It was the best regular season ever for the Yarmouth Mariners.
They finished it off with a back-and-forth 7-5 win over the Pictou County Crushers Saturday night in front of a season-high 1,345 fans at Mariners Centre.
Nathan Kelly scored twice and had an assist, Franco Canevari had three assists.
The Mariners won 41 out of 52 games this season, and set a team record with a win percentage of .808.
Their 41 wins ranks second in team history, as the 2007/08 Mariners put up 42, but that was over a 58 game schedule.
Head Coach and GM Laurie Barron says he’s proud of his group.
“We didn’t get off to the best start this season, at one point we were 4-4. This team just reeled it in, they are an exceptional group of young men. Very proud of what they’ve accomplished, but now the real season starts,” said Barron.
The Mariners open their best-of-seven first round series against the Crushers on Friday night at home.
Barron says you can’t trade chances with them.
“You have to avoid the ‘run-and-gun’ offense, and play good, structured defense. They tend to take some penalties, and if they do we have to make them pay. Our penalty-kill was number one in the league this season, but tonight (Saturday) it was so-so. We’ll work on that in practice this week, and we’re excited for Friday night.”
It will be the first playoff meeting between the teams since the 2010/11 season, when the Crushers defeated Yarmouth in the division final.
Before Saturday’s game, the Mariners’ seven 20 year old players were honoured.
Co-captains Kieran Burke and Ben Roode, along with defender Tamy Ettaqi, Lower Wedgeport’s Ryan Semple, Newfoundland’s Reilly Mayne and Andrew Stuckless and new addition Nathan Kelly all received a gift from Barron and assistant coach John Murphy.
First Round Schedule Released:
Eastlink South Semi-Final: (1) Yarmouth Mariners vs (4) Pictou County Weeks Crushers
Game 1 – Friday, March 17th, 7 p.m. – Mariners Centre
Game 2 – Sunday, March 19th, 7 p.m. – Pictou County Wellness Centre
Game 3 – Tuesday, March 21st, 7 p.m. – Mariners Centre
Game 4 – Thursday, March 23rd, 7 p.m. – Pictou County Wellness Centre
Game 5 – Sunday, March 26th, 7 p.m. – Mariners Centre
Game 6 – Monday, March 27th, 7 p.m. – Pictou County Wellness Centre
Game 7 – Wednesday, March 29th, 7 p.m. – Mariners Centre
