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April 13, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


South Division Quarterfinals (Best-of-Five)
Texas Leads Series 2-1

#1 Texas Wildcatters (52-9-11) at #8 Mississippi Sea Wolves (29-40-3) 5:05 p.m. CT
* Sea Wolves are 4-1-0 with two overtime wins in their last five home games against Texas.
* Texas rookie defenseman Cleve Kinley leads the Kelly Cup Playoffs with six assists and eight points in three games.
* Mississippi has won its last two postseason overtime games and is 9-5 overall in overtime in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
* Texas' Kevin Baker has scored 10 goals in his last eight games including four in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
* Game 5, if necessary, would be played Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Texas.

National Conference Quarterfinals (Best-of-Seven)
Series Tied 0-0

#6 Utah Grizzlies (32-30-10) at #3 Fresno Falcons 5 p.m. PT
* Falcons have won the last four meetings and are 6-3-1 in the season series and 13-8-1 all-time against Utah.
* Grizzlies were 3-1-1 at Fresno and 4-4-2 overall in the season series and are 9-9-4 all-time against Fresno.
* Fresno's Jake Moreland was 3-0-1 with a goals-against average of 2.23 in four games against Utah.
* Scott Burt led the Grizzlies against Utah in the regular season with six assists and 10 points in 10 games.
* Game 2 will be played Monday at 7 p.m. at Fresno.

National Conference Quarterfinals (Best-of-Seven)
Series Tied 1-1

#1 Las Vegas Wranglers (47-13-12) at #8 Stockton Thunder (27-40-5) 6 p.m. PT
* Wranglers were 3-1-1 at Stockton in 2007-08 and are 7-2-1 all-time on the road against the Thunder.
* Stockton's Brandon Schwartz had career playoff highs with two goals and three points on Saturday.
* Peter Ferraro assisted on the game-tying and the game-winning goal in Las Vegas' 5-4 overtime win on Saturday.
* Thunder rookie Jonas Almtorp has 10 points (3g-7a) in his last seven games including three (1g-2a) in the playoffs.
* Game 4 will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton.

National Conference Quarterfinals (Best-of-Seven)
Alaska Leads Series 3-0

#4 Idaho Steelheads (40-22-10) at #5 Alaska Aces (41-26-5) 7:15 p.m. AT
* Aces have won their last five home games against Idaho and are 27-24-3 all-time against the Steelheads.
* Idaho's Taggart Desmet has a three-game goal streak and is tied for the Kelly Cup Playoffs lead with four goals.
* Aces' Marek Schwarz is 9-0, including 3-0 in postseason, with goals-against average of 2.39 in nine ECHL games.
* John Lammers led Idaho against Alaska in the regular season with nine goals and 10 points in seven games.
* Game 5, if necessary, would be played Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. at Alaska.

Watch Games Live on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" of the ECHL

Kelly Cup Playoff Series In Progress

North Division Semifinals (Best-of-Seven)

#1 Cincinnati Cyclones (41-24-7) vs. #4 Johnstown Chiefs (36-30-6)
Cincinnati Leads Series 2-0
Game 1 - Johnstown 3 at CINCINNATI 5
Game 2 - Johnstown 1 at CINCINNATI 4
Game 3 - Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Johnstown

#2 Elmira Jackals (41-24-7) vs. #3 Reading Royals (38-26-8)
Series Tied 1-1
Game 1 - Reading 0 at ELMIRA 1
Game 2 - Elmira 4 at READING 5 (OT)
Game 3 - Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Elmira

South Division Quarterfinals (Best-of-Five)

#1 Texas Wildcatters (52-9-11) vs. #8 Mississippi Sea Wolves (29-40-3)
Texas Leads Series 2-1
Game 1 - Mississippi 1 at TEXAS 4
Game 2 - Mississippi 2 at TEXAS 5
Game 3 - Texas 3 at MISSISSIPPI 4 (OT)
Game 4 - Sunday at 5:05 p.m. at Mississippi

#2 South Carolina Stingrays (47-22-3) vs. #7 Augusta Lynx (32-35-5)
Augusta Leads Series 2-0
Game 1 - South Carolina 2 at AUGUSTA 5
Game 2 - South Carolina 3 at AUGUSTA 4 (OT)
Game 3 - Monday at 7:15 p.m. at South Carolina

National Conference Quarterfinals (Best-of-Seven)

#1 Las Vegas Wranglers (47-13-12) vs. #8 Stockton Thunder (27-40-5)
Series Tied 1-1
Game 1 - STOCKTON 4 at Las Vegas 2
Game 2 - Stockton 4 at LAS VEGAS 5 (OT)
Game 3 - Sunday at 6 p.m. at Stockton

#2 Victoria Salmon Kings (42-23-7) vs. #7 Bakersfield Condors (26-37-9)
Series Tied 1-1
Game 1 - BAKERSFIELD 2 at Victoria 1 (OT)
Game 2 - Bakersfield 3 at VICTORIA 4
Game 3 - Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Bakersfield

#3 Fresno Falcons (42-22-8) vs. #6 Utah Grizzlies (32-30-10)
Game 1 - Sunday at 5 p.m. at Fresno

#4 Idaho Steelheads (40-22-10) vs. #5 Alaska Aces (41-26-5)
Alaska Leads Series 3-0
Game 1 - ALASKA 4 at Idaho 1
Game 2 - ALASKA 6 at Idaho 4
Game 3 - Idaho 2 at ALASKA 3 (OT)
Game 4 - Sunday at 7:15 p.m. at Alaska

Kelly Cup Playoff Results

North Division Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three)

#4 Johnstown Chiefs (36-30-6) vs. #5 Dayton Bombers (29-31-12)
Johnstown Wins Series 2-0
Game 1 - Johnstown 3 at DAYTON 1
Game 2 - JOHNSTOWN 5 at Dayton 0

South Division Quarterfinals (Best-of-Five)

#3 Gwinnett Gladiators (44-23-5) vs. #6 Charlotte Checkers (34-31-7)
Gwinnett Wins Series 3-0
Game 1 - Charlotte 0 at GWINNETT 4
Game 2 - Charlotte 1 at GWINNETT 4
Game 3 - GWINNETT 2 at Charlotte 1

#4 Florida Everblades (39-25-8) vs. #5 Columbia Inferno (33-28-11)
Columbia Wins Series 3-0
Game 1 - COLUMBIA 3 at Florida 2 (OT)
Game 2 - COLUMBIA 3 at Florida 1
Game 3 - Florida 2 at COLUMBIA 3

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

- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 25 teams playing 900 games in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08.

- The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

- Affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

- 355 former ECHL players have played in NHL.

- 26 former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Peoria Rivermen and Alaska Aces goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu (St. Louis on Feb. 21), former Pensacola Ice Pilots left wing Adam Berti (Chicago on Apr. 4), former Florida Everblades center David Brine (Florida on Feb. 2), former Idaho Steelheads right wing B.J. Crombeen (Dallas on Jan. 19), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Kevin Doell (Atlanta on Jan. 4), former Alaska defenseman Zack FitzGerald (Vancouver on Feb. 5), former Columbia left wing Alex Foster (Toronto on Mar. 18), former Fresno goaltender Thomas Greiss (San Jose on Jan. 14), former Roanoke Express and Wheeling Nailers left wing Jason Jaffray (Vancouver on Dec. 12), former Wheeling Nailers left wing Joe Jensen (Carolina on Feb. 18), former Dayton and Elmira goaltender Dan LaCosta (Columbus on Mar. 25), former Toledo Storm goaltender Drew MacIntyre (Vancouver on Dec. 13), former San Diego Gulls left wing Cody McLeod (Colorado on Dec. 19), former Alaska Aces and Pensacola Ice Pilots center Chris Minard (Pittsburgh on Jan. 21), former Columbia Inferno center Brandon Nolan (Carolina on Dec. 22), former Johnstown Chiefs and Fresno Falcons goaltender Dmitri Patzold (San Jose on Oct. 7), former Gwinnett Gladiators and Louisiana IceGators left wing Pascal Pelletier (Boston on Jan. 17), former Reading Royals goaltender Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles on Dec. 6), former Stockton Thunder left wing Liam Reddox (Edmonton on Dec. 7), former Cincinnati Cyclones left wing Greg Stewart (Montreal on Apr. 5), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Colin Stuart (Atlanta on Dec. 29), former Bakersfield Condors, Reading Royals, Texas Wildcatters and Wheeling Nailers goaltender Danny Taylor (Los Angeles on Mar. 29), former Columbus Chill, Richmond Renegades and Trenton Titans left wing Pete Vandermeer (Phoenix on Feb. 10), former San Diego goaltender Tyler Weiman (Colorado on Oct. 4), former Charlotte Checkers right wing Craig Weller (Phoenix on Oct. 4) and former Phoenix RoadRunners center Daniel Winnik (Phoenix Coyotes on Oct. 4).

- 210 former ECHL players have played their first game in the NHL in the past seven seasons, including 94 since 2005-06.

- Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2006-07, including two who played in both the ECHL and the NHL as goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji played for Reading and Los Angeles while defenseman Bryan Young skated for Stockton and Edmonton. Dave McKee played for Augusta and dressed for five games as the backup goaltender for Stanley Cup champion Anaheim.

- ECHL has been represented on last seven Stanley Cup champions.

- There are 15 coaches in the NHL who have ECHL experience including former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, and former Mississippi coach Bruce Boudreau, who is head coach of the Washington Capitals.
- ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League, marking the seventh consecutive season that it has had affiliations with 20 or more teams in the AHL.

- ECHL has been represented on last 18 Calder Cup champions.

- In the last five seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.
ECHL and its member teams contributed nearly $3 million for charity and relief funds in 2006-07.

- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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