PORTLAND, ME – December 31, 2024 – Wyllum Deveaux scored at 4:36 of overtime to complete a Maine Mariners come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Trois-Rivieres Lions on Tuesday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena. Former Portland Pirate Derek Whitmore, playing his first professional game in three years, scored the tying-goal in the third period.
Trois-Rivieres took a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in the opening period. Jakov Novak tapped in a power play goal at 10:29 to give the Lions a 1-0 lead after a broken-stick shot fooled Ryan Bischel and slide right to the post. Former Mariner Morgan Adams-Moisan made it a 2-0 game at 17:13 when he tapped in a pass from Jacob Paquette.
The Mariners got on the board at 5:24 of the second period when Sebastian Vidmar spotted Jacob Hudson in the slot for a stick-side wrister past Hunter Jones, cutting the Lions lead to 2-1. Trois-Rivieres boosted its lead back to two at 18:54 of the period when Alex Beaucage beat Bischel with a wrister in the high slot, but Brooklyn Kalmikov broke through on a breakaway less than a minute later to close the deficitg back to one heading into intermission.
Still trailing 3-2 with less than half a period to go, the Mariners found the tying goal from an unlikely source. Derek Whitmore, the 40-year-old forward and former Portland Pirate, just signed on Monday, took a pass on the doorstep of the goal from Cory Dennis behind the net and made it 3-3 with 8:38 left in regulation. Despite a power play chance for each team at the end of the third, the game advanced to overtime.
At 4:36 of the sudden death session, Wyllum Deveaux made his way into the offensive zone and squeezed a wrister through Jones for the game-winner. Nick Jermain and Michael Underwood collected helpers.
Ryan Bischel earned his eighth win of the season with 27 saves. Jones stopped 21/25 for the Lions.
The Mariners (11-14-2) host a “$3 Deweys Threekend,” this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday against the Tahoe Knight Monsters at the Cross Insurance Arena. Friday night is “Star Wars Night,” with a 7:15 PM puck drop, Saturday is “Throwback Night,” featuring $8 tickets, specialty jerseys, and alumni appearances. The Threekend concludes with “Girls Night Out” on Sunday at 3 PM. Single game tickets are available at MarinersOfMaine.com or at the Hammond Lumber Company Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena. For more information on ticket packages and group discounts, fans can call 833-GO-MAINE, go to MarinersOfMaine.com, or visit the Mariners front office at 94 Free Street in Portland.
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