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Published on April 10, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Preview of ECHL Kelly Cup Playoff Games for Friday Apr. 10, 2009

American Conference - North Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) - Series Tied 0-0

#3 Elmira Jackals (39-26-7) at #2 Trenton Devils (40-25-7) 7 p.m. ET
Click For Match-Up Sheet
- Trenton's Eric Castonguay has a three-game goal streak (4g) and a three-game point streak (4g-1a).
- Jackals' Chris Korchinski has four points (3g-1a) in his last two games and 12 points (6g-6a) in his last 10 games.
- Devils' Jeff Prough has four points (0g-4a) in his last two games and 11 points (5g-6a) in his last seven games.
- Elmira's Chaz Johnson has three points (1g-2a) in his last two games and 10 points (4g-6a) in his last eight games.
- Game 2 is Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at Trenton.

American Conference - South Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) - Series Tied 0-0

#4 Gwinnett Gladiators (31-35-6) at #1 Florida Everblades (49-17-5) 7:30 p.m. ET
Click For Match-Up Sheet
- Florida rookie David Leggio is 5-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.78 in his last five starts.
- Gwinnett's Adam Berti has a two-game point streak (1g-2a) and six points (2g-4a) in his last five games.
- Everblades' Milan Gajic has a nine-game point streak (4g-10a) and a six-game assist streak (7a).
- Gladiators defenseman Jeff Mason has three points (1g-2a) in his last four games.
- Game 2 is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida.

American Conference - North Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) - Wheeling Leads Series 1-0

#4 Wheeling Nailers (36-28-8) at #1 Cincinnati Cyclones (41-26-5) 7:30 p.m. ET
Click For Match-Up Sheet
- Cyclones have not lost back-to-back postseason games since division finals at Dayton on May 2 and 3, 2007.
- Nailers are 5-3-0 in their last eight Kelly Cup Playoffs road games.
- Cincinnati rookie Felix Petit has a three-game point streak (2g-2a) and a two-game goal streak (2g).
- Wheeling's Curtis Darling made 36 saves in 4-1 win on Thursday for first professional postseason victory.
- Game 3 is Saturday at 7:35 p.m. ET at Wheeling.

National Conference - Pacific Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) - Series Tied 0-0

#4 Stockton Thunder (32-33-7) at #1 Ontario Reign (38-29-6) 7 p.m. PT
Click For Match-Up Sheet
- Rookie Jon Rheault leads the Reign in the last 10 games with four goals and seven points.
- Stockton's Mike Lalonde has five assists and six points in his last five games.
- Reign rookie Jeff Zatkoff is 2-1-0 with a goals-against average of 2.34 in his last three home starts.
- Thunder's Ryan Huddy tied for fifth among ECHL rookies with 35 goals and was ninth with 73 points.
- Game 2 is Saturday at 7 p.m. PT at Ontario.

National Conference - Pacific Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) - Series Tied 0-0

#3 Bakersfield Condors (33-31-8) at #2 Las Vegas Wranglers (34-31-8) 7:30 p.m. PT
Click For Match-Up Sheet
- Las Vegas' Mick Lawrence has a two-game point streak (2g-1a) and seven points (5g-2a) in his last five games.
- Condors' Mark Derlago has a 15-game point streak (11g-18a) and a five-game assist streak (6a).
- Las Vegas' Glenn Fisher is 6-2-0 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.30 in his last eight games.
- Bakersfield's Mike Wirll has a 10-game point streak (4g-10a) and 25 points (11g-14a) in his last 15 games.
- Game 2 is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT at Las Vegas.

National Conference - West Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) - Series Tied 0-0

#4 Utah Grizzlies (32-30-10) at #1 Alaska Aces (45-24-3) 7:15 p.m. AT
Click For Match-Up Sheet
- Alaska's Scott Burt has a seven-game point streak (7g-2a).
- Utah rookie Dan McDonald had career-high four goals and four points in 5-2 win against Alaska on Apr. 4.
- Aces' Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is 8-2-0 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.98 in his last 10 starts.
- Grizzlies' Tim Verbeek has six assists and seven points in his last five games.
- Game 2 is Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at Alaska.

Other 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs Series

American Conference - South Division Semifinals (Best of Seven)

#2 South Carolina Stingrays (42-23-6) vs. #3 Charlotte Checkers (34-29-8) Charlotte Leads Series 1-0
Click For Match-Up Sheet
Game 1 - South Carolina 3 at CHARLOTTE 5
Game 2 - Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at Charlotte

National Conference - West Division Semifinals (Best of Seven)

# 2 Idaho Steelheads (44-24-4) vs. #4 Victoria Salmon Kings (38-27-7)
Click For Match-Up Sheet
Game 1 - Saturday at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho

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Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
* The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and 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 21 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.
* The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003.
* Affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League marking 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
* 406 former ECHL players have played in NHL.
* 150 have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.
* Record 51 former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Idaho Steelheads right wing Jay Beagle (Washington on Feb. 11), former Wheeling Nailers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Paul Bissonnette (Pittsburgh on Oct. 4), former Stockton Thunder and ECHL All-Star right wing Troy Bodie (Anaheim on Jan. 16), former Bakersfield Condors center Alexandre Bolduc (Vancouver on Nov. 27), former Florida Everblades defenseman Brett Carson (Carolina on Dec. 7), former Idaho Steelheads goaltender Matt Climie (Dallas on Apr.4), former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Sean Collins (Washington on Dec. 6), former Las Vegas Wranglers and Wheeling Nailers goaltender John Curry (Pittsburgh on Nov. 26), former Greenville Grrrowl goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (Edmonton on Oct. 17), former Johnstown Chiefs center Andre Deveaux (Toronto on Nov. 27), former Dayton Bombers center Philippe Dupuis (Colorado on Dec. 12), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Chris Durno (Colorado on Jan. 18), former Gwinnett Gladiators right wing Pat Dwyer (Carolina on Nov. 2), former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jamie Fraser (New York Islanders on Apr. 4), former Columbus Cottonmouths and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks left wing Mitch Fritz (New York Islanders on Oct. 30), former South Carolina Stingrays right wing Andrew Gordon (Washington on Dec. 23), former Augusta Lynx and Mississippi Sea Wolves goaltender Riku Helenius (Tampa Bay on Jan. 30), former Charlotte Checkers center Dwight Helminen (Carolina on Oct. 28), former Florida Everblades and ECHL All-Star center Matt Hendricks (Colorado on Mar. 10), former Las Vegas Wranglers goaltender Brent Krahn (Dallas on Feb. 14), former Trenton Devils right wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (New Jersey on Oct. 22), former Gwinnett Gladiators defenseman Scott Lehman (Atlanta on Dec. 18), former Johnstown Chiefs defenseman Raymond Macias (Colorado on Apr. 1), former Utah Grizzlies defenseman Andrew MacDonald (New York Islanders on Feb. 28), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Steve MacIntyre (Edmonton on Oct. 15), former Florida Everblades left wing Kenndal McArdle (Florida on Dec. 2), two-time All-Star and former Las Vegas Wranglers goaltender Mike McKenna (Tampa Bay on Feb. 3), former All-Star and Wheeling Nailers center Kurtis McLean (New York Islanders on Jan. 19), former Charlotte Checkers goaltender Al Montoya (Phoenix on Apr. 1), former South Carolina Stingrays and ECHL All-Star goaltender Michal Neuvirth (Washington on Feb. 14), former Johnstown Chiefs defenseman Wes O'Neill (Toronto on Mar. 9), former Columbia Inferno defenseman Phil Oreskovic (Toronto on Mar. 9), former Phoenix RoadRunners and Wheeling Nailers center Cam Paddock (St. Louis on Nov. 14), former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Adam Pardy (Calgary on Oct. 9), former Idaho Steelheads left wing Warren Peters (Calgary on Dec. 7), former Charlotte Checkers center Jakub Petruzalek (Carolina on Feb. 5), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Corey Potter (New York Rangers on Dec. 7), former Augusta Lynx defenseman Kevin Quick (Tampa Bay on Jan. 13), former Utah Grizzlies right wing Joel Rechlicz (New York Islanders on Mar. 4), former Charlotte Checkers, Columbia Inferno and Elmira Jackals defenseman Bryan Rodney (Carolina on Dec. 11), former Gwinnett Gladiators center Jared Ross (Philadelphia on Oct. 11), former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek Schwarz (St. Louis on Oct. 25), former Greenville Grrrowl and Stockton Thunder center Tim Sestito (Edmonton on Nov. 26), former Augusta Lynx defenseman Brett Skinner (New York Islanders on Oct. 27), former Dayton Bombers and Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Tyler Sloan (Washington on Oct. 21), former Utah Grizzlies and ECHL All-Star center Trevor Smith (New York Islanders on Dec. 31), former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi Sea Wolves forward Radek Smolenak (Tampa Bay on Dec. 2), former Las Vegas Wranglers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Tyson Strachan (St. Louis on Dec. 18), former Phoenix RoadRunners goaltender Josh Tordjman (Phoenix on Mar. 8), former Wheeling Nailers right wing Tim Wallace (Pittsburgh on Dec. 10) and former Idaho Steelheads center Tom Wandell (Dallas on Dec. 10).
* Eight players have played in the ECHL and the NHL in 2008-09: goaltenders Matt Climie (Idaho and Dallas), Riku Helenius (Mississippi and Tampa Bay), Michal Neuvirth (South Carolina and Washington) and Marek Schwarz (Alaska and St. Louis), defensemen Raymond Macias (Johnstown and Colorado), Wes O'Neill and Kevin Quick (Augusta and Tampa Bay) and right wing Joel Rechlicz (Utah and New York Islanders).
* There were 72 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters.
* ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2008 by Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.
* Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders while former ECHL player Dan Bylsma is the interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
* There are 18 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL.
* There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 19 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion.
* In the last six 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.
* Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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ECHL Stories from April 10, 2009


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