over two minutes later, Alex Kile cleaned up a loose puck in front to extend the lead to 3-1. It was a milestone goal for Kile, recording his 74th point of the season to break a Mariners single-season franchise record. Kile surpassed Tim Doherty’s record from last season.
Cam Askew stretched the Maine lead to 4-1 when he beat Mann from a sharp angle at 8:34 of the third. Another insurance goal came from Adam Mechura with just 1:24 left when he stole a puck away at the Lions blue line and slipped one between Mann’s pads. Hyland scored his second goal of the game 16 seconds later for the Lions’ second tally of the night.
Brad Arvanitis stopped 26 of 28 Lions shots to earn his 18th win as the Mariners moved to a point percentage of .514, giving them sole possession of third place in the North Division with seven games remaining.
The Mariners (30-28-7-0) have three games against the Worcester Railers to wrap up the VIP Rivalry Cup, starting Friday night at home. Friday is Solar Eclipse Night, presented by Venture Solar. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pair of Solar Eclipse glasses and the puck drops at 7:15 PM. Single game tickets for all regular season home games are on sale at MarinersOfMaine.com or at the Hammond Lumber Company Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena. More information on ticket packages and group discounts can be found by calling 833-GO-MAINE or by visiting the Mariners front office at 94 Free St. in Portland.
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