The Maine Mariners and Wheeling Nailers met for the second time on Oct. 19 to wrap up a two-game weekend series to begin the season. Wheeling took game one of the weekend by a 4-1 final. Looking for a bounce-back win, Maine came out hungry and skated away with a 4-1 win of their own.
Ryan Bischel picked up the first win of the season between the pipes for the Mariners as he stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced.
On the other side, Jaxon Castor was between the pipes for the second straight game. He moved to 1-1-0 on the season as he stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced in the loss.
First Star – Jacob Hudson (1g, 2a)
Second Star – Evan Vierling (1g, 2a)
Third Star – Bischel (25 saves)
Just like last night, the game kicked off with a fight as Matthew Quercia dropped the gloves once again, but this time, it was with Wyllum Deveaux. Just 30 seconds later, Maine received its first powerplay of the game as David Drake was sent off for Interference. Maine struggled to get anything going on the man advantage, and that struggle continued through its first powerplay to begin the game. At 11:22, Bischel came up with two big saves on Jared Westcott to keep the game scoreless. Westcott carried the puck from behind the net to out front and riffled a low shot. The shot rebounded off the pad of Bischel and went right back to Westcott who took another shot that was gloved down by Bischel.
Castor faced his first real test of the contest as a shot right from the slot by Owen Pederson was gloved down by the netminder. With 7:33 to go, Castor came up with two more huge saves to keep the game scoreless. A shot pass from Michael Underwood ramped off the skate of Patrick Guay, who was driving the net. The puck sat right out in front of the crease where Carter Johnson found it. He threw a shot on net and ended up behind the net. He quickly gathered the puck and threw it on net, but somehow the puck stuck to the back of the leg of Castor as he was able to get his glove on it and freeze it for a faceoff. With just 2:13 to go in the first period, the Mariners struck first. Vierling drove the Wheeling’s zone with the puck and dished a pass over to Hudson. Hudson got a shot off that bounced off the post, off the back of Castor’s leg, and crossed the line just enough for the goal to count.
It ended up counting btw https://t.co/vlhI5NTeTQ pic.twitter.com/JoCXOOo3qz
— Maine Mariners (@MarinersOfMaine) October 19, 2024
Maine took a 1-0 lead into the locker room as it outshot Wheeling 11-10. Maine had the only powerplay chance but could not capitalize on it.
Down by one, the Nailers came out flying, and it paid off. Just 2:50 into the middle frame, Sam Houde knotted the game at one. A shot originally taken by Houde wound up behind the net. Westcott was there to pick the puck up, circle the net, and feed a pass to Houde, who riffled a shot over the blocker side of Bischel.
HOUDE DO YOU DO?!
— Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) October 19, 2024
Sam Houde gets us on the board and ties things up at 1-1 early in the 2nd! #ForgeTheFuture pic.twitter.com/GJDtfc3Yze
Off an icing by the Nailers, the faceoff came all the way back into their own zone, and Maine was able to take advantage of the tired skaters on the ice at 9:48. Johnson was able to win the faceoff back to Justin Bean. Bean put a shot towards the net but was blocked by a Wheeling defender to end up in the corner. Deveaux followed the puck into the corner, picked it up, wheeled all the way to the top of the circles, and riffled a shot over the shoulder of Castor, who had bodies in front of him. On a shorthanded chance, Quercia was able to strip Mason Millman of the puck on the blue line and skate all the way down the ice on a breakaway. He tried going over the glove of Bischel, but Bischel was able to make the save. Unlike in the last meeting, Maine was able to take advantage of their powerplay chance with just five seconds left on it as they took a 3-1 lead at 13:22. A stretch pass from Millman to Vierling that was tapped over to Hudson allowed the Mariners to enter the zone easily. Hudson found Millman trailing the play and dropped off a pass to him. Millman drove the zone further and put a hard shot on net that beat Castor to the blocker side.
The remainder of the period saw both teams get some chances but no change to the score as the Mariners took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. They held a 16-12 shot advantage for the period and a 27-22 advantage for the game. They went 1 for 1 on the powerplay, while Wheeling had yet to go on the man advantage through two periods of play.
Early in the second period, Wheeling came out strong by putting two shots on quickly. Bischel was up for the challenge as he turned away both shots to keep his team’s lead. At 2:27, Maine had a good 2-on-1 chance, but Castor came up with a big glove save on Sebastian Vidmar as he tried going up high on the netminder. Already down a man as Westcott was sent off for Slashing at 4:13, Wheeling took another penalty as Atley Calvert was sent off for Tripping at 5:17. Looking to extend their lead, the Mariners did a solid job of getting movement going and the Nailers scrambling in their own zone. Despite the great work, Wheeling survived as Maine was unable to convert on their 5-on-3 opportunity.
Wheeling had a few chances to get back to within one, but the Mariners played tremendous defense, which eventually led to the Mariners extending their lead on a Vierling empty-net goal. Maine held on to come away with a 4-1 win to split the weekend series.
The shot total for both teams in the third were low as Maine held a 6-4 shot advantage. Wheeling went 0 for one on their only powerplay for the game, while Maine went 1-for-4.
Maine will welcome the Norfolk Admirals to Cross Insurance Arena for a two-game set on Oct. 25 (7:15 p.m.) and 26 (6 p.m.) as they continue their seven-game home stand to begin the season.
Wheeling will make the trek to Reading, PA as they will take on the Reading Royals on Oct. 26 (7 p.m.) and 27 (3 p.m.) for games three and four of their five-game road trip before returning for their home opener on Nov. 2.
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The longtime former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is in a serious contract dispute with his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. Nobody appears happy to stay with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Most of the talented players on the team were included in trade or free agency rumors, and now, Timmins doesn't appear too excited to sign with the team. Indeed, the Restricted Free Agent, who was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Sabres earlier this offseason for Connor Clifton and a second-round pick, isn't close to reaching a deal in Buffalo. With arbitration hearings set to take place over the coming days, Timmins and the Sabres are likely to meet for that reason soon. Unless a deal is reached before then, the hearing will take place on August 2nd. The Ontario native is coming off a rocky season, where he played 51 games for the Leafs and 17 more in Pittsburgh after being traded. In those 68 games, the 26-year-old defenseman tallied 15 points, including three goals. After seeing three players around the NHL reach deals before their hearing date, some fans hoped to see the Sabres and Timmins sign a contract soon, but multiple reports confirmed that there hasn't been any 'traction' between both camps. As of now, five more players are scheduled to have salary hearings. Here's the full list, per PuckPedia: Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks) - July 28 Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders) - July 29 Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets) - July 30 Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres) - August 2 Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs) - August 3 Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens) - August 3 It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract Timmins would get in a hearing, or if a deal will be reached before the date. With the Sabres' reputation, it's not surprising to see that he appears reluctant to sign in Buffalo. Hopefully for their fans, massive changes will be done to the team to make sure they can attract top talent and convince them to stay with the team.
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
There are a lot of things that have to be sorted out during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 training camp. Part of that includes the WR room and what exactly the team has via rookie quarterback Will Howard. Through the first weekend, we have some surprising developments on both fronts... Roman Wilson is taking lots of outside reps When the Steelers are in 11 personnel (one back and one tight end on the field) their three WRs have been relatively predictable: DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. And on the first day, that was the order with Metcalf and Austin on the outside and Wilson in the slot. But the Steelers spent a good portion of the weekend playing Wilson outside and moving Austin inside. To this point, Robert Woods hasn't been much of a factor at all, and while Wilson is playing a lot outside, Calvin Austin III has been the one making plays from wherever he aligns. Now we obviously can't draw any firm conclusions from four days of unpadded practice, but it's clear that the Steelers are giving Roman Wilson every opportunity to prove he's the team's #2 WR, even if Calvin Austin III is the one who holds the title. Will Howard already making waves? After starting practice in Latrobe as the third team quarterback, Howard worked his way into first team reps with the Steelers in 7v7 on Sunday. He received one of the biggest pops from the crowd of anyone on Saturday, and what few reps he's been afforded, he has run with them. I fully expected Will Howard to surpass Skylar Thompson on the depth chart by the end of camp, but to see him making such a big jump after just days of practice is very encouraging for the rookie. Preseason will be huge for Howard.
Since winning the World Series in 2019, the Washington Nationals have been one of the laughing stocks of MLB. The franchise has failed to make the postseason in each of the last five seasons, and at 41-61, that trend doesn't appear to be ending this year. The Nats are considered sellers with the July 31 trade deadline quickly approaching, and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore is their most coveted asset. The fourth-year starter was a key return in the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres in 2022. After two productive seasons that saw him steadily improve, Gore earned his first All-Star nod in 2025. With the Nationals heading nowhere again, though, it seems as though the franchise may capitalize on the 26-year-old's career-best trade value. He has a 3.52 ERA and 144 strikeouts across 117.2 innings in 21 starts. Gore has two more years of arbitration before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2028, so it won't be easy for rival teams to coax the talented lefty out of Washington. But with so many playoff hopefuls struggling with injuries in their rotations, one franchise is bound to pay up. Detroit Tigers After blazing through the first half of the season, the Detroit Tigers have struggled to just one win in their last 12 contests. While the team's ice-cold offense certainly hasn't helped, Detroit's rotation behind Tarik Skubal has left plenty to be desired. The Tigers boast one of baseball's premier farm systems, but with championship aspirations looming, it may be time to cash in on some of their most sought-after prospects. Gore would immediately bolster the Tigers' title hopes while giving them a legitimate second star in their rotation behind the AL Cy Young favorite. Boston Red Sox Another American League team with playoff aspirations, the Boston Red Sox didn't tear through the first half of the regular season in the same manner Detroit did. However, the team found new life after dealing Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants and is in the thick of the AL wild-card race. Pitching has been a strength for the Red Sox this season, but they, too, could use another All-Star arm behind their ace. Garrett Crochet has been a dominant force, while Brayan Bello has experienced a bit of a breakout in recent weeks. With the back end of their rotation struggling to find any semblance of consistency, Gore would be a sensible addition for the Sox. Chicago Cubs A championship contender with a lineup that strikes fear into their opponents every night, the Chicago Cubs' Achilles' heel could be their starting pitching. If they fail to mend the issue, that is. Matthew Boyd has been an unforeseen redemption story with the Cubs. Shota Imanaga has also held his own in his second full season, consistently pitching deep into games. However, the rest of the team's rotation is riddled with injury and inexperience. Cade Horton and Colin Rea are solid back-end starters, but neither inspires confidence for a potential playoff series. Gore has the potential to be a magnificent fit with Chicago and would create a formidable starting trio with Boyd and Imanaga. If there's one National League team to keep an eye on in trade talks for Gore, it's the Cubs.