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Kelly Cup Finals Begin Wednesday

May 5, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The 2003 Kelly Cup Finals open Wednesday with Columbia hosting Atlantic City. The Inferno and the Boardwalk Bullies are both in their second season and are making their first-ever Finals appearance.

Columbia and Atlantic City did not meet in the regular season. The Inferno did play 15 games against teams from the Northeast Division compiling an 8-6-1 record. Atlantic City only played two games against teams from the Southeast Division going 1-0-1 with a win against Augusta and a shootout loss against Pee Dee.

The Boardwalk Bullies have qualified for the postseason in each of the two seasons since moving to Atlantic City, losing to Dayton in the Northern Conference Finals in 2002. The Inferno has qualified for the playoffs in each of its first two seasons, losing to Pee Dee in the Southeast Division Semifinals in 2002.

Columbia secured its berth with a 4-2 win over Mississippi in Game 6 of the Southern Conference Finals on Friday, improving its home record in the playoffs to 7-0. Columbia finished atop the Southern Conference and third overall in the ECHL with 96 points in the regular season. The Inferno swept Greenville in the Southeast Division Semifinals and swept Pee Dee in the Southeast Division Finals.

The Inferno won its first nine postseason games before losing 3-1 at Mississippi on April 28. The nine consecutive wins ties the second-longest playoff winning streak set by Toledo en route to the 1994 Riley Cup Championship. The longest winning streak in the ECHL postseason is 11 games by Richmond in 1999.

Atlantic City advanced to the Finals with a 3-2 win over Cincinnati in Game 7 of the Northern Conference Finals on Saturday. The Boardwalk Bullies finished atop the Northeast Division and fourth overall in the ECHL with 94 points. Atlantic City swept Trenton in the Northeast Division Semifinals and beat Greensboro, three games to one, in the Northeast Division Finals.

With the exception of Hampton Roads in 1998, every East Coast Hockey League Champion has finished in the Top Five in the regular season standings. Hampton Roads finished 18th overall and qualified for the postseason on the final day of the regular season. Only once in ECHL history has a team finished first in the regular season and gone on to win in the postseason - South Carolina in 1997.

Columbia is looking to become the third straight team from South Carolina to win the Kelly Cup joining the Greenville Grrrowl (2002) and the South Carolina Stingrays (2001). The Stingrays are the only team to win the Kelly Cup twice, including the first-ever Kelly Cup in 1997. The state of South Carolina has produced the winner three of the six years that the Kelly Cup has been awarded.

The Southern Conference produced the first-ever recipient of the Kelly Cup, South Carolina in 1997, and it has produced four of the first six Kelly Cup winners, including the past two, Greenville in 2002 and South Carolina in 2001. Hampton Roads won the Kelly Cup in 1998 while Mississippi won in 1999 and Peoria won in 2000.

Atlantic City coach Mike Haviland was an assistant coach with Trenton when it lost to South Carolina in the Kelly Cup Finals in 2001. Columbia coach Scott White helped Greensboro win the ECHL Championship in his first professional season in 1989-90 and helped the Monarchs return to the ECHL Finals in 1991.

Mike Nicholishen of Atlantic City is the only player in the 2003 Finals that already has his name on the Kelly Cup, earning the honor with South Carolina in 2001.

Patrick J. Kelly Cup Facts, Figures & History

The East Coast Hockey League retired its playoff championship trophy, the Jack Riley Cup, in 1996 and replaced it with the Patrick J. Kelly Cup, first awarded to the playoff champion in 1997.

One of the founding fathers of the ECHL, Patrick J. Kelly was named the Commissioner Emeritus of the ECHL in 1996 and is the only commissioner in league history, serving the first eight seasons.

Standing 19 3/8 inches and weighing 25 3/8 pounds, the Kelly Cup was created by Boardman Silversmiths, Inc. in Meriden, Conn. Boardman also produces the American Hockey League's Calder Cup as well as the U.S. Open Tennis Trophy and the Masters Golf Trophy.

Kelly celebrated his 50th season in hockey in 2002-03 having begun his career with the St. Catherines Teepees of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1952. He played professionally for the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, the Troy Bruins of the International Hockey League and the Greensboro Generals of the Eastern Hockey League.

He began his coaching career in the EHL, coaching from 1965-73 in the EHL with the Jersey Devils and later with the Clinton (New York) Comets, winning three consecutive regular season and postseason titles from 1967-70. Clinton was 57-5-10 in 1967-68 making it the only professional team in history to lose five games or less. Kelly was named Minor League Coach of the Year by The Hockey News in 1969-70.

Kelly was head coach and general manager for Charlotte in the Southern Hockey League from 1973-76 winning two regular season and two postseason titles while being named SHL Coach of the Year twice. He coached the Colorado Rockies in the National Hockey League from 1977-79 and is the only coach to lead the Rockies to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, accomplishing the feat in 1977-78.

Following coaching stops in the AHL, he went to Peoria of the IHL and led the Rivermen to the Turner Cup in his first season behind the bench in 1984-85. He recorded his 800th coaching win on January 4, 1987 and was inducted into the Peoria Hall of Fame in February of 1990. In 1998, Kelly was inducted into the Roanoke Hall of Fame and the Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. He became the first inductee into the Greensboro Hall of Fame in March of 2002 when the Generals retired his uniform number (5).

There are seven individuals whose name appears on the Kelly Cup twice. Each of the seven had their name engraved for a second time in 2001 with South Carolina, and six of the seven were part of South Carolina's Kelly Cup winner in 1997. Rick Adduono was an assistant coach in 1997 and head coach in 2001 while Jason Fitzsimmons was a player in 1997 and an assistant coach in 2001. Jared Bednar, Brad Dexter, Brett Marietti and Dave Seitz were all players in both 1997 and 2001. Marty Clapton is the only individual whose name appears with two different teams - 1998 with Hampton Roads and 2001 with South Carolina.

Inferno, Bullies Offer Discount Kelly Cup Finals Tickets To All ECHL Season Ticket Holders

The Columbia Inferno and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies have announced that they will give all East Coast Hockey League season ticket holders a $3 discount on tickets for the 2003 Kelly Cup Finals.

Fans will be asked to provide proof of being a season ticket holder when they purchase tickets at either the Carolina Coliseum box office or at the Boardwalk Hall box office.

2003 Kelly Cup Finals Schedule
(Best-of-Seven Series)

Wednesday, May 7
Atlantic City at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

Friday, May 9
Atlantic City at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 10
Columbia at Atlantic City 7:35 p.m. ET

Monday, May 12
Columbia at Atlantic City 7:35 p.m. ET

Wednesday, May 14
*Columbia at Atlantic City 7:35 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 17
*Atlantic City at Columbia 7:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 18
*Atlantic City at Columbia 4:05 p.m. ET
*- If Necessary

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