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PORTLAND — Twenty years.

That’s how long it had been since the city of Portland got to witness their hometown hockey team close out a postseason series on home ice. The current version of the Maine Mariners had never advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs dating back to their first ECHL season in 2018-19.

Until Wednesday night.

After missing opportunities to close out their first-round series against the Adirondack Thunder in Games 5 and 6, the Mariners gave the crowd at Cross Insurance Arena something to cheer about by scoring twice in the final four minutes of Game 7 to earn a series-clinching 3-1 victory.

The second-seeded Mariners now advance to face the top-seeded Wheeling Nailers in the North Division finals, starting Friday in West Virginia.

Game 2 will also take place Saturday at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling before the series moves to Portland for games on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, if necessary.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Mariners captain Wyllum Deveaux said. “I remember the heartbreak in Glens Falls (losing to Adirondack in seven games during the 2024 playoffs), and it was tough, and I remember the guys on that team that battled. We had a couple of them in the room here, and to be on the other end of it, it’s incredible. To do it for this organization that means so much to all of us in the room, I mean, it’s incredible. I can give thanks to everyone, because everyone’s so special. I said it to a fan before the game, ‘This community means so much to us and this logo.'”

The last playoff series win by a Portland-based team was when the Portland Pirates beat the Connecticut Whale in six games in the 2011 AHL Calder Cup Atlantic Division semifinals. The last closeout victory at home was Game 6 of the Calder Cup Atlantic Division finals against the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2006.

After taking a 3-1 series lead and suffering back-to-back overtime losses in Games 5 and 6, Maine needed to regroup mentally. It seemed like the Mariners were still searching for their focus Wednesday after falling behind 1-0 on a power-play goal by Tag Bertuzzi midway through the second period and earning their third penalty of the night shortly after at 16:43.

But the Mariners found urgency and purpose through their gritty penalty kill. On a final clear attempt before Xander Laampa could leave the box, Deveaux made a desperate chase for the puck at center ice, sprinting fast enough to avoid two trailing Thunder defenders and making a move on goalie Jeremy Brodeur (33 saves) to even the game at 18:46.

The momentum nearly disappeared with Laampa’s double-minor for high sticking with three seconds left in the period, but the Mariners successfully killed both penalties and drew an Adirondack penalty for 1:51 of 4-on-4 play.

Maine dominated the third period, outshooting the Thunder 15-1. No shot was bigger than Nick Anderson’s drive from the point at 16:10. Max Andreev won a faceoff in the offensive zone and cycled the puck to Anderson for a one-timer through traffic.

“Honestly, in the moment, it was kind of a blackout,” Anderson said. “Let’s get all the fans involved, and yeah, I mean, just unreal.”

Adirondack forced overtime in Games 1 and 6 by scoring with less than two minutes left in regulation. This time, the Mariners continued to forecheck aggressively, and Shawn Element’s forced turnover turned into a game-sealing empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining.

“We score a goal, and we don’t sit on it,” Deveaux said. “We just kept plugging away. We played a full 60, and that’s what it’s going to take to achieve our ultimate goal, playing in June.”