MARINERS ANNOUNCE FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

PORTLAND, ME – April 16, 2023 – For the second consecutive postseason, the Maine Mariners will take on the Reading Royals in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The North Division Semifinals best-of-seven series begins on Friday, April 21st in Reading, PA, with the Royals as the #2 seed and the Mariners as the #3.

Home ice advantage was decided last night with the Royals defeating Newfoundland to clinch the #2 seed. As a result, games one and two will be played in Reading on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22. The middle games of the series: three, four, and five (if necessary) will be held at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland from April 24-April 26. If the series requires a six or seventh game, it will shift back to Reading on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30. The full series breakdown is below:

In last season’s first round series, the top-seeded Royals defeated the #4 Mariners in six games. The home team won the first four contests, before Reading won the pivotal Game 5 in Portland and then closed out the series back on home ice. The two teams met six times during the 2022-23 regular season, with the Royals winning four. The last time the teams faced off was on January 16th at Reading, a 4-2 Mariners victory.

In the #1 vs. #4 matchup in the North Division, the Newfoundland Growlers await the winner of Sunday’s game between the Worcester Railers and Adirondack Thunder, which will decide the final playoff spot.