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Conference Finals Preview

Published on June 15, 2021 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Eastern Conference Finals (Best of Five)

#2 Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs. #4 South Carolina Stingrays

An intrastate matchup between the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and South Carolina Stingrays will determine the Eastern Conference representative in the 2021 Kelly Cup Finals. Both teams have been riding hot streaks through the end of the regular season and into the postseason with the Swamp Rabbits posting a 16-6-1 record over their last 23 games while the Stingrays are 17-7-1 in their last 25 outings.

Greenville is appearing in the Conference Finals for the first time since 2014 and defeated Indy 3 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, allowing just six goals in the four games. Graham Knott led the Swamp Rabbits in the opening series with four points (2g-2a) while Ryan Bednard went 2-1 with one shutout, a 1.35 goals-against average and a save percentage of .959.

South Carolina is making its seventh all-time appearance in the Conference Finals after eliminating Brabham Cup champion Florida in the opening round, winning the final two games on the road. Cole Ully (3g-2a) and Dan DeSalvo (1g-4a) are tied for the playoff lead with five points each. Hunter Shepard posted a 3-2 record in the Conference Semifinals and ranks third with 118 saves.

Greenville went 9-3-3 in the regular-season series against the Stingrays while South Carolina went 6-4-5. Eight of the 15 head-to-head meetings were decided in either overtime or a shootout, with an additional two games decided by one goal in regulation. Max Zimmer led Greenville in the season series with five goals and shared the team lead with Matt Bradley with 10 points while South Carolina was paced by Justin Florek's four goals and Caleb Herbert's 10 points.

The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals receives the E.A. "Bud" Gingher Memorial Trophy. The trophy is named in recognition of E.A. "Bud" Gingher, who was Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors from 1992-95. Gingher, who passed away in 2002, co-founded the Dayton Bombers in 1991 and owned the team for seven seasons, serving as President and Governor until selling the team in 1998. Gingher was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009.

Game 1 - Wednesday, June 16 at 7:05 p.m. ET at South Carolina

Game 2 - Friday, June 18 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville

Game 3 - Saturday, June 19 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville

Game 4 - Monday, June 21 at 7:05 p.m. ET at South Carolina (If Necessary)

Game 5 - Wednesday, June 23 at 7:05 p.m. ET at South Carolina (If Necessary)

Western Conference Finals (Best of Five)

#1 Allen Americans vs. #3 Fort Wayne Komets

Allen returns to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since defeating the Komets in 2016 while Fort Wayne makes its third Conference Finals appearance in the last six years.

The Americans, who captured Kelly Cup titles in 2015 and 2016, defeated Utah 3 games to 0 in the Conference Semifinals and leads the postseason with 3.67 goals per game while ranking second with 2.00 goals-against per game. Brett Neumann is tied for third with three goals while Corey Mackin is tied for the postseason lead with four assists. Allen head coach Steve Martinson is third all-time in ECHL postseason history with 52 wins, trailing all-time leader John Brophy by three victories.

Fort Wayne, which previously reached the Western Conference Finals in 2016 and 2018, defeated Wichita 3 games to 2 in the opening round, capturing the series-clinching game in overtime. A.J. Jenks and Anthony Nellis both scored three goals in the opening round for Fort Wayne, and also share the team lead in points (four) with Matthew Boudens and Shane Harper. Dylan Ferguson is second with 135 saves and fifth with a .918 save percentage.

The two clubs did not meet in the 2020-21 regular season. In addition to Allen's 4 games to 1 victory in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the two teams have met three times in the regular season, with Fort Wayne winning each of those contests.

The winner of the Western Conference Finals receives the Bruce Taylor Trophy. The trophy is named in recognition of Bruce Taylor, who was the founding father of the West Coast Hockey League. In the early 1990s, Taylor purchased teams in Fresno, Reno and Bakersfield and in 1995 joined them with teams in Anchorage, Fairbanks and San Diego to form the West Coast Hockey League. The Taylor Cup was presented to the playoff champion in the WCHL from the league's inaugural season in 1995-96 until the league ceased operations following the 2002-03 season. Taylor's ownership in hockey began in 1983 with the purchase of the Burnaby Bluehawks of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and continued with the purchase of the Richmond Sockeyes in the BCJHL and the New Westminster Royals in the BCJHL.

Game 1 - Friday, June 18 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Allen

Game 2 - Saturday, June 19 at 7:05 p.m. CT Allen

Game 3 - Monday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Fort Wayne

Game 4 - Tuesday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Fort Wayne (If Necessary)

Game 5 - Wednesday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Fort Wayne (If Necessary)

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