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Florida Qualifies For The Kelly Cup Playoffs For 10th Straight Year

March 3, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Florida has qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the 10th time in 10 seasons after a 3-1 win at Pensacola on Mar. 2.

The Everblades are in fourth place in the South Division with 71 points (32-20-7), two points behind Gwinnett (34-17-5) and four points behind South Carolina (36-20-3). Texas is 43-6-9 and continues to lead the division and the league with 95 points.

Florida, which is 3-0-3 in the last six games and 6-1-3 in the last 10 games, returns home to host Mississippi (24-33-3) on Friday and Saturday. The Everblades have a five-game home winning streak and are 19-5-3 at home. Florida is 2-0-0 at home and 4-2-0 overall this season against Mississippi and 20-6-0 all-time against the Sea Wolves.

South Carolina, which is in the postseason for an ECHL record 14th time in 15 seasons, will host Dayton on Tuesday and travels to Columbia on Saturday. The Stingrays have won the last two meetings at Columbia to improve to 2-1-0 on the road and 4-2-0 overall this season and 32-23-5 all-time against the Inferno. South Carolina is 3-1-1 against Dayton, including a 4-2 win at home on Feb. 10, 2007.

Columbia, which is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games, hosts Gwinnett on Thursday, Dayton on Friday and South Carolina on Saturday. The Inferno, who are looking to return to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2005 and the fifth time in eight seasons, are 2-1-1 against Dayton, including a 5-4 win at Columbia on Feb. 9, 2007. Columbia won 6-3 at South Carolina on Mar. 1 to improve to 27-26-6 all-time against the Stingrays.

In the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in five seasons since moving to Georgia, the Gladiators visit Charlotte on Tuesday and Columbia on Thursday before hosting Augusta on Saturday and visiting Augusta on Sunday. Gwinnett is 2-0-0 at Columbia and 5-1-0 overall this season to improve to 25-9-3 all-time against the Inferno. The Gladiators are 3-1-1 against Charlotte this year and 24-10-4 all-time against the Checkers. Gwinnett is 3-1-0 at home and 4-1-1 overall against Augusta this season and 22-14-5 all-time against the Lynx.


Trade Deadline Is Wednesday



The ECHL Trade Deadline is Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.

The following was prepared to provide a better understanding of the process.

How Is A Trade Made?

After two clubs have come to an agreement on a trade, the clubs must advise the League office, via an official trade form that has been signed by both clubs, of the terms of the trade. The League office then schedules a conference call with the two teams to review the transaction and give final approval for the deal. On the trade call, the League will review the terms of the player contracts and ensure that teams are aware of their respective obligations to the player(s) involved and that any conditions to consummation of the transaction have been clearly defined and agreed upon. The trade becomes official after each team has signed and returned the trade agreement form to the League office.

Can A Trade Take Place After 3 p.m. ET On Mar. 5, 2008?

Trade calls may take place after the 3 p.m. deadline, but the League must have received the official trade form by 3 p.m. It is not unusual that a number of trades are agreed to between the clubs just before 3 p.m. However, due to the volume of trades occurring just prior to the deadline, the League may not be able to conduct the actual trade call until after 3 p.m. Trade calls may last anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the complexity of the deal.

How Are Trades Announced?

Once a trade has been approved and the players in the transaction have been notified, the teams involved mutually agree upon a time to make the official announcement.


Idaho, Victoria Clinch Playoff Berths In National Conference



Idaho went 2-0-1 last week to improve to 33-17-9 and move into a tie for first place in the West Division with Victoria (35-17-5) at 75 points.

The defending Kelly Cup champion Steelheads, who are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, play at Alaska on Tuesday and Wednesday and at Stockton on Friday and at Bakersfield on Saturday.

Idaho has won the last two meetings to improve to 2-1-0 at Alaska and 5-1-2 overall in the season series and 20-15-5 all-time against the Aces. The Steelheads are 3-0-0 at Bakersfield and 5-0-1 overall in the season series to improve to 22-10-3 all-time against the Condors. Idaho has won the last two meetings with Stockton to improve to 10-7-2 all-time against the Thunder, who are 5-1-1 at home against the Steelheads.

Victoria travels to Alaska for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Salmon Kings need one point to tie their team record of 75 points and one win to tie the team mark of 36 wins, both set in 2006-07. Victoria has won the last two meetings to improve to 2-1-0 at Alaska and 3-1-2 overall in the season series.

Alaska has won nine of its last 10 games to improve to 30-20-5 and move within one point of Utah for third place in the West Division and fifth place in the conference. The Aces, who have won their last four home games, are 27-6-4 all-time against Victoria and 20-17-3 all-time against Idaho.

Utah won a team record eight road games in a row from to Jan. 29-Feb. 29 and is 11-0-2 in its last 13 away games and 17-10-2 overall on the road. The Grizzlies, whose eight road wins tied the league season high, return home to host Fresno on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Utah is 1-1-0 at home and 4-2-1 overall in the season series and 9-7-3 all-time against the Falcons, who are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

Las Vegas, Victoria and Idaho have all secured their berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Wranglers are in the postseason for the third straight year and the fourth time in their five seasons while Victoria is making its second straight postseason appearance. Idaho has reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs in each of its first five seasons, winning the Kelly Cup as an expansion team in 2004 and again in 2007.

Fresno needs two points to reach the postseason for the third season in a row while Utah is six points away from returning to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the second time in its three seasons. Alaska, which won the Kelly Cup in 2006 and reached the conference finals in 2005 and 2007, is seven points shy of its fifth consecutive postseason berth.


Elmira, Idaho Have Consecutive Sellout Crowds



Sellouts for the third consecutive Friday and Saturday in Idaho and the seventh Saturday in a row with a capacity crowd in Elmira helped the ECHL raise its average attendance for the fourth straight week to 4,084 per game.

The league has drawn 2,903,436 fans and will surpass 3 million fans for the 15th consecutive season.

Idaho had 5,223 on Feb. 29 and the second-largest crowd in its history with 5,579 on Mar. 1 to raise its average to 4,322 per game. It is the third Friday and Saturday in a row that they have had standing-room-only crowds. The Steelheads are third in the league this season with seven sellouts, and they have 41 capacity crowds since joining the league as an expansion team in 2003-04.

For the seventh Saturday in a row, Elmira had a sold out crowd with 4,056 on Mar. 1. The Jackals lead the ECHL with 12 sellouts and are averaging 3,583 per game, which is 94.7 percent of the capacity of First Arena and up 4.5 percent from a year ago.

Gwinnett had more than 10,000 for the fourth time this season with 10,342 on Mar. 1. It is the seventh time in the last two years and the 11th time in history that Gwinnett has drawn more than 10,000 fans for a game. The Gladiators raised their average attendance to 5,688 per game, which is up 0.6 percent from last season.

Stockton had 24,000 for four games, including 8,822 on Feb. 29, and the Thunder continue to lead the league with 6,466 per game.

Victoria had almost 15,000 for three games to raise its average to 4,717 per game, up 11 percent from last season as the Salmon Kings look to raise their average for the third straight year.

Seven teams have raised their average attendance from a year ago led by Cincinnati with 30.8 percent, Victoria with 11 percent and Augusta with 10.4 percent.

There have been 36 sellouts this season and five teams have had the largest crowd in their history with 8,895 in Bakersfield and 4,238 in Johnstown on Nov. 30, 4,981 in Elmira on Dec. 29, 5,631 in Idaho on Jan. 16, 10,565 in South Carolina on Jan. 19 and 12,256 in Charlotte on Feb. 23.


Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Texas Continue Brabham Cup Battle



Going 3-0-0 on the road Texas increased its lead in the race for the Brabham Cup to eight points over Cincinnati and to 12 points over Las Vegas.

The Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded to the ECHL regular season point champion, who is guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout its participation in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The award is named in recognition of Henry Brabham, who founded the ECHL in 1988-89 with five teams in four states. Brabham, who was the first inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame, owned three of the original five teams, including the legendary Johnstown Chiefs who are celebrating their 20th season in 2007-08. The dedication of the Virginia businessman was crucial to the league surviving to span from coast-to-coast while advancing 350 players and countless coaches, on-ice officials and front office personnel to the National Hockey League.

Las Vegas picked up three points at Victoria to move a point closer to Cincinnati while increasing its lead over the Salmon Kings in the National Conference to eight points. The Cyclones won at Fresno on Feb. 29 and lost at Stockton on Mar. 1, ending their ECHL record winning streak at 17 games.

Texas is 43-6-9 while Cincinnati is 42-9-3 and Las Vegas is 36-11-11. If the three were to win all of their remaining games, the Wildcatters and Cyclones would finish tied at 123 points while Las Vegas would have 111 points. Cincinnati, however, would be awarded the Brabham Cup as it would have 60 wins while Texas would have 57 wins.

Cincinnati leads the ECHL with 220 goals and 4.07 goals per game while Texas is second with 216 goals and 3.72 goals per game and Las Vegas is sixth with 200 goals and tied for sixth with 3.45 goals per game. The Cyclones have allowed a league-low 120 goals and lead the ECHL in goals-against average with 2.22 while Texas is second with 137 goals allowed and a goals-against average of 2.36 and Las Vegas is third with 136 goals allowed and a goals-against average of 2.50.

The Wildcatters have won their last three road games and will play at Augusta on Tuesday before returning home to host Pensacola on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Augusta has won the first two meetings to improve to 10-5-1 all-time against the Wildcatters. Texas is 3-0-0 at home and 7-0-0 overall against Pensacola this season and 22-16-4 all-time against the Ice Pilots. The Wildcatters clinched a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs in only 48 games, breaking the league record of 56 games by Louisiana in 2001-02.

Cincinnati concludes its current road trip with a game at Bakersfield on Monday before returning home to host Reading on Friday and Saturday. The Cyclones have won their last 11 home games, breaking the team mark of eight wins from Dec. 22, 1996-Jan. 14, 1997. They are 1-0-1 at home and 3-1-1 overall in the season series with Reading and 12-10-3 all-time against the Royals.

The Cyclones set the ECHL record with 17 consecutive wins from Jan. 16-Feb. 29, surpassing the mark of 14 games set by Knoxville from Dec. 28, 1993-Jan. 29, 1994 and tied by Louisiana from Nov. 23-Dec. 22, 2001.

Las Vegas returns home to open a nine-game home stand hosting Stockton on Tuesday, Bakersfield on Friday and Phoenix on Saturday. The Wranglers are 3-0-0 at home and 6-1-1 overall against Stockton this season and 15-3-1 all-time against the Thunder. Las Vegas is 29-10-1 all-time against Bakersfield, including 2-0-0 at home and 6-2-0 overall this season, and is 21-2-3 all-time against Phoenix, including 2-0-1 at home and 7-0-1 overall this year.

Las Vegas is the defending Brabham Cup champion having won in 2006-07 with 106 points. The Wranglers finished one point ahead of Alaska, which had won the award in 2005-06 with 113 points, one point in front of Las Vegas. The Aces and Wranglers finished with the second-highest and third-highest point totals in league history in 2005-06. Las Vegas and Alaska are the second and third teams, respectively, in ECHL history to score 100 points in back-to-back seasons, joining Trenton, which won the Brabham Cup in 2000-01 with 104 points and finished second in 2001-02 with 102 points.


Idaho's Flichel Has Team Record Seven Points, Six Assists



Marty Flichel of Idaho had a team record six assists and seven points in an 8-3 win against Bakersfield on Mar. 1.

The Steelheads record for points in a game was shared by Flichel and Lance Galbraith, who each had six points on Feb. 24, 2007 against Utah. Galbraith also held the team mark with five assists on Feb. 24, 2007.

Flichel is the 13th player in ECHL history to register six assists and the first since Jim Brown of Knoxville on Mar. 2, 1996 against Birmingham. The ECHL record is seven assists by Joe Ferras of Richmond against Erie on Dec. 23, 1990 and Derek Clancey of Columbus against Johnstown on Jan. 13, 1996.

Flichel is the second player this season to score seven points joining Aaron Slattengren of Augusta, who had four goals and three assists in a 9-1 win at Pensacola on Nov. 27, 2007. The seven points by Slattengren was the most by an ECHL player since Nov. 1, 2001 when J.F. Houle of New Orleans had seven points (2g-5a) against Pensacola.

Slattengren had a plus-minus rating of +8 on Nov. 27, 2007 tying the ECHL record set by Martin LePage of Wheeling against Huntington on Mar. 14, 1997, while teammate John Laliberte had a plus-minus rating of +7. Flichel, Kory Scoran, Darrell Hay and Galbraith all had a plus-minus rating of +6.

The ECHL record for points in a game is 10 (4g-6a) by Trevor Jobe of Nashville at Roanoke Valley on Feb. 6, 1993. Gerry Dailey of Nashville had nine points (3g-6a) against Huntington on Jan. 30, 1994 and Tom Bissett of Hampton Roads scored nine points (6g-3a) against Greensboro on Nov. 22, 1989. Nine ECHL players have scored eight points in a game with the most recent being Jim Brown of Knoxville against Birmingham on Mar. 2, 1996.


Desharnais Has Fifth-Longest Point Streak In ECHL History



Cincinnati rookie David Desharnais did not have an assist in a 3-1 loss at Stockton on Mar. 1, ending his league record streak at 20 games. He did, however, score the goal for the Cyclones to extend his scoring streak to 23 games which is the longest streak in the league this season and the fifth-longest streak in ECHL history.

Desharnais will try to extend his streak on Monday at Bakersfield as the Cyclones conclude their California road trip. The streak began with two assists on Dec. 31 at Trenton and has had nine multiple-assist games and 12 multiple-point games.

The fourth-longest point streak is 25 games (40 points) by Mike Kompon of Reading from Nov. 26, 2005-Mar. 8, 2006 while the third-longest streak is 32 games (65 points) by Jamie Hicks of Birmingham from Dec. 30, 1997-Mar. 6, 1998. The second-longest scoring streak is 35 games by Brian Martin of Hampton Roads from Oct. 30, 1990-Jan. 18, 1991 while the league record is 38 consecutive games (112 points) by Trevor Jobe of Nashville from Dec. 19, 1992-Mar. 14, 1993.

Desharnais leads ECHL rookies with 52 assists, 26 power-play assists and 66 points in 47 games while ranking second among all players in assists, power-play assists and points. He scored a career-high three goals and four points on Dec. 27 at Wheeling and had a career-high three assists on Nov. 23 against Dayton and Feb. 1 at Wheeling.

He broke the record of 17 consecutive games with an assist set by Peter Kasowski of Roanoke Valley from Oct. 26-Dec. 7, 1991 (28 assists). Desharnais began his streak on Jan. 5 with two assists against Reading and in the 20 games he had eight games with two assists and one game with three assists.

Longest Consecutive Point-Scoring Streak
38 - Trevor Jobe, Nashville, Dec. 19, 1992-Mar. 14, 1993 (112 points)
35 - Brian Martin, Hampton Roads, Oct. 30, 1990-Jan. 18, 1991 (points not available)
32 - Jamey Hicks, Birmingham, Dec. 30, 1997-Mar. 6, 1998 (65 points)
25 - Mike Kompon, Reading, Nov. 26, 2005-Mar. 8, 2006 (40 points)
23 - David Desharnais, Cincinnati, Jan. 5-present (37 points)

Longest Consecutive Assist Scoring Streak
20 - David Desharnais, Cincinnati, Jan. 5-Feb. 29, 2008 (30 assists)
17 - Peter Kasowski, Roanoke Valley, Oct. 26-Dec. 7, 1991 (28 assists)
15 - Scott Bertoli, Trenton, Feb. 16-Apr. 4, 2000 (21 assists)
- Mike Reier, Dayton, Oct. 23-Nov. 28, 1992 (24 assists)
14 - John Spoltore, Louisiana, Dec. 20, 1997-Jan. 16, 1998 (23 assists)
- John Spoltore, Louisiana, Jan. 12-Mar. 11, 1994 (18 assists)
- Matt Robbins, Charlotte, Jan. 12-Mar. 11, 1994 (18 assists)


Cincinnati's Record-Winning Streak Ends At 17 Games



A 3-1 loss at Stockton on Mar. 1 ended Cincinnati's ECHL record winning streak at 17 games, a streak that began on Jan. 16 with a 3-2 win against Dayton.

The Cyclones broke the record of 14 consecutive wins set by Knoxville from Dec. 28, 1993-Jan. 29, 1994 and tied by Louisiana from Nov. 23-Dec. 22, 2001.

During the streak, Cincinnati was 10-0 at home, outscoring their opponents 41-23, and 7-0 on the road, outscoring their opponents 27-4 including three shutouts.

The Cyclones set a team record with seven consecutive road wins, surpassing the mark set Dec. 15-Jan. 12, 2003. They have won their last 11 home games, breaking the team mark of eight wins from Dec. 22, 1996-Jan. 14, 1997.

Longest Winning Streak, One Season
17 - Cincinnati Cyclones, Jan. 16-Feb. 29, 2008
14 - Louisiana IceGators, Nov. 23-Dec. 22, 2001
- Knoxville Cherokees, Dec. 28, 1993-Jan. 29, 1994
13 - Las Vegas Wranglers, Mar. 10-Apr. 7, 2007
12 - South Carolina Stingrays, Nov. 28-Dec. 31, 2007
- Las Vegas Wranglers, Dec. 3-28, 2005
- Pensacola Ice Pilots, Jan. 22-Feb. 18, 2005
- Wheeling Nailers, Feb. 20-Mar. 12, 2004
- Florida Everblades, Dec. 14, 1999-Jan. 13, 2000
- Chesapeake Icebreakers, Feb. 14-Mar. 13, 1998
- Erie Panthers, 1989-90


Johnstown Climbing In North Division



Extending its winning streak to four games with road wins at Elmira, Reading and Wheeling, Johnstown is 27-26-4 and has 58 points, two points behind fourth-place Dayton (25-20-10).

The Chiefs, who are 10-3-2 in their last 15 games, host Wheeling on Friday and Elmira on Saturday before traveling to Trenton on Sunday. Johnstown is 2-1-0 at home and 6-3-0 overall against Wheeling this season and 69-63-15 all-time against the Nailers. The Chiefs have won the last two meetings to improve to 4-2-1 against Elmira and they are 3-1-0 on the road and 6-2-0 overall this year and 36-33-11 all-time against Trenton.

Dayton, which is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games, travels to the south where it will play at South Carolina on Tuesday, at Charlotte on Thursday and Saturday and at Columbia on Friday.

Cincinnati continues to lead the North with 87 points (42-9-3) while Reading is second with 71 points (33-18-4) and Elmira is third with 69 points (31-18-7). The Cyclones have already clinched their berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Royals, who are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, travel to Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday and to Wheeling on Sunday. Reading is 13-11-1 all-time against the Cyclones and 32-24-6 all-time against the Nailers.

Elmira travels to Trenton on Friday and Johnstown on Saturday. The Jackals are 2-1-1 on the road and 6-1-1 overall against the Devils and are 2-1-0 on the road and 3-3-1 overall against the Chiefs.

Trenton, which has won its last three games to move within nine points of Johnstown for the last playoff spot, hosts Elmira on Friday, Wheeling on Saturday and Johnstown on Sunday. The Devils are 2-1-1 at home against Elmira and 2-0-1 at home against Wheeling.


Marks Is ECHL's All-Time Winningest Coach With 482 Wins



John Marks recorded his 481st win and became the all-time winningest coach in ECHL history on Feb. 29 when Pensacola beat Florida 5-4 in a shootout.

He is 482-402-91 and is the career leader with 14 seasons and 975 games. He coached Charlotte from 1993-98 and Greenville from 1998-2006 and was the first coach to lead two different teams to the ECHL championship as Charlotte won the Riley Cup in 1996 and Greenville won the Kelly Cup in 2002. He left the ECHL for a year and led Fayetteville to the Southern Professional Hockey League championship in 2006-07.

His teams in Charlotte had a winning percentage over .600 and reached the postseason all five seasons, including 1995-96 when the Checkers were 13-3 in the postseason and won the Riley Cup. Marks teams in Greenville reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs five times, including 2001-02 when they went 13-4 to win the Kelly Cup. In 2003-04 Greenville improved by 50 points from 2002-03 to tie the ECHL record for largest single-season point increase.

He broke the record of John Brophy, who had 480 wins in 13 seasons with Hampton Road from 1989-2000 and Wheeling from 2001-03. The man for whom the ECHL Coach of the Year award is named led Hampton Roads to the postseason in each of his 11 seasons and won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992 and a league record third title in 1998. He is also the ECHL record holder for most playoff appearances (11), most playoff games (94) and most playoff wins (55).

Marks coached six seasons in the International Hockey League with Kalamazoo and Indianapolis from 1987-93, reaching the playoffs four times. He began his coaching career in 1982 as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of North Dakota who he helped guide to the NCAA Championship in 1987.

A two-time All-American as a defenseman at North Dakota, Marks was chosen in the first round (ninth overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1968 National Hockey League Amateur Draft. He played 12 seasons in the Blackhawks organization including 10 years in the NHL where he had 275 points (112g-163a) and 330 penalty minutes in 657 regular season games and 14 points (5g-9a) and 60 penalty minutes in 57 playoff games and was selected to the Campbell Conference All-Star Team in 1976.

John Marks Milestone Wins
First ECHL Win - Charlotte won 4-3 against South Carolina on Oct. 20, 1993
100th ECHL Win - Charlotte won 4-3 against Richmond on Jan. 17, 1996
200th ECHL Win - Greenville won 4-3 at South Carolina on Nov. 25, 1998
300th ECHL Win - Greenville won 7-5 at Columbus, Oct. 26, 2002
400th ECHL Win - Greenville won 6-3 at Pee Dee, Jan. 15, 2005
450th ECHL Win - Greenville won 3-2 at Charlotte, Feb. 17, 2006
480th ECHL Win - Pensacola won 3-2 against Gwinnett, Feb. 22, 2008
481st ECHL Win - Pensacola won 5-4 in shootout against Florida on Feb. 29, 2008

Most Career Coaching Wins
1. 482 - John Marks, Pensacola, Charlotte (1993-98) and Greenville (1998-2006)
2. 480 - John Brophy, Hampton Roads (1989-2000) and Wheeling (2001-03)
3. 344 - Jeff Pyle, Gwinnett (2003 to present) and Mobile (1998-2002)
4. 332 - Frank Anzalone, Nashville (1991-92), Roanoke (1993-98), Pee Dee (1999-2001) and Johnstown (2005-07)
5. 317 - Jeff Brubaker, Greensboro (1989-95), Jacksonville (1995-96), Tallahassee (1998-99) and Greensboro (1999-2001)
6. 313 - Gerry Fleming, Florida (2001 to present) and Tallahassee (2000-01)
7. 305 - Jason Christie, Utah (2005 to present) and Peoria (2000-05)

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