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Four Teams Battle for Three Berths

March 24, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Entering the final week of the season, four teams, separated by two points, are battling for the final three Kelly Cup Playoff berths in the Northeast Division.

Atlantic City has secured its second consecutive postseason berth and it sits atop the Northeast with 90 points and a 39-17-12 record despite going 5-5-0 in its last 10 games. Winning three in a row and going 7-1-2 in its last 10 games, Trenton has moved into second place with 84 points and a 37-21-10 record, one point ahead of Charlotte, who is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games, and Greensboro, who is 4-3-3 in its last 10 games, and two points ahead of Roanoke, who is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games.

Atlantic City's final four games are all within the division, at Greensboro on Tuesday and at Trenton on Saturday while hosting Trenton on Friday and Reading on Sunday. Trenton plays its final four within the division as well, at Roanoke on Tuesday and at Atlantic City on Friday while hosting Richmond on Wednesday and Atlantic City on Saturday. The Titans have qualified for the postseason each of their first three seasons, advancing to the Northern Conference Finals in their inaugural season of 1999-2000 and the Kelly Cup Finals in 2000-01.

Charlotte, which is looking to advance to the postseason for the third straight year and the eighth time in 10 seasons, plays two of its final three games against division opponents. The Checkers will visit Greensboro on Friday and Richmond on Saturday after playing at Florida on Tuesday.

In its fifth season in the ECHL, Greensboro has never qualified for the postseason. The Generals will play three of their remaining five games within the division, hosting Atlantic City on Tuesday, Roanoke on Wednesday and Charlotte on Friday. Greensboro hosts Lexington on Saturday and visits Greenville on Sunday.

Roanoke plays all five of its games against division opponents, hosting Trenton on Tuesday, Richmond on Friday and Reading on Saturday while visiting Greensboro on Wednesday and Richmond on Sunday.

Toledo, Peoria Battle For Henry Brabham Cup

Entering the final week of the season, the battle for the Henry Brabham Cup, awarded to the East Coast Hockey League regular season point champion, has come down to Northwest Division rivals Toledo and Peoria. Toledo is 45-14-10 with 100 points while Peoria is 46-17-6 with 98 points. Peoria closes out the season with three games against Dayton, visiting the Bombers on Friday before hosting Dayton on Saturday and Sunday. Toledo, which won the Henry Brabham Cup in 1991-92, hosts Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Wheeling on Sunday.

Grrrowl, Lynx Fight for Last Spot In Southeast

The battle for the fifth and final playoff berth in the Southeast Division has come down to defending Kelly Cup Champion Greenville and Augusta. Greenville is 27-35-7 with 61 points, and plays at Pee Dee on Thursday before hosting Augusta on Saturday and Greensboro on Sunday. Augusta is 26-37-5 with 57 points and hosts Pee Dee on Tuesday and Sunday and South Carolina on Friday while visiting Greenville on Saturday. In the Southern Conference, the fourth-place finisher will host the fifth-place finisher in a Wild Card Game on April 1 with the winner advancing to the Southern Conference Division Semifinals.

Columbia has already clinched the Southeast Division title and it can clinch the Southern Conference with a win or an overtime or a shootout loss. The Inferno can also clinch the Southern Conference with a loss by Louisiana.

Daubenspeck Enjoying Record Season

Kirk Daubenspeck has 36 wins, the most in the ECHL since Jan Lasak of Hampton Roads won 36 games in 1999-2000. Daubenspeck and Lasak are tied with Doug Bonner, who won 36 games for Louisiana in 1997-98, and Marc Delorme, who won 36 games for Louisiana in 1996-97, for the second most wins in an ECHL season. The ECHL record for most wins in a season is 38 games by Mark Michaud of Hampton Roads in 1993-94.

Daubenspeck has appeared in 58 games, the most in the ECHL since 1999-2000 when Lasak appeared in 59 games and David Brumby appeared in 59 games for Jackson. Daubenspeck needs one game to move into a tie for fifth place with Lasak, Brumby, and Mark Richards, who appeared in 59 games for Tallahassee in 1994-95. Darryl Paquette, who appeared in 60 games for Hampton Roads in 1996-97, and Dave Gagnon, who appeared in 60 games for Roanoke in 1996-97, are tied for third place. The record for most games appeared in by a goaltender is 65 by Michaud in 1993-94.

Daubenspeck has 1,802 saves and ranks third for most saves, six shy of Ray LeBlanc, who made 1,808 saves for Jacksonville in 1999-2000, and 29 shy of Michaud, who made 1,831 saves in 1993-94. Daubenspeck has played 3,454 minutes and ranks second for most minutes played in a season, 269 minutes shy of Michaud's record of 3,723 minutes in 1993-94.

Kingfish Scoreless In ECHL Record 268:43

Losing 5-0 at Jackson on Saturday, Baton Rouge extended its string of consecutive games being shut out to four, the most in ECHL history. Baton Rouge has not scored since Joe Guenther scored at 16:17 of the second period of a 4-3 shootout win against South Carolina on March 8, a span of 268:43, also the longest in ECHL history.

The Kingfish will try to end the scoreless streak on Tuesday when they travel to Mississippi.

Baton Rouge has been shut out five times in its last six games and 10 times overall, tying the ECHL record set by the Wheeling Nailers in 1998-99.

The National Hockey League record for most consecutive games shut out is eight set by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1928-29. The American Hockey League record for longest streak to be shut out by opponents is 258:49 set by New Haven in 1938-39.

Kelly Cup Playoff Rosters Due March 31

2003 Kelly Cup Playoff rosters must be submitted to the East Coast Hockey League Office by 1 p.m. ET on Monday, March 31. Playoff rosters will consist of up to 20 active players and may include more than two goaltenders.

Teams must also submit a list of all players on injured reserve going into the playoffs. The injured reserve will be handled the same as the regular season.

For any professional player or former professional player, including goaltenders, to be named to a team's playoff roster, he must have played (taken at least one shift on the ice) in five ECHL regular-season games.

Players on recall to the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League at the playoff roster deadline must be named to a team's 20-man active playoff roster to be eligible to play in the postseason. If a player is still on recall to the NHL or the AHL when the playoffs begin, a team may move the player from its active roster and replace him with a player that has been assigned from the NHL or the AHL or with a player from its injured reserve list whose time has been fully served.

If a goaltender is lost during the playoffs to injury or recall, the team will be permitted to add an emergency backup goaltender. To add an emergency backup goaltender, the team's active roster may not exceed 19 players. The emergency backup goaltender may come from juniors, college or senior leagues or any other non-professional hockey league.

Because of reciprocal agreements, teams in the ECHL are prevented from signing players from the Central Hockey League, the United Hockey League, and the West Coast Hockey League.

Players on a team's 20-man active roster at the end of the regular season that are not listed on the team's playoff roster will become free agents for 2003-04.

InGlasCo ECHL Player Of The Week

Shawn McNeil, Louisiana IceGators

GP: 3 G: 4 A: 3 PTS: 7 +/-: +2

ECHL Goalie Of The Week

Scott Fankhouser, Arkansas RiverBlades

GP: 3 W-L: 3-0 GAA: 2.00 PCT: .939

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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