All Along The Coast
Published on May 1, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs Southern Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven) Columbia Leads Series 3-2
Mississippi Sea Wolves at Columbia Inferno 7:05 ET / 6:05 CT
* Steffon Walby scored at 4:31 of overtime to give Mississippi a 2-1 win in Game 5.
* Greg Gardner turned away 36 shots in Mississippi's 3-1 victory in Game 4.
* Tim Smith scored two goals and assisted on Rejean Stringer's game-winning goal in Columbia's 4-3 win in Game 3.
* Barrie Moore scored the game-winning goal, his second goal of the game, at 9:08 of overtime to give Columbia a 3-2 win in Game 2.
* Shawn Wansborough scored two goals in the third period of Columbia's 5-2 win in Game 1.
* Inferno and Sea Wolves had never met before in the regular season or in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
* Mississippi is making its third Southern Conference Finals appearance, defeating Pee Dee, four games to one, in 1999 en route to the Kelly Cup Championship, and losing to eventual Kelly Cup Champion Greenville, three games to one, in 2002.
* Columbia has never appeared in the Southern Conference Finals.
* Mississippi ranks second in the Kelly Cup Playoffs in goals allowed, averaging 1.91 goals per game.
* Columbia leads the Kelly Cup Playoffs scoring, averaging 3.91 goals per game.
* Sea Wolves is third in Kelly Cup Playoffs scoring, averaging 3.55 goals per game.
* Inferno ranks third in the Kelly Cup Playoffs on the power play with a 29.85 percent (20-for-67).
* Mississippi ranks fifth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs on the power play with 22.22 percent (16-for-72).
* Mississippi's Sergei Kuznetsov (6g-9a) is tied for the Kelly Cup scoring lead with 15 points.
* Columbia's Patrick Couture is 8-2 with a 2.10 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
* Sea Wolves' Greg Gardner is 8-3 with a 1.85 goals against average and a .946 save percentage.
* Columbia's Rejean Stringer ranks second in the postseason with ten assists.
* Inferno's Trevor Demmans leads defenseman in postseason scoring with ten points (2g-8a).
* Mississippi's Jim Baxter (2g-6a) is tied for second with Columbia's Darrell Hay (1g-7a) in postseason scoring among defenseman with eight points.
* Columbia coach Scott White was a defenseman on the 1990 ECHL Champion Greensboro Monarchs and was named the 1991-92 ECHL Defenseman of the Year.
* Sea Wolves coach Bob Woods was a defenseman on Mississippi's 1999 Kelly Cup Championship team, and was named to the 15th Anniversary ECHL Team.
* Inferno tied for second during the ECHL regular season in scoring, averaging 3.68 goals per game.
* Mississippi's Steffon Walby tied for second during the regular season with 42 goals.
* Columbia's Patrick Couture ranked second in the regular season with a 2.42 goals against average.
* Inferno's Rejean Stringer led the ECHL with 11 game-winning goals during the regular season.
* Mississippi's Jim Baxter led ECHL defensemen in the regular season with 74 points and 58 assists.
* Sea Wolves' Jim Baxter was named the 2002-03 ECHL Defenseman of the Year and was named First Team All-ECHL.
* Inferno's Patrick Couture was named Second Team All-ECHL.
* Mississippi's Steffon Walby was named First Team All-ECHL for the second season in a row.
2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs Northern Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven) Atlantic City Leads Series 3-2
Cincinnati Cyclones at Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies 7:35 ET / 6:35 CT
* Joe Cardarelli and Nick Bootland each scored two goals as the Cyclones defeated Atlantic City, 6-3 in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Cincinnati.
* Nick Bootland had two points (1g-1a) in Cincinnati's 3-1 win in Game 4.
* Cyclones' Peter Hamerlick picked up his first postseason win in Game 4, making 32 saves.
* Kevin Colley scored the game-winning goal and Scott Stirling stopped 37 of 38 shots as Atlantic City defeated Cincinnati 3-1 in Game 3.
* J.F. Caudron had two power-play goals and two assists in Atlantic City's 5-0 shutout in Game 2.
* Kevin Colley scored two goals and Stefan Rivard had the game winner as Atlantic City rallied from a 4-2 deficit, scoring three goals in 2:46 of the third period for a 5-4 come-from-behind win in Game 1.
* Bullies' J.F. Caudron (3g-3a) has six points in five postseason games against Cincinnati.
* Cyclones' Joe Cardarelli (3g-3a), Nick Bootland (3g-3a), and Mike Casselman (1g-5a) have six points in five postseason games against Atlantic City.
* Cincinnati's Nick Bootland (8g-7a) is tied for the Kelly Cup Playoffs scoring lead with 15 points.
* Bullies' Luke Curtin leads the Kelly Cup Playoffs with 13 assists.
* Atlantic City's J. F. Caudron and Cincinnati's Nick Bootland are tied for the Kelly Cup Playoffs lead with eight goals.
* Cyclones' Greg Hewitt is 6-5 with a 2.31 GAA and a .926 save percentage in the postseason.
* Scott Stirling, who returned from the American Hockey League prior to the Northern Conference Finals, is 3-2 with a 3.09 goals against average and a .892 save percentage in the 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
* Bullies' Matt Yeats is 4-1 in the postseason with a 2.14 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
* Cyclones are fourth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs in goals allowed, averaging 2.31 goals per game.
* Atlantic City ranks second in Kelly Cup Playoff scoring, averaging 3.83 goals per game.
* Cincinnati's penalty kill is 84.48 percent (49-for-58).
* Atlantic City's penalty kill ranks third in the Kelly Cup playoffs at 88.33 percent (53-for-60).
* Cyclones' postseason power play is 14.28 percent (9-for-63).
* Bullies' postseason power play is 22.36 percent (17-for-76).
* Cincinnati's Joe Cardarelli scored seven points (2g-5a) in four regular season games against the Bullies.
* Cyclones were second in the ECHL on the power play in the regular season with 22.4 percent (87-for-389).
* Bullies' Jade Galbraith ranked second among rookies in the regular season with 74 points (27g-47a).
* Matt Noga led Cincinnati with 75 points (24g-51a) in the regular season.
* Atlantic City is playing in its second consecutive Northern Conference Finals, losing to Dayton in 2002.
* Cincinnati lost to Dayton in the 2002 Northwest Division Semifinals.
* Bullies and Cyclones are meeting for the first time in the postseason.
* Bullies were 2-1-1 against Cincinnati in the regular season and are 7-4-1 all-time.
* Cyclones have made the Kelly Cup Playoffs in each of their two seasons since returning to Cincinnati.
* Atlantic City led the ECHL in goals per game in the regular season, averaging 3.72 goals per game.
* Cincinnati won its first-ever postseason game and its first playoff series in 2003.
* Bullies' Scott Stirling was the 2003 Compuware/ECHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
* Cyclones' defenseman Ryan Gaucher was named First Team All-ECHL in 2002-03.
ECHL Stories from May 1, 2003
- New Contest on WCHL.com - San Diego Gulls
- Taylor Cup Finals Games Four and Five on Tap - Fresno Falcons
- Florio Won't Be Back - Alaska Aces
- All Along The Coast - ECHL
- Vitucci Leaves Grrrowl After Five Seasons - Greenville Grrrowl
- Chiefs Complete Trade With Augusta - Johnstown Chiefs
- Boardwalk Bullies Week in Review - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Falcons Get on the Board in the Series - Fresno Falcons
- Falcons Come Up Huge In Game 3; Gulls Now Lead Series 2-1 - San Diego Gulls
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