The Maine Mariners finished off a perfect 3-0 homestand to finish the regular season on Saturday night, defeating the Newfoundland Growlers 4-3 in a shootout at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland to clinch a spot in the ECHL Northern Division Kelly Cup Playoffs starting next week.
Maine (33-31-5) goes to the ECHL Playoffs for the first time since being rebranded and coming back into existence in June of 2017. They follow the footsteps of the two previous AHL franchises in Portland, one with the same name (1977-1992) and more recently the Portland Pirates (1993-2016). Mathew Santos, Cameron Askew, and Nick Master had the goals in regulation on Saturday night. Askew and Santos also scored in the shootout won by the Mariners 2-0.
The ECHL Playoffs (four teams in each division) are decided by win percentages. Maine (.514) squeezes past Worcester (.500) for that fourth and final spot in the North Division. The Mariners will face the top team in the North the Reading Royals (45-17-7) in that first round best of seven series that begins Wednesday and Friday in Reading, Pennsylvania at 7 p.m. Games three, four, and five (if necessary) will be in Portland April 28, 29, and 30th at 7, 7:15, and 6 p.m. Games six and seven would be back in Reading on Monday, May 2nd and Wednesday, May 4th at 7 p.m. Reading won the season series between the two teams 4-2, but the Mariners got the last one by a score of 6-2 that began this final regular season homestand on Thursday night.
