AHL Bridgeport Islanders

AHL Announces Realignment, Playoff Format

Published on July 9, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, CT – The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, will remain in the East Division of the Eastern Conference as the AHL realigns to a four-division, two-conference setup for the upcoming season with seven teams in each division and two divisions in each conference. The League announced the new alignment and the 2004 Calder Cup Playoff format today from its annual Board of Governors meeting on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

The Eastern Conference will consist of the East and Atlantic Divisions while the Western Conference will house the North and West Divisions.

The Sound Tigers, Binghamton Senators and Albany River Rats will be joined in the East Division by the Norfolk Admirals, Philadelphia Phantoms, Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Last season, the Sound Tigers were grouped in the East Division with Binghamton, Albany, the Hartford Wolf Pack and Springfield Falcons.

Hartford, Springfield, the Lowell Lock Monsters, Manchester Monarchs, Portland Pirates, Providence Bruins and Worcester IceCats will play in the Atlantic Division. The Cleveland Barons, Hamilton Bulldogs, Manitoba Moose, Rochester Americans, Syracuse Crunch, St. John's Maple Leafs and first-year Toronto Roadrunners will play in the North Division. The Chicago Wolves, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Grand Rapids Griffins, Milwaukee Admirals, San Antonio Rampage, Utah Grizzlies and Calder Cup Champion Houston Aeros will play in the West Division.

The top five teams in each division will qualify for the 2004 Calder Cup Playoffs. In each division, the fourth-place team will face the fifth-place team in a best-of-three qualifying round. Each subsequent round will be best-of-seven. In the division semifinals, the first-place team will face the qualifying winner while the second-place team will face the third-place team within each division. The division finals will match the semifinal winners within each division with those winners advancing to their respective conference final. Conference final winners will then advance to the 2004 Calder Cup Finals.

The Sound Tigers will begin their third season of play this October under the guidance of new Head Coach Greg Cronin. Information regarding 2003-04 Sound Tigers season tickets, flex packs, group discounts, birthday parties, suite packages and sponsorship opportunities is available by calling 203-334-GOAL or logging on to www.soundtigers.com. Groups, organizations, companies, etc. that are interested in having a member of the Sound Tigers appear at an event are also invited to call 203-334-GOAL or email info@soundtigers.com.

The Islanders will host the Boston Bruins in an NHL preseason game at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard on Sunday, September 21st at 4:05 p.m. Ticket prices for the game begin at $25 with information available by calling the arena at 203-345-2400 or the Sound Tigers at 203-334-GOAL.

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American Hockey League Stories from July 9, 2003


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