Worcester Railers and Maine Mariners to Play For “VIP Rivalry Cup”

Worcester Railers and Maine Mariners to Play For “VIP Rivalry Cup”

Railers and Mariners are scheduled to meet 14 times in the regular season

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Railers Hockey Club (@RailersHC), proud ECHL (@ECHL) affiliate of the New York Islanders (@NYIslanders), announced today that the Worcester Railers and Maine Mariners will compete for the “VIP Rivalry Cup” during the 2021-22 season presented by VIP Tires & Service.

The Portland/Worcester rivalry dates back to the American Hockey League (AHL) days as the then Worcester Sharks and Portland Pirates battled it out for nine straight seasons from 2006-15. Worcester fans may remember a contest on Nov. 24, 2012, a game that featured a combined 143 penalty minutes and 15 fighting majors, and most importantly a 5-1 Worcester victory.

The Railers and the Mariners will meet 14 times this season (eight in Worcester, six in Portland) and the winner will be presented with a trophy at the end of the season. Each game will feature a “Rivalry Play of the Game” shared across social media throughout the season. See below for the schedule:

Friday               Oct. 22 (A)        7:15 p.m.

Saturday           Oct. 23 (H)        7:35 p.m.

Wednesday      Nov. 24 (A)        7:00 p.m.

Wednesday      Dec. 1   (H)       7:05 p.m.

Wednesday      Dec. 8   (H)       7:05 p.m.

Friday               Dec. 10 (A)        7:15 p.m.

Saturday           Dec. 11 (H)       7:05 p.m.

Sunday             Dec. 26 (H)        7:05 p.m.

Wednesday      Dec. 29 (A)        3:00 p.m.

Friday               Jan. 28 (A)        7:15 p.m.

Saturday           Mar. 5 (H)       7:05 p.m.

Sunday             Mar. 6 (H)       3:05 p.m.

Tuesday            Mar. 8 (A)        7:15 p.m.

Wednesday      Apr. 6   (H)        10:05 a.m.

In addition, the Railers and Mariners will meet for two pre-season exhibition games, the first on Friday, Oct. 15 at The Colisee in Lewiston, ME at 7 p.m. Worcester will then host Maine at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. The game in Worcester is free to the public but a $10 donation per entry is suggested to benefit Jake Thibeault and his family.

“VIP Tires & Service is excited to sponsor the Rivalry Cup,” said Lynn Campbell, Director of Marketing, Advertising and CRM. “With stores in both Portland and Worcester, the partnership couldn’t be better. However, we’ll be rooting for BOTH teams to win, of course!”

VIP Tires & Service, a Quirk family-owned business for 95 years based in Auburn, Maine, operates 65 locations throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts providing retail and wholesale tires and installation, and professional automotive services. VIP is the place where New Englanders turn for everything they need to keep their vehicles running at peak performance. For more information, visit www.vipauto.com.

The Worcester Railers look forward to welcoming fans back to the DCU Center for their Home Opener on Oct. 23vs. the Maine Mariners! For all information regarding the upcoming season, memberships, mini-plans, ticket packages, and single-game tickets, visit RailersHC.com or call 508-365-1750 to secure your seats.  

#RailersHC