ECHL Season Review : Maine Mariners

Let’s recap the 2022-23 season for the Maine Mariners, who finished third in the North Divison with a record of 42-27-2-1.

A more than respectable season

The Mariners had high hopes for their 5th season in the ECHL. It was also Terrence Wallin’s first season as head coach. During this first post-Covid season, the Mariners had to call on 44 players, including seven goalkeepers and fifteen recruits. The Bruins farm club got off to a good start with a record of four wins in six games for October. In November, things went wrong for Maine, collecting only two wins in ten games.

The rest of the season was much better for Wallin’s squad, with respectable winning streaks allowing them to finish third in the North Division. This good position allowed them to face the Reading Royals in the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs. This first round was a real trench warfare in which the Mariners had to admit defeat in six games. They will still be able to come out of this season with their heads held high.

Big individual stats and a wall in front of the net

This Maine season was marked by the offense and the performance of the goaltending duo, Michael DiPietro and François Brassard. The latter obtained very good statistics accumulating 17 wins in 33 starts with a goals-against average of 2.73 and an efficiency percentage of 90.3%. For DiPietro, it was even better, with 19 wins in 29 starts maintaining a 2.61 GAA and 91.8% save percentage.

Now for the forwards, Tim Doherty made it rain or shine with an impressive 21 goals and 52 assists for a grand total of 73 points finishing just outside the top 10 in league scoring. Despite a low total of games played with the Mariners, i.e., 47, Mitch Fossier put up 57 points. Patrick Shea followed him with 54 points in 62 games. In total, the Mariners had eight players over 40 points.

The best offensive defenseman goes to the rookie Gabriel Chicoine, who managed to put 34 points on the board in 63 games. Fedor Gordeev was pretty close, with a total of 33 points in the same number of games.

Interview with Alex-Olivier Voyer

Maine has had a good season despite a new coaching staff behind the bench. Alex-Olivier believed in Maine’s chances of going further in the playoffs. They had a very good attack capable of scoring goals and two excellent goalkeepers. Unfortunately, the Reading Royals eliminated the Mariners in the first round. Despite everything, the organization is stable and on the right track, as it says.

On a more personal level, obviously, a bit of disappointed in his case being signed with the Providence Bruins but having only played seven games with the club. With the season he had in the ECHL, putting up 43 points, including 23 goals in 48 games, he thought he left a good calling card to receive a call for a longer presence in the AHL, which did not happen.

For the rest of his career, Alex-Olivier has decided to test the free agent market. He was in his last year of contract with the Providence Bruins. With the outbreak he has had this season, he wishes he had made a good impression with the various organizations and could get a real chance in the AHL.