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Conference Finals Open Wednesday

Published on April 21, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs Conference Finals open on Wednesday with Northeast Division Champion Atlantic City hosting Northwest Division Champion Cincinnati, and Southeast Division Champion Columbia hosting Southwest Division Champion Mississippi.

The winners of the best-of-seven series will meet in the Kelly Cup Finals, also a best-of-seven series, scheduled to be played May 6-19.

Atlantic City hosts Cincinnati in Game 2 on Friday with the series moving to Cincinnati for Game 3 on Saturday. Game 4 is Monday, April 28 at Cincinnati with Game 5, if necessary, on Tuesday, April 29. If necessary, Game 6 would be Friday, May 2 at Atlantic City, and Game 7, if necessary, would be Saturday, May 3 at Atlantic City.

Columbia host Mississippi in Game 2 on Friday before the series moves to Mississippi for Game 3 on Sunday. Game 4 is Monday, April 28 at Mississippi with Game 5, if necessary, on Wednesday, April 30 at Mississippi. If necessary, Game 6 would be Friday, May 2 at Columbia, and Game 7, if necessary, would be Saturday, May 3 at Columbia.

Columbia coach Scott White has led the Inferno to the Kelly Cup Playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the bench, losing in the Southeast Division Finals in 2002. As a player, White helped the Greensboro Monarchs win the ECHL Championship in his first professional season in 1989-1990. He tied for the team scoring lead and tied for third overall in the ECHL with 14 points (4g-10a) in 11 postseason games. He helped the Monarchs reach the postseason in each of his four seasons in Greensboro, including the ECHL Finals in 1991 and the East Division Finals in 1992. He was named ECHL Defenseman of the Year and First Team All-ECHL following the 1991-92 season.

Bob Woods has led Mississippi to the Southern Conference Finals in each of his first two seasons as head coach, losing to eventual Kelly Cup Champion Greenville in 2002. As a player, Woods helped Mississippi win the 1999 ECHL Championship and retired following the 2000-01 season as the ECHL's all-time leader with 599 games played. He played in the postseason in six of his 10 seasons in the ECHL.

Malcolm Cameron is making his first appearance as a head coach in the ECHL postseason and his second appearance overall behind the bench, having worked as an assistant for Columbia in 2001-02.

Mike Haviland has led Atlantic City to the Northern Conference Finals in each of his first two seasons as head coach. Haviland is making his fourth Kelly Cup Playoffs appearance behind the bench, having worked two seasons as an assistant coach with Trenton before being named head coach of the Bullies.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Columbia and Mississippi, who are both a perfect 6-0 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Columbia finished atop the Southeast Division and the Southern Conference with a team record 96 points. The Inferno swept Pee Dee in the Southeast Division Finals after sweeping defending Kelly Cup Champion Greenville in the Southeast Division Semifinals. Mississippi finished tied for the Southwest Division regular season title, but was the No. 1 Seed in the postseason because it had more wins than Louisiana. The Sea Wolves swept Louisiana in the Southwest Division Finals after sweeping Pensacola in the Southwest Division Semifinals. The Sea Wolves and Inferno are both 4-0 at home in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Mississippi has won a team record 16 consecutive home games. Mississippi is 20-0-2 in its last 22 home games and has not lost in regulation on home ice since a 6-2 loss to Louisiana on December 20.

Atlantic City finished atop the Northeast Division regular season standings, and the Bullies beat Greensboro, three games to one, in the Northeast Division Finals after sweeping Trenton in the Northeast Division Semifinals. Cincinnati finished third in the Northwest Division regular season standings. The Cyclones beat regular season champion Toledo, three games to one, in the Northwest Division Finals after upsetting regular season point total runner-up Peoria in the Northwest Division Semifinals. The Cyclones upset of Toledo tied the record for the eighth largest playoff upset in ECHL history while its upset of Peoria is the 10th largest playoff upset in ECHL history. Cincinnati finished the regular season with 79 points, 25 points behind Toledo and 24 points behind Peoria in the regular season.

Atlantic City and Cincinnati met four times in the regular season. Against the Cyclones, Atlantic City was 1-0-1 at home, winning 5-2 on January 15, and 1-1-0 on the road, winning 6-4 on March 8. Against the Bullies, Cincinnati was 1-1-0 at home, winning 6-2 on March 12, and 1-1-0 on the road, winning 4-3 in a shootout on December 15.

Joe Cardarelli led the Cyclones with five assists and seven points in four games against Atlantic City while Aaron Brand and Bob Crummer tied for the team lead with three goals each. Jade Galbraith and Shawn Maltby tied for the Bullies team lead with four assists each while Galbraith led the team with six points against Cincinnati. Carl Corazzini, who is not on Atlantic City's postseason roster, led the Bullies with three goals, scoring a hat trick on January 15. Cincinnati's Greg Hewitt was 1-0-0 with a 2.77 goals against average and a .939 save percentage in one game against Atlantic City. Atlantic City's Matt Yeats was 1-1-0 with a 4.00 goals against average and a .849 save percentage in two games against Cincinnati.

City's J.F. Caudron, Cincinnati's Nick Bootland, and Columbia's Robin Carruthers are tied for the Kelly Cup Playoffs lead with five goals each. Atlantic City's Luke Curtin leads the postseason with nine assists while Mississippi's Sergei Kuznetsov and Steffon Walby are tied for second in scoring with 10 points each. Columbia's Barrie Moore leads the playoffs with four power-play goals while Atlantic City's Paul Spadafora leads with two shorthand goals and teammate Caudron leads with three game-winning goals.

Cincinnati's Greg Hewitt and Mississippi's Greg Gardner are tied for the Kelly Cup Playoffs lead with six wins each and Hewitt leads the postseason with 513 minutes. Columbia's Carruthers leads rookies in the playoffs with five goals while his Inferno teammate Tim Smith and Mississippi's Kent Davyduke are tied for the rookie scoring lead with eight points. Davyduke leads the rookies with seven assists while Mississippi's Mike Scott leads with two game-winning goals and Columbia's Corey Hessler leads with two power-play goals. Columbia's Trevor Demmans leads defensemen in postseason scoring with nine points while Atlantic City's Peter Metcalf is tied for the lead among defensemen with three goals.

2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs

Southern Conference Finals

(Best-of-Seven Series)

Wednesday, April 23

Mississippi at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

Friday, April 25

Mississippi at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 27

Columbia at Mississippi 5:05 p.m. CT

Monday, April 28

Columbia at Mississippi 7:05 p.m. CT

Wednesday, April 30

*Columbia at Mississippi 7:05 p.m. CT

Friday, May 2

*Mississippi at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 3

*Mississippi at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

* - If Necessary

2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs

Northern Conference Finals

(Best-of-Seven Series)

Wednesday, April 23

Cincinnati at Atlantic City 7:05 p.m. ET

Friday, April 25

Cincinnati at Atlantic City 7:35 p.m. ET

Saturday, April 26

Atlantic City at Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. ET

Monday, April 28

Atlantic City at Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 29

*Atlantic City at Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. ET

Friday, May 2

*Cincinnati at Atlantic City 7:35 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 3

*Cincinnati at Atlantic City 7:35 p.m. ET

* - If Necessary

Murphy, Berthiaume, Seitz, Dexter Move Up In Postseason Record Book

Jay Murphy had five goals in eight games for Greensboro in the 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs giving him 50 career playoff goals, tying him for first with Phil Berger. Murphy, who has also appeared in the postseason with Louisiana and Richmond, ranks second all-time with 93 games and 318 penalty minutes while ranking third with 94 points and tied for sixth with 44 assists. Greensboro's Daniel Berthiaume appeared in eight games and has moved into second all-time among goaltenders with 40 playoff games and climbed into fourth with 19 wins. South Carolina's Dave Seitz and Brad Dexter are tied for sixth with 44 assists and Seitz is tied for fifth in points with 73 and tied for seventh in goals with 29.

Old Cyclones vs. New Cyclones

Atlantic City and Cincinnati is a matchup of the old and the new Cincinnati Cyclones.

Atlantic City played its first two seasons in the East Coast Hockey League as the Cincinnati Cyclones in 1990-91 and 1991-92 before moving to Birmingham where the team played until relocating to Atlantic City in 2001.

The current Cyclones played their first three seasons in the ECHL as the Louisville RiverFrogs from 1995-98. The team relocated to Miami for one season and was dormant until moving to Cincinnati in 2001.

Former ECHL Players Among AHL Calder Cup Leaders

The East Coast Hockey League is well represented in the 2003 Calder Cup Playoffs with 128 former players on the rosters and 11 former coaches as well as a former MVP behind the benches. Each of the 20 American Hockey League playoff teams had no less than two former ECHL players on their respective rosters.

Jan Lasak, who played for Hampton Roads in 1999-2000, leads the postseason in minutes played with 365 minutes. Lasak helped Milwaukee beat Rochester, two games to one, before being swept by Houston, three games to none.

Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who played for Dayton in 1997-98, ranks second in the playoffs with 139 saves. Aubin and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which sweep Utah in two games in the first round, trail Grand Rapids, two games to one, in the second round.

Mike Minard, who played for Reading and Toledo in 2002-03, leads the American Hockey League Calder Cup Playoffs with a 0.59 goals against average while ranking second with a ..970 save percentage. Minard played for Dayton in 1998-99, for New Orleans in 1997-98 and for Wheeling in 1996-97.

Scott Ricci, who played for Trenton in 2001-02 and Greenville in 2000-01, leads all defensemen in postseason plus/minus with +6.

Lalime Among Stanley Cup Playoffs Leaders

There were 36 former players on the rosters and five former coaches behind the benches of the National Hockey League teams when the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs began. There was an ECHL representative on 15 of the 16 teams with the only team not having a former ECHL player or coach being Toronto.

Patrick Lalime, who played for Hampton Roads of the East Coast Hockey League in 1994-95, is tied for the Stanley Cup Playoffs lead with four wins, helping Ottawa advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. In his fourth season with the Senators, Lalime ranks second in the postseason with a 1.30 goals against average and a .949 save percentage. Lalime led the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 1.39 goals against average and a .946 save percentage.

2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs Results

SE Division Wild Card Game

Greenville 3, FLORIDA 2

SW Division Wild Card Game

Pensacola 3, JACKSON 2 (OT)

Southeast Division Semifinals

(Columbia wins series 3 games to 0)

COLUMBIA 6, Greenville 2

COLUMBIA 6, Greenville 4

Columbia 6, GREENVILLE 4

Southeast Division Semifinals

(Pee Dee wins series 3 games to 1)

Pee Dee 3, SOUTH CAROLINA 0

South Carolina 7, PEE DEE 1

Pee Dee 4, SOUTH CAROLINA 3

PEE DEE 4, South Carolina 3 (OT)

Southwest Division Semifinals

(Mississippi wins series 3 games to 0)

MISSISSIPPI 5, Pensacola 1

MISSISSIPPI 5, Pensacola 1

Mississippi 5, PENSACOLA 1

Southwest Division Semifinals

(Louisiana wins series 3 games to 0)

LOUISIANA 2, Arkansas 0

LOUISIANA 2, Arkansas 1

Louisiana 3, ARKANSAS 1

Southeast Division Finals

(Columbia wins series 3 games to 0)

COLUMBIA 4, Pee Dee 1

COLUMBIA 2, Pee Dee 1

Columbia 5, PEE DEE 1

Southwest Division Finals

(Mississippi wins series 3 games to 0)

MISSISSIPPI 5, Louisiana 2

MISSISSIPPI 4, Louisiana 0

Mississippi 3, LOUISIANA 2

Northwest Division Semifinals

(Toledo wins series 3 games to 0)

TOLEDO 9, Lexington 1

TOLEDO 3, Lexington 0

Toledo 5, LEXINGTON 1

Northwest Division Semifinals

(Cincinnati wins series 3 games to 1)

Cincinnati 4, PEORIA 3

PEORIA 2, Cincinnati 1 (OT)

CINCINNATI 1, Peoria 0 (OT)

CINCINNATI 4, Peoria 3 (2 OT)

Northeast Division Semifinals

(Atlantic City wins series 3 games to 0)

ATLANTIC CITY 4, Trenton 3

ATLANTIC CITY 4, Trenton 0

Atlantic City 7, TRENTON 3

Northeast Division Semifinals

(Greensboro wins series 3 games to 1)

GREENSBORO 7, Roanoke 2

Roanoke 3, GREENSBORO 1

Greensboro 3, ROANOKE 2

Greensboro 5, Roanoke 3

Northwest Division Finals

(Cincinnati wins series 3 games to 1)

Cincinnati 2, TOLEDO 1

Cincinnati 4, TOLEDO 2

Toledo 1, CINCINNATI 0

CINCINNATI 4, Toledo 1

Northeast Division Finals

(Atlantic City wins series 3 games to 1)

ATLANTIC CITY 3, Greensboro 2 (OT)

Greensboro 3, ATLANTIC CITY 2 (OT)

Atlantic City 6, GREENSBORO 3

Atlantic City 3, GREENSBORO 2

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