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Cincinnati Captures Kelly Cup Championship

Published on June 5, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Cyclones won the ECHL Kelly Cup Championship on Thursday with a 3-1 win over the Las Vegas Wranglers before 12,722 fans, the largest crowd in the 20-year history of the Premier 'AA' Hockey League.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08, the ECHL is the Premier 'AA' Hockey League and the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

The standing-room-only crowd in the 12,056-seat U.S. Bank Arena breaks the record held by the Louisiana IceGators, who had four crowds of 11,800 in 1997 including three in the Finals.

Jean-Michel Daoust scored a goal and had two assists for the Cyclones in the win. Matt Syroczynski scored the game winner on the power play 35 seconds into the third period.

Cincinnati goaltender Cedrick Desjardins was named the Most Valuable Player of the Kelly Cup Playoffs after going 11-4 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 1.84 and a save percentage of .939 in 16 games. Deshardins, who made 30 saves in the championship game, was 4-2 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 1.34 and a save percentage of .952 in the Finals.

It is the first ECHL title for the Cyclones who become only the third team in league history to win both the Brabham Cup, the trophy awarded to the regular season point champion, and the Kelly Cup. The South Carolina Stingrays were the first team to win both trophies in 1997 and the Alaska Aces repeated the feat in 2006.

It is the first time in 35 years that a Cincinnati professional hockey team competed in its league finals as the Cincinnati Swords won the American Hockey League title in 1973.

Cincinnati was the top seed in the Kelly Cup Playoffs after finishing 55-12-5 to capture the Brabham Cup with 115 points. The Cyclones 115 points and 55 wins are the second-most in league history of the ECHL behind Louisiana's 116 points and 56 wins in 2001-02. The Cyclones had 71 combined wins in the regular season and postseason breaking the ECHL record of 69 wins by Alaska in 2006.

Cyclones rookie David Desharnais led the Kelly Cup Playoffs with 24 assists and 33 points in 22 games. The 24 assists and 33 points were the second most in league history. The 21 year old led the ECHL in the regular season with 106 points in 68 games. The 106 points was the most scored by an ECHL rookie since 1996-97 when Dany Bousquet of Pee Dee had 107 points (54g-53a). Desharnais was only the fourth rookie in 20 years to lead the ECHL in scoring joining Alex Leavitt of Alaska (91 points in 2005-06), Daryl Harpe of Erie (122 points in 1988-89) and Bill McDougall of Erie (148 points in 1989-90).

Desharnais won the ECHL awards for Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Leading Scorer while also being named First Team All-ECHL and to the ECHL All-Rookie Team. He is only the fifth rookie in ECHL history to be named MVP and the first since Frederic Cloutier in 2001-02.

The championship trophy named in honor of Patrick J. Kelly, who was one of the founding fathers of the ECHL. It replaced the Jack Riley Cup, which was awarded to the league champion from 1989-96, in 1997. One of the inaugural inductees into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008, Kelly served as Commissioner for the league's first eight seasons and was named Commissioner Emeritus in 1996, a title that he continues to hold. Kelly, who celebrated his 50th season in professional hockey in 2002-03, coached 1,900 career games and had 935 wins. Kelly coached in the Eastern Hockey League, the Southern Hockey League and the National Hockey League where he was the only coach to ever lead the Colorado Rockies to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Since becoming a national league in 2003-04, the ECHL has seen the Kelly Cup Champion come from Ohio in 2008, Idaho in 2007 and 2004, Alaska in 2006 and New Jersey in 2005.

The coast-to-coast league began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will play with 24 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.


Kelly Cup Finals

Cincinnati Cyclones (55-12-5) vs. Las Vegas Wranglers (47-13-12)
Cincinnati Wins Series 4-2
Game 1 - Las Vegas 2 at CINCINNATI 4
Game 2 - LAS VEGAS 1 at Cincinnati 0
Game 3 - CINCINNATI 4 at Las Vegas 2
Game 4 - Cincinnati 0 at Las Vegas 2
Game 5 - CINCINNATI 4 at Las Vegas 0
Game 6 - Las Vegas 1 at CINCINNATI 3

Kelly Cup Champions - Here is a complete list of Kelly Cup Champions:

2008 - Cincinnati defeated Las Vegas 4 games to 2
2007 - Idaho defeated Dayton, 4 games to 1
2006 - Alaska defeated Gwinnett, 4 games to 1
2005 - Trenton defeated Florida, 4 games to 2
2004 - Idaho defeated Florida, 4 games to 1
2003 - Atlantic City defeated Columbia, 4 games to 1
2002 - Greenville defeated Dayton, 4 games to 0
2001 - South Carolina defeated Trenton, 4 games to 1
2000 - Peoria defeated Louisiana, 4 games to 2
1999 - Mississippi defeated Richmond, 4 games to 3
1998 - Hampton Roads defeated Pensacola, 4 games to 2
1997 - South Carolina defeated Louisiana, 4 games to 1

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