CASTINE, Maine – In a second half comeback the Mariners took a 17-12 victory over the fourth seed SUNY Delhi Broncos in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) semifinal matchup. The Mariners will take on the third seed SUNY Poly Wildcats tomorrow at 2:00pm on Ritchie Field for the NAC Championship.
 
In the slow paced first half, the Broncos were the first to break the ice with a goal a minute and a half into the match. Jacob Hintermaier answered for the Mariners, before the Broncos scored two more goals to take an early 3-1 lead in the first quarter. The second was filled with back-and-forth action, with all three of the Mariners goals quickly answered by the Broncos. SUNY Delhi ended the quarter with three consecutive goals to take a commanding 8-4 lead going into the half.
 
After talking it over at the half, the Mariners came out on fire in the second half, scoring the first five goals of the quarter. Alex Stevens started the comeback after three minutes of scoreless action, followed by a goal from Brendan Reddington five minutes later. Jayden Wilson and Sam Nichol each added a goal and Wilson capped off the Mariners run with a goal from Hintermaier to take a 9-8 lead. SUNY Delhi snuck one in at the last second to knot the match at 9-all. Nichol started the fourth quarter with a man-down goal to get the squad going again. The Broncos answered with a goal of their own before the Mariners went on a six-goal run sparked by a man-up goal from Wilson. The Broncos added two more goals to their total but it was too little too late and the Mariners won in a 17-12 victory.
 
Delhi outshot the Mariners 53-45 and held a 38-33 advantage in ground balls. The Broncos also won 19 out of the 31 faceoffs in the match. Bryce Crowell won 12 for the Mariners, most coming in the second half.
 
Finnian O'Donnell stepped up on defense, causing a game-high four turnovers and scooping up seven ground balls. Matthew Villeneuve also caused three turnovers on defense for Maine Maritime.
 
Zach McCarthy picked up the win for the Mariners in only his second start of the season. The senior goalkeeper made 17 saves in 60 minutes of action. Mike Triolo was in net for the Broncos and made 13 saves.
 
With this win, Maine Maritime will advance to the NAC Championship game tomorrow against SUNY Poly at 2:00pm on Ritchie Field. The Mariners have a chance to win their third consecutive championship tomorrow.