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ECHL Northern Conference Notebook

Published on April 3, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Northeast Division ==================

ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK BULLIES (Bruins) -- The Bullies ended the season atop the Northeast Division with a franchise-record 94 points (41-19-12). They alternated wins and losses over their final 10 games and barely held off surging Greensboro by one point. ... LW Luke Curtain led the team with 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in the month of March and finished the season with 45 points. ... C Kevin Colley ended the season riding a seven-game point streak, producing 12 points (six goals, six assists). He finished with 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in just 50 games with the club. .... Atlantic City advanced to face the Trenton Titans in the first round of the playoffs. The Bullies went 6-2-2 against the Titans in the regular season.

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (Rangers) -- Before dropping their final two games of the season, the Checkers ran off a 14-2-1 stretch from February 22-March 25. Those final two losses were costly, however, as their 85 points (41-28-3) left them just one point behind the Trenton Titans for the final playoff spot in the Northeast Division. The best team in the league not to make the playoffs, Charlotte finished with the second-most road wins (19) in the Northern Conference. ... G Colin Zulianello started each of the club's final 11 games and went 7-4-1 with two shutouts and a 2.67 goals-against average in the month of March. G Scott Meyer went 4-0 during the month and made 51 saves in a 2-1 win over the Richmond Renegades on March 8. Meyer was called up to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League four days later. ... C David Evans ended the season on a seven-game point streak, amassing 10 points (eight goals, two assists). He scored a goal in six straight games, March 18-28.

GREENSBORO GENERALS (Hurricanes) -- The Generals ended the regular season riding a seven-game winning streak which included four one-goal victories. They finished second in the Northeast Division with 93 points (42-21-9) and will face off against the Roanoke Express in the first round of the playoffs. Greensboro won the last two meetings with the Express in the regular season. ... Captain RW Jay Murphy led the Generals with six goals in March and finished the season with 21 tallies and 26 assists in 43 games. ... RW Sam Ftorek tied a franchise record with 33 goals on the season.

READING ROYALS (Kings) -- The Royals lost their final six games of the season to finish in last place in the Northeast Division with a record of 32-35-5. ... LW Steve Rymsha put together a 15-game point streak from February 15 through March 19, piling up 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) over that span. The streak was tied for the third-longest of its kind in the league this season. Rymsha managed just a goal and two assists over his final six games, however, and finished with 77 points overall. ... C Brian McCullough finished third in the league's scoring race with 95 points (39 goals, 56 assists).

RICHMOND RENEGADES (Sharks) -- The Renegades went 5-1-1 over their final seven games but finished out of the playoffs with a record of 35-31-6, good for sixth in the Northeast Division. ... D Jonathan Zion was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team, putting up 52 points (14 goals, 38 assists) in 58 games to rank tied for fourth among league defensemen. ... C Lars Pettersen posted 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in March and finished with a team-leading 80 points on the season.

ROANOKE EXPRESS (Blackhawks) -- The Express entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Northeast Division and will face the red-hot Greensboro Generals in the first round. The club won the final three games of the season by a combined score of 15-7. ... F Jason Jaffray was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team after leading all rookies in points (85) and assists (51) while ranking second in goals (34). ... LW Dan Carlson was the league's Player of the Week for the final week of the season, posting 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in five games to finish with 78 points on the season.

TRENTON TITANS (Flyers) -- The Titans beat the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, 7-2, in their season finale and earned the final playoff berth in the Northeast Division. Their 86 points were one better than the Charlotte Checkers' 85. .... LW Scott Bertoli, who owned an 18-game point streak from January 11-March 1, led the Titans with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in March. Bertoli ranked second on the club with 59 points in the season. ... C Adam Edinger led the team in goals (33) and points (70). He scored 21 of his goals at home and ranked third in the league with six shorthanded tallies.

Northwest Division ==================

CINCINNATI CYCLONES (Sharks) -- Despite going under .500 in the final month of the season (8-9-1), the Cyclones finished third in the Northwest Division with a record of 36-29-7. Their first-round playoff opponent, the Peoria Rivermen, won six of the eight meetings in the regular season. ... LW Joe Cardarelli had a monster March, scoring 12 goals and adding 10 assists. No teammate had more than six tallies in the month. For the season, Cardarelli produced 70 points (36 goals, 34 assists) in 57 games with the club. ... C Matt Noga established new single-season franchise records with 75 points and 51 assists.

DAYTON BOMBERS (Blue Jackets) -- Following their franchise-record 13-game winless streak (0-11-2) from February 8-March 8, the Bombers went a respectable 5-4 over their final nine games to finish at 24-38-10. ... C Fred Slukynsky led the Bombers in March with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and finished the season fourth on the club with 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists). ... G TJ Aceti joined the club on March 21 and earned his first win the next night, making 33 saves in a 3-2 shootout win over the league-leading Toledo Storm. Aceti lost his four other decisions, however, and posted a 3.27 goals-against average in his five outings.

JOHNSTOWN CHIEFS (Flames) -- The Chiefs finished the season with only one win in their final six games (1-3-2) and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1998-99 season. ... RW Sam St. Pierre and F Steve Hildenbrand scored six goals in March to lead the club. St. Pierre had five of the team's 11 power-play tallies, giving him 12 man-advantage goals on the season. He tied for the team lead with 23 goals over all and ranked tied for second with 58 points. ... G Mark Scally started the final eight games of the season and went 2-4-2 with a 3.77 goals-against average.

LEXINGTON MEN O' WAR (Mighty Ducks) -- Despite establishing an early 3-1 lead, the Men O' War lost their season finale to the Greensboro Generals, 4-3, on March 29 to finish at 34-31-7. They entered their playoff series against the league's top team, the Toledo Storm, with losses in three of their last four road games. ... D Joe Vandermeer notched 11 assists in 12 games in March and finished seventh among league defensemen with 51 points (nine goals, 42 assists). D Ben Storey ranked tied for second among league blueliners with 18 goals.

PEORIA RIVERMEN (Blues) -- The Rivermen closed out the regular season with a 5-1-2 record over their last eight games and finished the year with 103 points, the second-most in the league. Despite its second 100-point season in the last three years, Peoria mustered a second-place finish in the Northwest Division, falling one-point shy of top-seeded Toledo. ... The Rivermen face Cincinnati in the division semifinals. Peoria went just 2-6 against the Cyclones during the regular season, being outscored 29-19. The Rivermen dropped the opener 3-2 before evening the series on April 2 with a 2-1 victory in overtime. RW Greg Davis scored 3:15 into the extra session, giving Peoria the win. ... C Tyler Rennette led the team with 42 goals and 74 points during the regular season. He also had 32 assists.

TOLEDO STORM (Predators) -- First-year head coach Claude Noel was named the 2002-03 ECHL Coach of the Year on April 3 by a vote of the league's coaches. Noel guided the Storm to a 47-15-10 record, good for 104 points and the top seed in the playoffs. All of this coming one-year after Toledo finished last in the division with a 28-34-10 mark. ... The Storm's 38-point increase from last year was the fourth largest in ECHL history. ... Toledo established a team record with 29 home wins and matched the franchise record with 104 points (1995-96). ... F Nick Parillo led the team with 61 points (23 goals, 38 assists) in 66 games this season for the Storm. G Doug Teskey finished the year with a 31-8-5 record and a 2.89 goals-against average. ... Toledo opened the Kelly Cup Playoffs with a 9-1 drubbing of Lexington. The Storm actually lost the season series with the Men O' War, 5-4.

WHEELING NAILERS (Penguins) -- The Nailers lost their final two games of the regular season and finished with a 28-41-3 record, 18 points out of a playoff spot. ... During the course of the regular season, Wheeling never won more than three straight games and only posted three-game winning streaks on two occasions (November 8-10; February 22-28). ... F Zenon Konopka led the team with 48 assists and 70 points. He also tallied 22 goals in 68 games. LW Bobby Russell led the team with 26 goals. Russell closed out the regular season with five goals and seven points over his last three games.

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ECHL Stories from April 3, 2003


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