ECHL Game Recap: Maine Mariners vs Adirondack Thunder | 03/15/2025

The Adirondack Thunder and Maine Mariners met on Saturday night for the second of two games on the weekend, as it was Kids Day in Adirondack. It’s only fitting that Kaleb Ergang, the newest member of the Thunder, got the party started, scoring just 58 seconds after the opening faceoff to get the crowd going. Coming into tonight, the Mariners had at least one PP goal in each of their last three games, and that streak would be extended as Lyden McCallum fired a shot from the circle that would beat Tyler Brennan for his team leading 21st of the season. For the third straight game, Adirondack would outshoot their opponent in the opening 20 minutes of play as they outshot Maine 11-8 in the opening 20 on Saturday Night.

“The New Guy. Super happy for him, it’s not easy to drive 12 hours and not practice with the team and score the first and last goals in your first pro game, I don’t know if he set the record but it’s gotta be pretty close for the first pro goal in Adirondack History”

Head Coach Pete MacArthur on the play of Kaleb Ergang in his pro debut

Adirondack would regain their lead early in the second as Kishaun Gervais cleaned up a Darian Skeoch shot from the point for his eighth of the season just 2:46 into the middle frame. The Mariners would have a golden chance to tie the game halfway through the second as Christian Sarlo would take a shot that beat Brennan but wouldn’t go past the goal line as the game would stay knotted up at one. Adirondack would get their chance to tie up the game with a PP late in the period but couldn’t take advantage. Maine would use the momentum from the penalty kill to their advantage as Jacob Hudson would go top-shelf to tie the game up with 1:01 left in the period. Hudson has now found the back of the net in three straight games for the Mariners and 11 goals on the season. Tristan Thompson would add another two assists as he had four assists in two games against his former team.

In the third, it would be some sloppy play by the Thunder early in the period as a turnover by Adirondack would leave Chase Zieky all alone in the slot as he put home his fourth goal of the season and first since January 18th to give Maine a 3-2 lead just 21 seconds into the third period. The Mariners would double their lead at the 8:15 mark as Lynden McCallum would fire a shot from the point that caught Brennan sleeping for his 22nd of the season and 13th as a member of the Mariners. It looked glimmer for the Thunder as they would go from taking two out of three vs Wheeling to getting swept by the Mariners at home. Isaiah Fox made it a one-goal game at the 11:57 mark on a nice wraparound goal for his second of the season, as he had points in each of the two games on the weekend. Adirondack would find a way to tie it as Ryan Wheeler found Josh Filmon in front for his 17th of the season, and after giving up two goals in the first half of the third, Adirondack would respond with two of their own in 3:10 and would force the game into OT. It would be all Thunder in the OT frame as they controlled momentum throughout, and two minutes into the extra frame, T.J. Friedmann would find Ergang in front as he beat Nolan Maier for his second goal of the game and a storybook ending to his pro debut.

“Ya, it’s very special. I know I was little worried coming into the game, wasn’t skating a whole lot coming into the week but I just found a way and my linemates kinda took the wheel and I just hopped on their shoulders. It was nice to get that first one and especially that get that last one, especially in front of these fans”

The Thunder will be on the road next week. On Friday, they will play the Trois-Rivieres Lions, who recently clinched their spot in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, before heading to Maine for two games on Saturday and Sunday.