The New Jersey Titans built a lead in the second period and pulled away late in the third period to grab a 5-2 victory over the Maine Nordiques in a North American Hockey League East Division junior hockey game Friday at the Middletown Ice World in Middletown, New Jersey.
Maine coach Nick Skerlick wasn’t pleased with the effort throughout the Nordiques lineup.
“When you got number 11 (David Helledy) and number 48 (Nicholas Bernardo) aren’t playing very good, you aren’t going to win a lot of games,” Skerlick said. “It’s uncharacteristic of them — it’s tough, it’s tough to play without two of your best players playing like that, that’s for sure.”
Nikita Meshcheryakov paced the Titans with two goals, while Dominick Rivelli had a goal and an assist.
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After the Nordiques (26-9-4, 56 points) took a 1-0 lead in the first period, Meshcheryakov evened the game for the Titans (19-14-2, 40 points) early in the second. Dominik Bartecko and Kristofers Krumins extended the lead to 3-1 later in the frame.
“The first goal was a bad turnover by Tommy Heaney, the second goal was a dumb penalty by David Grosek and the third goal was a horrendous turnover by Evan Orloff,” Skerlick said. “… All three goals were preventable.”
Forward Charles Tardiff, who scored Maine’s first goal, notched his second of the game with four minutes remaining in the contest.
“We were able to make 3-2 with about five minutes left — we got a power play,” Skerlick said. “The guys on the ice, they don’t want to win right now. I think everybody is tired of this road trip — we have three games left, and it’s not looking good for the Nordiques in those three games.”
Maine is 3-4 so far on its 10-game road trip.
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With less than two minutes remaining in Friday’s contest, Meshcheryakov and Jack Hiller scored 23 seconds apart to extend New Jersey’s lead to 5-2. Both goals were empty-netters.
Zakari Brice recorded the win in goal for the Titans, stopping 24 shots. He also and also had an assist. Maine goalie Thomas Heaney made 30 saves.
Luke Chappelle, Kellen Murphy and Shane Kozlina all had assists in the loss for Maine.
The Nordiques look for the split on Saturday when the teams meet again in Middletown.
NEWS AND NOTES
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Four Nordiques players are on the East Division roster for the Top Prospects Tournament: Tardiff, the Nordiques’ leading scorer with 24 goals and 21 assists in 39 games; forward Tomek Haula (three goals, eight assists in 15 games); defenseman JP Steele (four goals and 12 assists in 38 games); and defenseman Aiden Dixon (five assists in 35 games).
“I think all four are Division I players that are going,” Skerlick said. “They deserve it, and I am hoping those four guys can come back — at least the (2003-birth years) — come back with Division I offers.”
Haula is a 2004-born player, while the other three were born in 2003.
• The Nordiques signed defenseman Cole Estey to a tender contract for the 2024-25 season. The 18-year-old has a goal and two assists in 15 games in 2023-24 with Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts.
“Cole is a hard-nosed defenseman. We will have to get away from the skill a little bit because skill doesn’t win you a full season,” Skerlick said. “We will bring in a hard-nosed defenseman in Cole Estey, who skates really well and is a pretty tough kid.”
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Skerlick said Maine also signed defenseman Jake Stevens of the Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut, to a tender for 2024-25. The 18-year-old has four goals and 14 assists in 17 games this season.
“He’s a smooth-skating, right-shot defenseman who plays with good vision and (has 14) assists already with the Canterbury Saints, who surprisingly are having a good year and one of the top prep school teams in the country right now,” Skerlick said.
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Junior hockey: Utica’s Cameron Manley shuts out Twin City Thunder
It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a stop at the florist.
According to Fox Business, about 154 million flowers are sold during the week of Mother’s Day. So it’s safe to say it was a busy day for stores like Estabrook’s Maine Garden Center and Nursery.
Plenty of families stopped by to pick out flowers on Sunday, looking to choose the perfect bouquet for their moms.
“I think Mother’s Day is tradition, you know, and so it’s great to see families here. We have a lot of new families that have come today for the first time with their young children and their mother. Watching the young kids and seeing how excited they are—their eyes light up at all the beautiful flowers,” Tom Estabrook, president of Estabrook’s, said.
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Estabrook says Mother’s Day tends to be a great kickoff to the spring season.
The Maine Baseball Team was swept by UMass Lowell in the weekend series, losing on Sunday 5-4.
UMaine scored 3 runs in the 5th inning and 1 in the 6th inning to lead 4-1, but the Riverhawks scored 2 runs in the 7th and then pushed across the tying and winning runs in the 9th inning for the win.
Thomas Stabley started for Maine and went 6.1 innings on the mound. He allowed 5 hits and 3 runs, striking out and walking 1. Owen Wheeler pitched 1.2 hitless innings striking out 2. Sebastian Holt pitched the 9th and took the loss, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs, the big hit a 2-run homer to Nicholas Solozano, his 2nd of the day.
Hunter St. Denis homered for Maine, a solo shot, his 9th of the season, in the 6th inning.
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Albert De La Rosa was 2-4. JuJu Stevens , Shane Andrus, Quinn Murphy and Chris Bear each singled.
UMass Lowell is 19-27 while Maine is now 17-30.
The Black Bears will host Merrimack on Tuesday, May 12th in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 92.9 The Ticket with the pregame starting at 1:30 p.m. Maine then closes out the regular season at home with a 3-game America East conference matchup with Albany Thursday- Saturday.
Check out photos from the game
Maine-UMass Lowell Baseball May 10
The Maine Black Bears hosted the UMass Lowell Riverhawks on Sunday, May 10th
Gorham junior pitcher Hunter Finck committed to Alabama in December and is ready to show Maine high school opponents his best stuff. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
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It seems every season there’s a southern Maine pitcher or two headed to big-time college baseball.
Meet Hunter Finck, a Gorham High junior and the newest mound star.
Casual fans of Class A South baseball might be wondering, “Hunter who?” After all, Finck threw just one inning for the Rams as a sophomore because of shoulder tightness. It was his Gorham teammate, Wyatt Nadeau, now at Vanderbilt, who was getting the headlines.
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But, “when you say Hunter, everyone around here knows who you’re talking about,” said Gorham coach Ed Smith.
For several reasons.
Finck, 17, has been a standout for several years, always playing up an age group or two at the local level. Since he was 15, he’s pitched for Atlanta-based Team Elite Baseball at premier national showcase tournaments. On Dec. 8, Finck, a powerfully built 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, committed to Alabama, a rising program in the power-packed Southeastern Conference.
Throughout the 2025 summer, playing for both Team Elite and Portland-based Maine Lightning Baseball, Finck built his arm strength back up to where it had been in 2024, when his fastball first crossed the 90 mph threshold. But it wasn’t until early October when Finck was ready to show his true self.
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In back-to-back tournaments in Florida with Team Elite’s top team, Finck impressed. On the second weekend, competing in the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, his fastball was up to 93 mph, his curveball was sharp, and a developing changeup was effective.
“It really came to life for Hunter in the fall,” said Brooke Richards, Team Elite’s national high school director. Richards said the college recruiters who rightfully saw question marks around Finck because of his limited track record “were probably scrambling at the same time.”
Alabama coach Rob Vaughn and his staff made an early impression.
Two months later, Finck was touring Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa.
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On the plane ride home, Finck said he knew he’d found the right spot, and he committed before the plane landed in New England.
Finck would be the first Mainer to pitch for Alabama, but recruiting pitchers from Maine is not new to Vaughn. As the head coach at Maryland (2018-23), Vaughn coached York’s Trevor Labonte for three seasons. Greely’s Zach Johnston originally committed to Maryland before opting to attend Wake Forest.
Finck said there were other schools from the Power 4 conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC) that pursued him.
“I looked at all of them seriously. I thought all of them were great, but I just really wanted to go to Alabama, especially after I saw it,” he said. “I feel like they really wanted me. I have a very good relationship with all of their coaches, so that’s one of the main reasons.”
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” data-large-file=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?w=780″ height=”748″ width=”1024″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-7637645″ srcset=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg 3000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=300,219 300w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=768,561 768w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=1024,748 1024w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=1536,1122 1536w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=2048,1496 2048w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=1200,876 1200w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=2000,1461 2000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=780,570 780w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/43576187_20260505_GorhChev_1.jpg?resize=400,292 400w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”/>Gorham’s Hunter Finck delivers a pitch during the Rams’ 8-0 win over Cheverus on Tuesday in Gorham. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
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WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT HUNTER FINCK?
Gorham senior Miles Brenner is a strong pitcher in his own right. He’s committed to play at Wheaton College, annually among the top NCAA Division III programs in New England.
“What stands out about Hunter is obviously his velocity, his power,” Brenner said. “But it’s also his mindset. He’s always working, always trying to get better.”
Smith, Gorham’s coach, points to several factors that predict future success for Finck: His progression has always “been ahead of the curve;” he’s been a hard thrower from an early age who has the strong frame to support increased velocity; and “his compete level is off the charts.”
Smith and Richards both describe Finck as having a commanding presence and in-control demeanor on the mound.
“For a kid who doesn’t have a lot of innings under his belt, his composure on the mound is very good. It’s very professional,” Richards said. “Pitching-wise, it’s hard stuff. He attacks. It’s a fastball with life. He has good feel for three pitches that typically he’s very good commanding. When he misses, it’s not by much.”
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SO FAR THIS SEASON
Though he has a bright future ahead, Finck is focused on Gorham baseball this spring. In his first start, he threw four innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight in an 8-1 season-opening win against Sanford at Goodall Park.
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On Tuesday, he threw a two-hitter in an 8-0 win against previously unbeaten Cheverus. It was the first time he’d pitched seven innings since his freshman year. Standing tall, with a strong power stride, Finck started the game with a 93 mph fastball and was still throwing 90 in the fourth inning. Through five innings, he allowed two singles, and with sharp command of his fastball and curveball, he did not get to a three-ball count. A few pitches got away from Finck in the sixth and seventh after Gorham scored its eighth run (on a Finck RBI single), but with help from an errorless defense, he worked around a walk in each inning and finished his shutout with nine strikeouts.
The Rams have a deep pitching staff. In addition to Finck and Brenner, senior Wyatt Washburn is another future college pitcher — he’s headed to Colby College. Add in Nadeau and Jack Karlonas (Husson) from last year’s Gorham team, and Finck has benefited from being surrounded by older teammates who can offer advice, give support, and engage in mature conversations about the craft of pitching.
Of Nadeau, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has drawn regular starts in his first season at Vanderbilt, Finck said, “he helped me to see what it was like to be at that level and show me everything that goes with it. … He showed me what the standard is.”
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Washburn said of Finck, “He’s just one of those guys that loves the game of baseball and wants to be doing it all the time. It’s the love of the game and his work ethic.”
With Gorham having plenty of quality pitching, Finck will not be overtaxed. Smith has said he expects to stick to a three-starter rotation. That could also ease the pressure of being “the Alabama kid,” as Smith said he heard opposing players call Finck during the preseason.
The way Finck sees it, his choice of college doesn’t change anything in the present. Opponents might think of him as the Alabama kid, but he’s pitching for the Gorham Rams, always trying to compete and play at his best to help his team win.
“So, nerves are the same,” he said. “Pressure’s the same, in my opinion. Just with a label on it.”
” data-image-caption=”<p>Gorham’s Hunter Finck celebrates after getting out of an inning against Sanford on April 24. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
” data-large-file=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?w=780″ height=”300″ width=”251″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-7639154″ srcset=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg 2377w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=251,300 251w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=768,919 768w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=856,1024 856w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=1284,1536 1284w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=1712,2048 1712w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=1200,1435 1200w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=2000,2392 2000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=780,933 780w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/20260424_hunterfinck002.jpg?resize=400,478 400w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px”/><figcaption>Gorham’s Hunter Finck celebrates after getting out of an inning against Sanford on April 24. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)<span class=)
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