Nick Anderson picked a perfect time to pick up his first playoff goal, in a deciding Game 7 of the North Division Semifinals at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on Wednesday night. Anderson scored a game winner with 3:50 left in the third period to propel the Maine Mariners to a 3-1 win over the Adirondack Thunder. Maine takes the best of seven 4-3, capturing their first playoff series victory in franchise history since joining the ECHL in the 2018-19 season.
Adirondack, who had won back to back overtime games including Tuesday night in Portland to even the series, would strike first in this one as Tag Bertuzzi blasted one in just 15 seconds into a powerplay at 9:41 of the second period. Maine had the answer from the captain shorthanded late in that middle stanza. Wyllum Deveaux raced to a loose puck that was headed back into the Thunder defensive zone, and netminder Jeremy Brodeur decided not to go out after it leading to a breakaway chance. Deveaux faked like he was going stick side and would tuck it back under the glove of Brodeur at 18:43 to tie it 1-1. The game winner in the third period by Anderson started with an excellent play by Max Andreev in the offensive zone. Andreev won a 1 on 1 battle with Adirondack forward Justin Taylor, spinning free and attracting two other defenders before sending a backhanded pass to a wide open Anderson in the high slot, who whistled one through traffic that found the back of the cage at 16:10 sending the Cross Insurance Arena crowd into a frenzy. Maine would seal it with Brodeur out for an extra attacker when Shawn Element made a great defensive play by intercepting an attempted stretch pass by Jeremy Hanzel, who was back in his zone and in front of his own net, and fired it into the empty cage with 35 seconds remaining.
Brodeur would make 33 saves in the loss for Adirondack, who had plenty of chances, finishing 1-5 on the powerplay. The Thunder end their season with a record of 40-28-10. Luke Cavallin earned the win in goal for Maine making 20 stops. Antonio Venuto and Andreev had one assist each, as they went 0-1 with their lone extra man opportunity. The Mariners (46-24-6) will play Games 1 and 2 on the road in West Virginia in the best of seven North Division Finals on Friday and Saturday night at 7:10 p.m. vs the Wheeling Nailers (50-21-3). The series shifts to Portland for Games 3, 4, and 5 (only if necessary) Monday-Wednesday, May 11th-13th at 7 p.m. each night. The Wheeling roster has some familiar names on it with former UMaine players in forward Nolan Renwick and defenseman David Breazeale.
Photo from the Maine Mariners
