PORTLAND- Max Andreev scored a game winning shorthanded goal in overtime on Friday night, as the Maine Mariners beat the Adirondack Thunder 2-1 in Game 1 of an ECHL North Division Semifinal Playoff series at the Cross Insurance Arena.
Maine withstood an amazing effort in net by Adirondack goaltender Jeremy Brodeur. The game was scoreless until the 10:30 mark of the third period, as the Mariners struck first on a beautiful executed 2 on 1 breakout with Robert Cronin finding the back of the net off a perfect feed from Antonio Venuto. The Thunder sent the game to overtime on a bad break for the Mariners in the defensive zone in the final seconds of regulation. Jackson van de Leest was the recipient of a bad break turnover slamming a quick shot into the cage with an extra attacker on the ice with just 12.9 seconds left. Andreev was in the right spot at the right time in the extra session. Just 24 seconds after Maine went shorthanded on a high sticking penalty to Nick Anderson, Jacob Hudson stripped the puck away from Patrick Grasso near the Adirondack blue line and would spring Andreev in on a breakaway. Andreev made no mistake, deeking it around the outstretched pad of Brodeur to end it at 5:57. Brodeur, the son of former New Jersey Devils standout and Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, would make 49 saves as the final shots on goal were 51-16. Anderson and Hudson both had one assist in the win for the Mariners victory. Luke Cavallin made 15 stops in net. This was the ninth time this season in the 16 meetings that these teams have gone to overtime. Game 2 of the best of seven series is Saturday night in Portland at 6 p.m.
