Former University of Maine forward Patrick Shea has signed a contract to return to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL this upcoming season. Shea becomes the fourth former Black Bear signed for the 2022-23 Mariners campaign.
Shea joins former UMainers Mitchell Fossier, Tim Doherty, and Brendan Robbins who have already signed with the Mariners this offseason. Shea was teammates with all three when he played in Orono. As a rookie last season in Portland, Shea also played with former Black Bear players Eduards Tralmaks and JD Greenway. He was seventh on the team in scoring in 2021-22, registering 15 goals and 16 assists in 60 games. He suffered a lower body injury in early April that forced him to miss the final six regular season contests, and the first five of their best of seven opening round playoff series against Reading. Shea returned to the lineup in game six with the Royals, in what ended up being the final game of the season for the Mariners.
Shea played at Maine from 2016-20, and tallied 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) in 135 collegiate games. The native of Marshfield, Massachusetts was a seventh round choice of the Florida Panthers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The Mariners are set for a new season that gets underway on Friday, October 21 on the road against the Trois-Rivieres Lions. Maine will open up the home schedule at the Cross Insurance Arena the next night at 6 p.m. against that very same opponent. Shea is the 11th player that has been revealed by the club on this years roster.
