Maine Mariners (ECHL)

     MascotBeacon the PuffinOwner(s)Comcast SpectacorGeneral managerTerrence WallinHead coachTerrence WallinCaptainConnor DohertyAffiliatesBoston Bruins (NHL)
Providence Bruins (AHL)Websitewww.marinersofmaine.comFranchise history1989–2003Anchorage Aces2003–2017Alaska Aces2018–presentMaine MarinersChampionshipsRegular season titles0Division titles0Conference titles0Kelly Cups0Current uniform Current season

The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018–19 season. Based in Portland, Maine, the team plays their home games at Cross Insurance Arena. The team participate in the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The team replaced the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates after the franchise became the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016.

History

On May 23, 2016, the Portland Pirates' franchise was sold and relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts,^[1][2] and became the Springfield Thunderbirds.^[3] A team of investors headed by former Pirates executives W. Godfrey Wood and Brad Church—the latter a former Portland player as well—announced their intentions to put an ECHL team in Portland to fill the void, joining as early as 2017.^[4] However, progress to attain a franchise by the Portland group stalled^[5] until four groups, none of which involved Wood, submitted their own proposals at the end of February 2017.^[6] By March 8, the arena owners had narrowed their choices to the proposals submitted by Spectra and National Sports Services, with both groups having been involved with managing ECHL teams in their past.^[7]

In June 2017, Comcast Spectacor, Spectra's parent company and the operators of the Cross Insurance Arena and the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers – the founders and NHL affiliate for years of the original Maine Mariners AHL franchise in Portland – purchased the franchise rights of the recently dormant Alaska Aces of the ECHL. The league approved of the sale and relocation of the franchise to Portland on June 15.^[8] Philadelphia Flyers president Paul Holmgren will serve as the team's governor with former player Danny Briere overseeing the day-to-day operations.^[9] In August 2017, the team announced their five finalists for a team name: the Mariners, Watchmen, Lumberjacks, Puffins, and Wild Blueberries.^[10] The name was announced as the Mariners on September 29.^[11] On November 29, the Mariners' logo and color scheme were revealed.^[12] On February 17, 2018, the Mariners hired Riley Armstrong as head coach and Keith Rosenberg as on-ice assistant coach. On April 9, 2018, the Mariners announced they would be affiliated with the NHL's New York Rangers.^[13]

The new Mariners played their first game on October 13, 2018, a 6–3 loss to the Adirondack Thunder. Their inaugural game was at home with a reported attendance of 5,291.^[14]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mariners voluntarily suspended operations for the 2020–21 ECHL season.^[15] On June 30, 2021, the Mariners entered an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Boston Bruins and their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, beginning with the 2021–22 season. The Bruins were the affiliate of the original AHL Mariners from 1987 to 1992 when they relocated the Mariners' franchise to Providence.^[16] In August 2021, head coach Armstrong was hired by the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL^[17][18] and was replaced by the University of Maine men's hockey assistant coach and former NHL player Ben Guite.^[19]

On April 16, 2022, the Mariners clinched their first-ever playoff berth thanks to the Worcester Railers dropping their game to the Trois-Rivières Lions in OT and the Mariners beating the Newfoundland Growlers, clinching the final (4th) playoff spot in the North Division. ^[20]

In their first playoff series in team history, the Mariners lost to the Reading Royals, losing the series 4-2.^[21] The Maine Mariners were able to clinch a playoff spot again in the 2022-23 ECHL season, getting the #3 seed in the division.^[22] They again played the Reading Royals in the first round and lost the series 4-2.^[23]

Season-by-season records

Regular season										Playoffs
Season	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA	Standing	Year	1st round	2nd round	3rd round	Kelly Cup
2018–19	72	37	32	2	1	77	221	247	6th, North	2019	did not qualify
2019–20	62	32	26	3	1	68	182	186	4th, North	2020	Season cancelled
2020–21	Opted out of participating due to the COVID-19 pandemic									2021	did not participate
2021–22	72	33	31	5	3	74	230	236	4th, North	2022	L, 2–4, REA[24]	—	—	—
2022–23	72	42	27	2	1	87	267	210	3rd, North	2023	L, 2–4, REA[25]	—	—	—
2023–24	72	32	32	8	0	87	250	260	4th, North	2024	L, 3–4, ADR	—	—	—

Players

Current roster

Team roster

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace	Contract
1		Brad Arvanitis	G	R	26	2023	Holliston, Massachusetts	Mariners
19		Cameron Askew (A)	RW	R	27	2021	Boston, Massachusetts	Mariners
3		Gabriel Chicoine	D	L	27	2022	Saint-Dominique, Quebec	Mariners
4		Wyllum Deveaux	LW	L	23	2023	Sackville, Nova Scotia	Mariners
28		Connor Doherty (C)	D	L	31	2021	Holden, Massachusetts	Mariners
42		Tyler Drevitch	C	L	28	2023	Middleborough, Massachusetts	Mariners
25		Gabe Guertler	C	L	29	2023	Plantation, Florida	Mariners
9		Brooklyn Kalmikov	LW	L	23	2023	St. John's, Newfoundland	Mariners
2		Andrew Peski (A)	D	R	27	2021	Orleans, Ontario	Mariners
5		Alex Sheehy	D	R	26	2023	North Salem, New York	Mariners
29		Chase Zieky	RW	R	28	2023	Avon, Connecticut	Mariners

References

External links

• Official website