ECHL ECHL

Three-team Race for Brabham Cup

Published on March 21, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


With two weeks remaining in the 2010-11 ECHL regular season, a three-team race has developed for the Brabham Cup signifying the league ‚¬â„¢s regular-season champion. The Alaska Aces and Reading Royals are tied for the top overall spot with 85 points each while the Greenville Road Warriors are one point back with 84.

Alaska became the first team to clinch a division title on Saturday, and sits on top of the Western Conference with an overall record of 41-21-3. The team that finishes the regular season with the most points in the Western Conference earns a bye in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Alaska won the Brabham Cup in 2005-06 finishing the regular season with 113 points on its way to the Kelly Cup championship. The Aces host Utah for three games this weekend before concluding the regular season with a three-game series in Victoria next weekend.

Reading clinched its first division title since 2004-05 with a 2-0 win at Elmira on Sunday. With a 40-20-5 record, the Royals are four wins shy of setting a new club record for wins in a season. Reading plays four games against South Division opponents this week, visiting Gwinnett on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and Greenville on Thursday. The Royals end the season hosting Wheeling on March 30, visiting Trenton on April 1 and hosting the Devils on April 2.

Greenville has a magic number of two to clinch the South Division title. The Road Warriors are on the verge of moving into the top 10 of biggest single-season point increases in ECHL history. Last season in Johnstown, the team finished with 47 points and has already improved by 37 points, one point behind Toledo from 2001-02 to 2002-03 for the tenth best improvement in league history. The Road Warriors play at South Carolina on Tuesday and Sunday this week while hosting Reading on Thursday. Greenville concludes the regular season next week with a three-game series against Gwinnett.

There have been two occasions in ECHL history where two teams tied for the regular-season championship and the Brabham Cup was awarded based on tiebreakers. In 1989-90, Erie and Winston-Salem finished with identical 38-16-6 records with Erie winning the cup based on head-to-head tiebreaker. In 2007-08, Cincinnati and Texas each finished the regular season with 115 points. The Cyclones won the title by virtue of finishing with 55 wins, three more than the Wildcatters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Important head-to-head match-ups to determine playoff spots, seeding

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A three-game series between Cincinnati and Toledo this weekend could go a long way to determining which team earns the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Cyclones currently hold a four-point lead over the Walleye for eighth place with six games remaining for each team.

Cincinnati, which is 5-2-1 on its season-long nine-game road trip, concludes the trip with a Wednesday morning match-up in Kalamazoo. Toledo is idle until opening the weekend series on Friday at U.S. Bank Arena. After another match-up in Cincinnati on Saturday, the series shifts to Toledo on Sunday for the final regular-season meeting of the year between the two in-state rivals. The Cyclones are 5-6-1 against the Walleye this season while Toledo has gone 7-4-1 in the first 12 meetings.

The Cyclones are just one point behind Elmira and Wheeling, who are tied for sixth place in the conference. The Jackals host Trenton on Wednesday and Kalamazoo on Saturday and Sunday while the Nailers play a three-game series at Florida, which has a three-point lead over Wheeling for fifth place, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

In the Western Conference, the race for the Pacific Division championship will go down to the wire as Stockton, Bakersfield and Las Vegas are separated by just three points. The Thunder, which swept a three-game series with Idaho over the weekend, enjoys a one-point lead over the Condors and a three-point edge over the Wranglers for the top spot. Stockton hosts Victoria for a three-game weekend series starting on Friday. Bakersfield, which has set a new team record with an eight-game winning streak, hosts Victoria on Wednesday before hosting Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. The Wranglers entertain Alaska on Tuesday and play at Utah on Wednesday before heading to Bakersfield for two games this weekend.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Divisions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Atlantic Division

Elmira Jackals

· The Jackals are second with 3.56 goals per game.

· Justin Donati leads the league with 94 points (27g-67a).

· Elmira hosts Trenton on Wednesday and Kalamazoo on Saturday and Sunday.

Reading Royals

· Reading is tied for the league lead with 19 road wins (19-10-2)

· Andrew Sarauer leads the team with 57 points (23g-34a).

· The Royals visit Gwinnett on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and Greenville on Thursday.

Trenton Devils

· Chris Berenguer tallied two assists for his first professional points on Saturday at Toledo.

· Ryan Ginand is tied for third with 73 points (29g-44a).

· Trenton is at Elmira on Wednesday and hosts Kalamazoo on Friday.

North Division

Cincinnati Cyclones

· Cincinnati is 21-1-4 when leading after two periods.

· Barret Ehgoetz leads the team with 52 points (17g-35a).

· The Cyclones are at Kalamazoo on Wednesday, host Toledo on Friday and Saturday and visit the Walleye on Sunday.

Kalamazoo Wings

· The K-Wings are second on the power play at 23.1 percent (72-for-312).

· Kory Karlander is second with 75 points (31g-44a).

· Kalamazoo hosts Cincinnati on Wednesday and visits Trenton on Friday and Elmira on Saturday and Sunday.

Toledo Walleye

· Toledo has outshot its last five opponents 213-110.

· Jason Lepine leads defensemen in scoring with 41 points (8g-33a).

· The Walleye are at Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday and host the Cyclones on Sunday.

Wheeling Nailers

· The Nailers are tied for second on the penalty kill at 84.7 percent (272-for-321).

· Peter Merth is tied for second with three shorthanded assists.

· Wheeling plays at Florida on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

South Division

Florida Everblades

· Bobby Raymond is second with a plus-minus rating of +26.

· Alexandre Imbeault is fourth with 35 goals.

· The Everblades host Wheeling on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Greenville Road Warriors

· Chris Beckford-Tseu posted a shutout in his team debut on Friday.

· The Road Warriors have scored 10 power-play goals in their last seven games.

· Greenville visits South Carolina on Tuesday and Sunday and hosts Reading on Thursday.

Gwinnett Gladiators

· The Gladiators are 21-0-0 when leading after two periods.

· Michael Forney ranks third in the league with 22 power-play assists.

· Gwinnett hosts Reading on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

South Carolina Stingrays

· Rob Ricci is tied for second with four shootout goals

· South Carolina is 20-7-2 when scoring first.

· The Stingrays host Greenville on Tuesday and Sunday.

Mountain Division

Alaska Aces

· Alaska is 14-2-1 in its last 17 games.

· Wes Goldie leads the league with 39 goals.

· The Aces are at Las Vegas on Tuesday and host Utah on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Idaho Steelheads

· The Steelheads have allowed one short-handed goal on the road this season.

· Mark Derlago is tied for first in the league with 15 power-play goals.

· Idaho hosts Ontario on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Utah Grizzlies

· Simon Ferguson leads the team with 20 goals.

· Paul McIlveen has two goals and five assists in his last six games.

· The Grizzlies host Las Vegas on Wednesday and are at Alaska on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Victoria Salmon Kings

· Rob Hennigar leads the team with 55 points (8g-47a).

· Adam Taylor became the third player in Salmon King history to play more than 200 games.

· Victoria is at Bakersfield on Wednesday and at Stockton on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors

· Bakersfield is on a team record eight-game winning streak.

· Brian Stewart has won seven consecutive starts.

· The Condors host Victoria on Wednesday and Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers

· The Wranglers are first on the penalty kill at home at 89.2 percent (107-for-120).

· Barry Goers ranks fourth among rookies with 14 power-play assists.

· Las Vegas hosts Alaska on Tuesday, is at Utah on Wednesday and at Bakersfield on Friday and Saturday.

Ontario Reign

· Ontario is 14-1-3 when leading after two periods.

· Jordan Morrison leads the team with 32 assists.

· The Reign are at Idaho on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Stockton Thunder

· The Thunder are second in the league with 201,636 fans (6,301 average).

· Ryan Constant is tied for seventh in the league among defensemen with 33 points (11g-22a).

· Stockton hosts Victoria on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Check out the ECHL Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from March 21, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central