Once in a Lifetime... Twice

Published by Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners Media Relations and Broadcast Manager

November 24th, 2018. The Maine Mariners return from their Thanksgiving break and host the Manchester Monarchs on a Friday night at the Cross Insurance Arena. It's a packed house for Teddy Bear Toss night. After a period-and-a-half of waiting for anxious teddy bear throwers, the fur flies at 10:54 of the 2nd period on the goal that ties the game at one. Manchester scores two before the end of the period, and another at 3:52 of the third. It looks the stuffed animal shower is going to be the only highlight of the night. Making his ECHL debut on this night is forward Ty Ronning. The highly-touted draft pick of the New York Rangers hadn't been able to put it all together at the AHL level. The Monarchs keep him quiet through two periods. Most Mariners fans know the rest of the story.

Ty Ronning burst onto the ECHL scene with a five point third period in his Mariners debut on Nov. 24, 2018. He was recently recalled to AHL Hartford

Over the final 13:21 of regulation, Ronning registers three goals and two assists, leading Maine to a miracle comeback and a 6-4 victory. The game serves as a benchmark for the Mariners successful months of November and December, a two-month span in which they go 16-8-0-1. To pull off a three goal comeback with less than 14 minutes left in a game takes a full team commitment, execution of clutch plays, a few mistakes by the opposition and of course, a lot of puck luck. You almost never see it happen in the NHL. At any level of professional hockey, most teams with a three goal lead in the third (or any lead), find a way to get the win. Pulling off such a comeback is one of those once-in-a-lifetime achievements. But what if it happened twice... in one season?

The Mariners and Railers played for the 10th time of 14 total meetings on Weds, Feb. 13

It's now February 13th, 2019. The Mariners are in some what of a tough spot as they get set to host their other main geographic rival, the Worcester Railers. They had gone 4-12-0 since the calendar turned and hadn't won back-to-back games at all in 2019. They were recently blown out of their own building on consecutive nights over the weekend, but did rebound for a Sunday afternoon win over Wheeling. Still, they are at a fulcrum point for their homestand. The five game docket sits at two wins and two losses. This game has the potential to define the homestand and set the tone for the upcoming five game road trip. Simply put, it's a big game.

Fresh off signing a two-way AHL deal, Connor LaCouvee was coming off a weekend in which he allowed 12 goals in three games, but did get a win on Sunday to restore some confidence

The first period features abundant offense for both teams and the Mariners take a 1-0 lead when Jason Salvaggio powers a wrist shot through Railers goaltender Mitch Gillum 7:25 into the game. The Railers get even when Barry Almeida capitalizes on Connor LaCouvee's miscue behind the Mariners net and then Worcester scores the only two goals of the second period to take a 3-1 lead. When Tyler Barnes puts them up 4-1 at 1:03 of the third, I (up in the broadcast booth), can't help but feel just a touch of deja vu.

The Railers built a 4-1 third period lead, which seemed insurmountable with the success of their defense and goaltending for most of the season

Here's the thing: Ty Ronning is gone, recalled to the AHL just a day prior. Other names that were in the lineup on November 24th included Scott Savage, Vince Pedrie, Morgan Adams-Moisan, Zach Tolkinen, Sean Day, and Brandon Halverson. All since called up or loaned. There is no question about it: this Mariners lineup is thin by comparison. Based on that list above, it's clear that the blue line has taken the biggest hit in the depletion of the roster. From opening night, only John Furgele, Garrett Cecere, Brycen Martin, and Derek Pratt remain. And Pratt was a healthy scratch that night. Can this group pull off another miraculous comeback with the current roster? It seemed unlikely.

With Brandon Halverson possibly in the AHL to stay, the Mariners will lean heavily on LaCouvee

One of the more interesting stories on this cold and snowy February evening is the Mariners debut of defenseman Josh Couturier. Josh had just played in Sunday's game at the Cross Insurance Arena - except he was wearing a Wheeling Nailers sweater. Down to six defensemen on the roster, Riley Armstrong made a deal with his former team two days later to acquire the Massachusetts native and former Boston College Eagle. Couturier just beat the worst of Tuesday night's Nor'Easter to make it back to Portland in time to dress on Wednesday. At 7:33 of the third period, just when all had seemed lost, a 3-on-1 break opens up, seemingly out of nowhere. Couturier is the man carrying the puck. He holds onto it just long enough and finally releases a wrist shot past Gillum for a goal in his Maine debut. It's now a 4-2 Worcester lead.

Even though he's an offensive defenseman, it's not likely that Couturier is going to pull a Ty Ronning here so this game would probably need more heroes if the Mariners were going to turn it around. The next man up is Wade Murphy. The Mariners acquired Murphy on January 8th (while they were in Canada) from Kalamazoo, completing a trade from earlier in the season. He scored in his second game in Maine blue-and-green on January 13th, but that was ten games ago (for Murphy, who had also been a scratch on occasion). Murphy likely had extra fire in him playing for the Railers formerly, a team with whom he began the 2017-18 season, and even scored the first goal in Worcester ECHL history on October 14th, 2017 vs. Manchester. Back to present time, around the 12:00 mark of the third, Murphy carries the puck down the right wing and generates three quality scoring chances for the Mariners, before the puck pops out just beyond the crease and Murphy backhands it right under the crossbar. With 7:43 left in the third, it's now a one-goal deficit. There's no way they're going to do this again. Is there?

On the very next shift, LaCouvee is forced to make a big save and Dillan Fox darts back up ice with the puck. Working around a Worcester defender, Fox spots Michael McNicholas driving up the other side and feeds him a cross-ice pass that somehow eludes the net. That close, but still a one goal Railer lead as the third period enters the late stages.

Riley Armstrong has erred all season on the side of pulling the goaltender sooner rather than later. So as the game crosses under three minutes remaining, I have one eye on Connor LaCouvee - who by the way, made several key saves to hold the Railers at four goals as the Mariners attempted to climb out of their hole. With LaCouvee still in the net and exactly two minutes on the clock, Derek Pratt throws a prayer toward the goal from the right-wing corner, below the goal line. Riley would later make a good point during the following game's pre-game interview - Pratt so seldom ventures down that deep in the zone ever. He might change his tune though, because the prayer is answered and the puck banks off Gillum's equipment and into the back of the net. 4-4.

Every point oh so precious in a cut-throat North Division, both teams cautiously proceed into overtime where they battle for the bonus point. OT has become a rather comfortable place for the Mariners, who after losing their first extra-time battle (a shootout loss to Reading at home on November 2nd), had gone undefeated in five subsequent games - three shootouts and two 3-on-3 winners. The Railers had a two point edge in the standings entering the game so it was a crucial extra point up for grabs. After LaCouvee survives an early flurry, defenseman Brycen Martin charges down the left wing and places a perfect shot past the short-side shoulder of Gillum to end the game. It's the second time the Mariners have won an OT game this season on just one shot.

An elated group of Mariners celebrate near center ice, achieving a winning homestand, their first back-to-back victories of 2019, and by the far the biggest character win of the season. It was a game that featured multiple unlikely heroes - three goals by defensemen, two of whom had only one all season before the game. The closest thing to a "Ty Ronning performance," was Salvaggio, who finished with a goal and two assists, and was on the ice for the tying goal as well. This version of the miracle comeback had more of a team feel. Considering the time of season and the circumstances surrounding it, it just seems to mean more. It was one of those games that at the end of the season, you (hopefully) look back and say: "that was the one that turned it all around." It was a once-in-a-lifetime comeback story. For the second time.

After following Wednesday's win with another dramatic OT victory, the Mariners are now an impressive 7-0-0-1 in games that have gone past regulation

WATCH: Full highlights from the game...