#alecbaer

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KEELEY: MARINERS HOME THIS COMING WEEKEND AND THE WEEK IN REVIEW

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners  PORTLAND, ME: Dec. 4, 2018 – The busy month of December rolls on for the Maine Mariners with three more games this week, fresh off four games in five days coming out of Thanksgiving. Maine went 2-2-0 in the grueling post-Turkey gauntlet but was less than a minute away from grabbing a point in three of four. Victimized by an unfortunate bounce of a glass stanchion with 34 seconds remaining in the third period, the Mariners fell to Worcester on Sunday afternoon in regulation. They’ll get their shot at revenge with the Railers this coming Sunday, but first, it’s a pair of barometer tests against the Adirondack Thunder. The week that was Wednesday, Nov. 28th – REA: 1, MNE: 4 Getting off to a quick start, the Mariners jumped on Reading for an early 2-0 lead in the game’s first nine minutes on goals by Alex Kile and Morgan Adams-Moisan. Kile was in his first action as a Mariner since returning from an AHL loan to the Utica Comets, and Adams-Moisan’s goal – shorthanded – was the first of his professional career. Brandon Halverson did the rest, stopping 35 of 36 Royals shots while Alec Baer and Vince Pedrie (empty-netter) added on. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS Friday, Nov. 30th – WOR: 4, MNE: 2 “Rivalry Night” was true to its name when Morgan Adams-Moisan and Worcester’s Yanick Turcotte dropped the gloves ten seconds into the game. The teams traded first period goals before the Railers struck early in the 2nd and never looked back. Sean Day brought a two-goal deficit back to one late in the 2nd, but Josh Holmstrom’s third-period goal was all she wrote. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS Saturday, Dec. 1st – MNE: 5, MAN: 2 As the Mariners held their Teddy Bear Toss against the Monarchs a week prior, Manchester was looking to get fur-flying revenge, but Connor LaCouvee had other ideas. LaCouvee held the Monarchs off the board until late in the 3rd, while the Mariners line of Alex Kile, Michael McNicholas, and Morgan Adams-Moisan buried five goals (two each for Kile and Adams-Moisan). Manchester’s two goals in the third made things briefly interesting until Kile’s empty-netter sealed the deal. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS Sunday, Dec. 2nd – MNE: 2, WOR: 3 Ty Ronning opened the scoring late in the first, and after a pair of Railers goals, Ryan Ferrill’s shorthanded breakaway tally gave the Mariners the ECHL lead in shorthanded goals. Tied 2-2 into the third, the week clearly caught up to the Mariners’ legs, who leaned heavily on Halverson, facing 20 shots in the third. The 20th and final one ended up on Tyler Barnes stick alone in front of the Mariners’ netminder, who had no chance, and Maine had to swallow a tough regulation defeat. FULL GAME RECAP Fun Facts -Morgan Adams-Moisan scored the first four goals of his pro career this week, the first coming shorthanded on Wednesday against Reading, and the final two coming in Friday’s road victory in Manchester -The Mariners now lead the ECHL with 8 shorthanded goals and have scored them all since Nov. 7th (11 games) Transactions -D Vince Pedrie was recalled to AHL Hartford -F Terrence Wallin was returned from loan to AHL Hartford -F Ryan Gropp was reassigned to Maine from AHL Hartford by the NY Rangers Coming up Weds, Dec. 5th @ ADK – 7:00 PM (AWAY) Fri, Dec. 7th vs. ADK – 7:15 PM (HOME) Sun, Dec. 9th vs. WOR – 3:00 PM (HOME) The week begins with two big battles against the 2nd place Adirondack Thunder. The Mariners are currently four points behind Adirondack with two games in hand. The two teams have no played since October 26th. Friday night is another 1-2-3 Friday: $1 hot dogs $2 popcorn, and $3 Bud Light Drafts through the start of the 2nd period. Worcester comes to town Sunday afternoon for a 3:00 PM. The Mariners are collecting non-perishable items for Preble Street during the next three home games. (Friday, December 14th in addition to the two listed above)  Mariners Holiday Packs are on sale! There are three options to choose from Blizzard, Flurry, and Snowflake. The deadline to order for holiday shipping is Monday, December 10th. Fans can call the Mariners business office at 833-GO-MAINE to purchase. Read the full article

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KEELEY: HALVERSON STOPS 35 AS MARINERS DROP ROYALS

Mariners start fast and hold off Royals for their third straight win BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners PORTLAND, ME – November 28, 2018 – The Mariners got two goals in the first 8:20 and their netminder did the rest as the Mariners defeated the Reading Royals on Wednesday night at the Cross Insurance Arena, 4-1. It was their third straight win, their fourth consecutive home victory, and it extended their home point streak to seven. Overall, they’ve won 7 of their last 8 games, with a 7-1-0-1 November record. In his first game back returning from being loaned to AHL Utica, Alex Kile opened the scoring at 6:03 after Riley Bourbonnais helped cause a turnover below the goal line. Kile grabbed the puck at the left-wing circle and beat Austin Lotz for a 1-0 Mariners lead. Sean Day also picked up a secondary helper. Just over two minutes later, the Mariners continued their shorthanded binge, when Morgan Adams-Moisan stole a puck at the Reading blue line and ripped home his first professional goal, dragging a shot over Lotz’s glove hand. It was the Mariners’ sixth shorthanded goal of the season – all coming in the past eight games. With just over four minutes left in the period, Brandon Halverson made a spectacular lunging glove save to stop Steven Swavely on the back door. The Mariners led 2-0 at the end of one. With Halverson continuing to shut the door early in the second period, the Mariners were able to extend the lead to 3-0 when Alec Baer tapped home a power play goal from Ryan Ferrill and Riley Bourbonnais. Just as the period was ending, Swavely snuck a shot just inside the short-side post to beat Halverson and make it a 3-1 game at the end of two. Reading pelted Halverson with 15 shots in the third period, but he held strong and Vince Pedrie’s empty net goal from inside the Mariners blue line at 18:35 sealed the 4-1 final. Halverson’s win was his sixth in a row as he turned aside 35 of 36. Lotz stopped 25 of 28 to fall to 0-2-1. The Mariners and Royals are now even in their season series at two wins apiece. The Mariners are home again Friday to host the Worcester Railers at 7:15 PM. It’s “Rivalry Night,” with UNE and USM students competing in intermission activities. It’s also a 1-2-3 Friday: $1 hot dogs $2 popcorn, and $3 Bud Lights through the start of the second period. Tickets can be purchased online at MarinersOfMaine.com or by calling 207-775-3458. Read the full article

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KEELEY: (SAT) TEDDY BEARS FLY IN SECOND, HATS IN THIRD AS MARINERS PULL OFF STUNNING COMEBACK

Ty Ronning puts up five points in the third period of ECHL debut to lead Mariners over Monarchs BY: Mike Keeley, Maine Mariners PORTLAND, ME – November 24, 2018 – Ty Ronning was kept quiet through two periods of play in his ECHL debut. The 2016 draft pick of the Rangers had his chances but was frustrated by Manchester Monarchs goaltender Cole Kehler, who held the Mariners to just one goal on 28 shots through 40 minutes. Manchester had a 4-1 lead at the 3:52 mark of the third, and then Ronning exploded. Three goals and two assists later, the Mariners had pulled off an improbable comeback to defeat the Monarchs 6-4 on Saturday night at the Cross Insurance Arena. It was also Teddy Bear Toss night, with the Mariners collecting stuffed animals for Toys for Tots and local children’s charities. The “Teddy Bear goal” had to wait as Manchester scored the only goal of the opening period. Coming out of the penalty box, Zeb Knutson got loose in front of the Mariners net and took a feed from Nic Pierog, who won a battle against Sean Day. Knutson was all alone and ripped a wrist shot past Brandon Halverson for a 1-0 Manchester lead at 4:21. The period was filled with penalties at six minutes per side, and the Mariners allowed a single-period season-high 19 shots. Returning from a lower-body injury, Riley Bourbonnais sent the stuffed animals sailing at 10:54 of the second period when he tied the game at one with a shot off the rush. Alec Baer jumped up to create a 2-on-1 and Bourbonnais beat Kehler low glove side. Zach Tolkinen and Day assisted. After the teddy bear cleanup, Manchester quickly regained the lead when David Kolomatis beat Halverson with a shot through traffic from above the right-wing circle at 13:13. Knutson scored his second of the night at 17:56 to give the Monarchs at 3-1 lead after two. At 3:52 of the third, Halverson misplayed the puck behind the Mariners net and couldn’t scramble back into position before Michael Doherty pushed it just over the goal line. The comeback effort began at 6:39 when Michael McNicholas finished a Ronning pass with a top-shelf shot from a tough angle at the bottom of the right-wing circle. Less than 90 seconds later, Ronning deflected a Brycen Martin shot to bring the deficit back to one goal. Baer took a hooking penalty near the tail end of a Mariners power play at the 10:41 mark, but Ronning got two shorthanded chances and buried the second to even the game at four. His first time up ice, he deked Kehler wide and rang the crossbar, but moments later he broke back and powered a wrist shot through. It was the first shorthanded goal allowed by Manchester and the Mariners’ fifth in the last seven games. At 15:48, Ronning’s secondary assist on Vince Pedrie’s shot from the point just inside the post, gave him his fourth point of the period. McNicholas, who fed Pedrie (also making his Mariners debut) for the primary assist, also finished with three points for the second game in a row. With the Manchester net empty at 19:44, Ronning took a pass from Pedrie and walked in to finish his hat trick. It was the first five-point game in Mariners history and also marked the second consecutive home game with a Maine hat trick (Shawn St-Amant vs. Orlando on 11/14). Halverson made 40 saves to earn his fifth win. The Mariners have collected points in six consecutive home games (5-0-0-1) and have won six of their last seven games overall. They also improved to 6-1-0-1 in the month of November. Maine remains home to host the Reading Royals on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com or by calling the Trusted Choice Box Office at 207-775-3458. Read the full article

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KEELEY: MARINERS HOST TEDDY BEAR TOSS SATURDAY

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners PORTLAND, ME - Nov. 19, 2018 – Although they play just one game this week, Saturday night is set to be one of the most exciting nights of the season at the Cross Insurance Arena as the Mariners take their first crack at a holiday hockey tradition when they host Manchester at 6:00 PM. Teddy Bear Toss – which has become a staple for minor league hockey teams across the World, encourages fans to bring stuffed animal donations to toss onto the ice after the Mariners scored their first goal. Donations will be split between Toys For Tots and local children’s charities. The first 2,000 fans through the gate will also receive a Mariners' winter hat beanie. The week that was Weds, Nov. 14th – ORL: 3, MNE: 6 The Mariners had their most prosperous offensive game of the season, as they scored a season-high six goals and registered 42 shots, also a high-mark. Shawn St-Amant led the way with the first hat trick in franchise history. Dawson Leedahl, who would be recalled to AHL Hartford after the game, and Terrence Wallin also had two points each. Dwyer Tschantz and Brycen Martin also scored, as the Mariners won their fourth game in a row. FULL GAME RECAP  Fri, Nov. 16th – MNE: 0, BRM: 3 Making their first trip North of the border, the Mariners were flat on Friday night in Brampton, Ontario. They surrendered 46 shots and despite Chris Nell’s best efforts in between the pipes, couldn’t muster a goal on any of their 23. Beast goaltender Etienne Marcoux made some big saves on the way to his first professional shutout. The Mariners had two shorthanded breakaways in the game, foreshadowing for Saturday. FULL GAME RECAP Sat. Nov. 17th – MNE: 3, BRM: 2 Drew Melanson scored twice, including the shorthanded game-winner in the seventh minute of the third period. Michael McNicholas was involved in all three goals, scoring one and helping set up the other two. The game tilted back and forth with each team holding a one-goal lead at a time, and the game entered the third period tied at two. Brandon Halverson made 28 saves to win his fourth start in a row. The Mariners improved to 5-1-0-1 in November. FULL GAME RECAP Transactions -F Dawson Leedahl was reassigned to AHL Hartford by the New York Rangers. -The Mariners signed F Alec Baer, who was released by the Rapid City Rush on Monday Coming up Sat, Nov. 24th vs. MAN – 6:00 PM WATCH: A video clip on the tradition that is the Teddy Bear Toss: HERE Mariners Holiday Packs are now on sale! There are three options to choose from Blizzard, Flurry, and Snowflake. Early bird pricing is available through November 26th. Fans can call the Mariners business office at 833-GO-MAINE to purchase. Read the full article

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KEELEY: MARINERS SIGN ALEC BAER

Former WHL superstar signs in Maine BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners PORTLAND, ME – November 17, 2018 – The Mariners announced the signing of forward Alec Baer on Friday. Baer is a 21-year-old forward from St. Louis Park, Minnesota, who was released from the Rapid City Rush earlier this week. Baer (5’10, 174 pounds), led the WHL’s Kootenay Ice in scoring last season with 61 points (30 goals, 31 assists) in 72 games. He joined the Rush after the junior season ended, and made an immediate impact, with six points in eight games. He had a goal and two assists in seven games for Rapid City this season prior to his release. Baer also played for the Vancouver Giants (2013-17) and Lethbridge Hurricanes (2016-17) in his WHL career. While his final season in Kootenay was his most productive, he had a 28 point season in 2014-15 following by 39 the following year – both with Vancouver. The Mariners recently lost Dawson Leedahl to an AHL call-up to Hartford. Alex Kile remains on loan to the Utica Comets, and with Riley Bourbonnais and Jason Salvaggio currently injured, Baer will provide much needed forward depth. After finishing their Canada trip at 4:00 PM this afternoon in Brampton, the Mariners return home on Saturday, November 24th to host the Manchester Monarchs at 6:00 PM. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night and the first 2,000 fans through the gate will receive a Mariners' winter beanie. Tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com or by calling 207-775-3458. Read the full article