Saturday night at the Arena for the sixth and final game of the semifinal series with Maine, the Royals ended it emphatically with a 6-2 victory. Devon Paliani started the party with a score in the first two minutes, after the visitors tied it midway through the period Jacob Gaucher replied in kind to put the Royals back up 2-1. Early in the second the Mariners again drew even but it would be the last goal they would get, just over two minutes later Garrett McFadden and Zayde Wisdom lit the lamp forty-four seconds apart giving the Royals a 4-2 advantage. Late in the third period Tyler Heidt scored on a power play, Brendan Hoffmann's empty-netter in the final two minutes put the lid on the series-clinching win for goaltender Pat Nagle. For the series the Royals outscored the Mariners 23-20, they won all three of their home games and one of three in Portland. The series played out remarkably similar to the 2022 matchup: after winning the first two at home the Royals dropped games three and four in Portland, a win in the pivotal fifth game in Maine set up the clincher in game six at home. The Royals advance to the Division Finals for another "Deja Vu" matchup against a familiar opponent, on Sunday the regular-season division champion Newfoundland Growlers dispatched the Adirondack Thunder setting up a rematch of the 2022 series the Growlers won in seven games. Thanks to arena conflicts and travel the series is a 3-4 format, the first three games are at home with the last four in St. John's. It starts with a back-to-back at the Arena on May 6 and 7, game #3 is on Tuesday the 9th. The predicted all-day rain never quite materialized but early Sunday morning a steady rainfall moved up from the south and wiped out the day's hockey schedule at Lions Park. Take care, thanks for reading.
