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Division Finals Open Wednesday

Published on April 9, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. – The 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs Division Finals begin on Wednesday as Mississippi hosts Louisiana in the Southwest Division Finals. The remaining three series will all open on Friday. No. 1 Seed Atlantic City meets No. 2 Seed Greensboro in the Northeast Division Finals while the Northwest Division Finals feature No. 1 Seed Toledo and No. 3 Seed Cincinnati. In the Southeast Division Finals, No. 1 Seed Columbia meets No. 3 Seed Pee Dee.

The 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs Division Finals are best-of-five series with the winners advancing to meet in the Conference Finals which will be best-of-seven series. Conference Finals are scheduled for April 22-May 4 with the Kelly Cup Finals scheduled for May 6-19.

In the Southwest Division Semifinals, No. 1 Seed Mississippi swept Pensacola in three games for the second year in a row while No. 2 Seed Louisiana swept Arkansas. Louisiana has appeared in the postseason in each of its eight seasons in the ECHL while Mississippi has qualified for the playoffs in five of its seven seasons. In the 2002 Southwest Division Finals, Mississippi swept Jackson in three games before being eliminated in the Southern Conference Finals by eventual Kelly Cup Champion Greenville, three games to one. Mississippi won the Kelly Cup Championship in 1999. Louisiana lost to eventual Kelly Cup Champion South Carolina in the 2001 Southern Conference Finals and lost to Peoria in the Kelly Cup Finals in 2000. The IceGators lost in the Southern Conference Finals to Pensacola in 1998 and to South Carolina in the 1997 Kelly Cup Finals. It is the second postseason meeting between Mississippi and Louisiana with the IceGators defeating the Sea Wolves, three games to one, in the 2000 Southern Conference Quarterfinals. Mississippi's Jim Baxter leads all defensemen in the postseason with five assists and six points in three games. Louisiana's Kyle Kettles is tied for the postseason lead with three wins, one shutout and a 0.67 goals against average while teammate Nathan Rempel is tied for the postseason lead with two game-winning goals and tied for second with three goals. Louisiana was 8-3-1 in the regular season against Mississippi while the Sea Wolves were 4-8-0 against the IceGators.

For the Louisiana - Mississippi head-to-head matchup:

http://www.echl.com/upload_images/SeriesL49.pdf

In the Northeast Division Semifinals, Atlantic City swept Trenton, three games to none, while Greensboro beat Roanoke, three games to one. Atlantic City advances to the Northeast Division Finals for the second time in its two seasons, having swept Trenton in the 2002 Northeast Division Finals to advance to the Northern Conference Finals where it lost to Dayton. In its fourth season in the ECHL, Greensboro is in the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time. Atlantic City's Paul Spadafora leads the postseason with two shorthand goals and is tied for second with three goals and tied for fourth in scoring with six points (3g-3a). Greensboro's Jay Murphy leads the Kelly Cup Playoffs with eight points and is tied for second with three goals and five assists. Atlantic City was 4-2-0 against Greensboro in the regular season while the Generals were 2-3-1 against the Boardwalk Bullies.

For the Greensboro - Atlantic City head-to-head matchup:

http://www.echl.com/upload_images/SeriesN49.pdf

In the Northwest Division Semifinals, No. 1 Seed Toledo swept Lexington in three games while No. 3 Seed Cincinnati beat Peoria, three games to one. Toledo finished atop the ECHL with 104 points in the regular season to win its second Brabham Cup Championship, the first coming in the Storm's inaugural season in 1991-92. Toledo returns to the postseason for the first time since 2001 and is making its 10th playoff appearance, including winning back-to-back Jack Riley Cup Championships in 1993 and 1994. The Riley Cup was awarded to the ECHL Champion from 1988-96 when it was retired and replaced with the current Patrick J. Kelly Cup. The Cyclones are making their second straight postseason appearance since returning to Cincinnati in 2001-02. Cincinnati was swept in three games by eventual Northern Conference Champion Dayton in the 2002 Northwest Division Semifinals. Toledo's Grady Moore is tied for the postseason rookie lead with four assists and four points while teammate Doug Teskey is tied for the postseason lead with three wins, one shutout and a 0.67 goals against average. Cincinnati's Nick Bootland leads the postseason with four goals and is tied for fourth in scoring with six points (4g-2a) while teammate Aaron Brand is tied for the postseason lead with two game-winning goals. Toledo was 7-2-1 against Cincinnati in the regular season while the Cyclones were 3-6-1 against the Storm.

For the Cincinnati - Toledo head-to-head matchup:

http://www.echl.com/upload_images/SeriesK49.pdf

In the Southeast Division Semifinals, No. 1 Seed Columbia swept defending Kelly Cup Champion Greenville in three games while No. 3 Seed Pee Dee beat South Carolina, three games to one. Pee Dee beat Columbia in five games in the 2002 Southeast Division Semifinals before losing in four games to Greenville in the Southeast Division Finals. Pee Dee has advanced to the postseason in each of its six seasons since moving to South Carolina while Columbia has made the postseason in each of its first two seasons in the ECHL. Columbia's Tim Smith and Sean Owens are tied for the rookie lead with two goals and Smith ranks first in rookie scoring with five points (2g-3a) while Owens and teammate Corey Hessler (1g-3a) are tied for second. Columbia's Barrie Moore leads the postseason with three power-play goals while teammate Rejean Stringer leads the postseason with six assists and is tied for second in scoring with seven points. Pee Dee's Kyle Kidney is tied for the postseason lead with two game-winning goals. Columbia was 6-2-1 against Pee Dee in the regular season while the Pride was 3-5-1 against the Inferno.

For the Pee Dee - Columbia head-to-head matchup:

http://www.echl.com/upload_images/SeriesM49.pdf

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