The North Division provided one of the more intriguing races of the final stretch, with the Worcester Railers and Adirondack Thunder neck and neck for the majority of the final few weeks of the year, before the Thunder secured their playoff spot on the final day of the regular season.

But that overshadowed the great season of the Newfoundland Growlers, who won the Kelly Cup in 2019 and had a very legitimate chance to go back to back, had the pandemic not cut the next year short.

There will be no shortage of storylines in the North this year, which will make both series must-watch on FloHockey over the next two weeks.

No. 1 Newfoundland Growlers (48-22-2) Vs. No. 4 Adirondack Thunder (32-29-11)

Game 1 – Wednesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 2 – Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 3 – Saturday, April 22 at 5 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 4 – Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland
Game 5 – Thursday, April 27 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (if necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, April 30 at 4 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (if necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (if necessary)

Quick Look: The Growlers and Thunder played 11 times during the regular season, with Newfoundland, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, surprisingly holding only a 6-5 edge.

You certainly could argue that Adirondack has the momentum here, with their Game 72 win at home over Worcester getting them into the playoffs on the last possible day.

"The Adirondack Thunder complete the impossible!"

🎙: @RobLippolis pic.twitter.com/uEBBrFMocz

— x - Adirondack Thunder (@ECHLThunder) April 16, 2023

However, few likely would pick them to win, with Newfoundland having been a top-5 team in the league nearly all year.

Of the final three meetings between the two clubs, all held north of the border, the Growlers captured two of them, albeit, needing overtime and a shootout to do so.

Player to Watch: Adirondack, Patrick Grasso – With his team trailing 3-1 on Sunday, it was Grasso who kickstarted the comeback, potting his 36th goal of the season to eventually lead his team into the playoffs.

It has been that kind of year for the 26-year-old, who will see his first postseason action as a pro and has found significant chemistry with former NHLer Shane Harper, making them perhaps an interesting tandem on the top line to watch when Game 1 gets underway.

Player to Watch: Newfoundland, Dryden McKay – Zach O’Brien would have been the easy choice here. A big contributor for the 2019 Cup team, he hasn’t lost a step this year. 

But, perhaps the more interesting story here will be what the Growlers choose to do in net.

The 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner split time nearly evenly with Luke Cavallin, and was statistically outplayed by the latter, perhaps leading to head coach Eric Wellwood simply sticking with whomever the hot hand may be this postseason.

No. 2 Reading Royals (41-25-6) Vs. No. 3 Maine Mariners (42-27-3)

Game 1 – Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. ET at Reading
Game 2 – Saturday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET at Reading
Game 3 – Monday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET at Maine  
Game 4 – Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. ET at Maine
Game 5 – Wednesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Maine (if necessary)
Game 6 – Saturday, April 29 at 7 p.m. ET at Reading (if necessary)
Game 7 – Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m. ET at Reading (if necessary)

Quick Look: Reading and Maine were separated by just one point this regular season, with the Royals squeaking out home-ice advantage in their series against the Mariners.

Reading and Maine played each other six times this season, and not since Jan. 16, making it a bit difficult to stack them up based on their head-to-head records, though the Royals took the season series, 4-2. 

Both rosters will look a bit different now, however. Among the notable differences is the addition of Zayde Wisdom to Reading. 

Transactions: Zayde Wisdom, F has been reassigned to us by the @NHLFlyers from the @LVPhantoms. Additionally, Sam Hu, F has been released from his SPC. #PaintthePlayoffs

Welcome back, Zayde! Read more👉 https://t.co/Fp6tUU2NAn

https://t.co/Fp6tUU2NAn

— x - Reading Royals (@ReadingRoyals) April 11, 2023

The 2020 fourth-round draft pick by the parent Philadelphia Flyers potted his first ECHL goal in the last regular season game against Newfoundland, and he could provide a different element up front for the Royals.

Player to Watch: Reading, Pat Nagle – There aren’t a ton of players left from last year’s team that bowed out late in the second round, but the veteran goaltender is among them and could range anywhere from the team’s workhorse in net to sharing it with former Red Wings prospect Kaden Fulcher. 

Nagle has 68 games of Kelly Cup Playoffs experience with the Everblades, Steelheads, Komets, Walleye and Royals, and he will provide a big boost of veteran leadership, regardless of what role he finds himself in.

Player to Watch: Maine, Timothy Doherty – Another player with some postseason experience at this level, Doherty helped the Nailers overachieve into the second round last year, and he has been one of Maine’s most consistent and durable players this year, suiting up in all but three contests. 

He paced the Mariners this season with 52 assists and 73 points and is looking for his first Kelly Cup Playoffs goal.