Kelly Cup Playoffs Update

Published on May 2, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Augusta Lynx News Release


Weekend Action

National Conference

Trenton vs. Reading – Trenton wins 3-1

Scott Bertoli scored twice and added an assist Friday night while Brent Robinson and Rick Kowalsky each notched three assists as the Trenton Titans defeated the Reading Royals 4-3 to advance to the National Conference Final.

Jeff Miles scored the first of two goals on the night for Reading to open the scoring just 3:30 into the contest, but Bertoli would reply with his first of the night on the power play at 6:25 to even the contest at 1-1. Later in the first period, Miles would set up Tom Galvin at 16:19 to give the Royals a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Miles struck again to make it 3-1 Reading, another power play goal just 1:42 into the middle frame. The game appeared headed in Reading's direction as the score remained frozen for the remainder of the second stanza, and Royals fans could be forgiven for beginning to anticipate a deciding Game Five back in Pennsylvania.

Not so fast.

The Titans would rally with three goals in the third period, beginning at the 1:30 mark when Leon Hayward gave Trenton a spark right out of the intermission from Kowalsky and Robinson. Then, in a matter of 1:43, the Titans went from trailing to the driver seat. First, Cail MacLean was whistled for holding the stick at 6:29, and Stephen Wood tied the game at 7:15 to give Trenton the momentum. Then, Reagan Rome was nailed for high sticking at 8:30, and once again Trenton's power play struck quickly. Bertoli potted his second goal of the night at 8:58, firing up the 3,444 fans in attendance and putting the Titans ahead for the first time in the game.

From there, Andrew Allen (18 saves) and the Titan defense shut down the Royals' attack, despite two more power play chances for Reading. Trenton finished the game 3-for-4 with the man advantage, while Reading went 1-for-6 in the contest.

The Titans will now face the Alaska Aces in the National Conference Final starting Tuesday, May 3rd at 11:15 EST.

American Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Charlotte Checkers (39-26-7) at Florida Everblades (42-20-10) 7:30 p.m. ET

* Steve Saviano led the Everblades in the quarterfinals with seven assists and seven points.

* Checkers have won the last two meetings with Florida and were 2-2-0 during the regular season.

* David Lundbohm had five points (3g-2a) in Florida's three-game sweep of Greenville in the semifinals.

* Three of the four regular season meetings between the two teams were decided by one goal.

* Florida's Craig Kowalski was 2-0 with 0.68 goals-against average and .971 save percentage in semifinals.

* Florida leads the playoffs, averaging 4.14 goals per-game.

* Ryan Glenn leads Charlotte and ECHL defensemen with 10 points (3g-7a) in nine games.

* Florida is 2-0 in 2005 and has won Game 1 in five of its last six playoff series, dating back to 2004.

* In the first two rounds, Charlotte has allowed a total of two goals in the third period.

* Alex Westlund went 3-1 with 1.36 goals-against average against Gwinnett in the semifinals.

* Dusty Jamieson led Charlotte with six points (2g-4a) against Columbia in the quarterfinals.

* Florida's David Lundbohm (7g-4a) and Steve Saviano (1g-10a) lead rookies in the playoffs with 11 points.

* Chris Lee leads the Everblades defense with seven points (2g-5a) in seven games.

* On the road in the playoffs, Charlotte is 2-3 with 2.57 goals-against average and a plus-minus rating of -10.

* Everblades are on a five-game winning streak and have won three of their last four games in overtime.

* Checkers have won their last three games, outscoring their opponent 10-4.

* Florida's Paul Cabana and Damian Surma each have two game-winning goals in the last five games.

* Charlotte's Alex Westlund stopped all 50 shots in Game 4 of semifinals for his first shutout of the playoffs.

* Checkers had combined +22 rating and six players who were a +3 or more in four games against Gwinnett.

* Teams combined for 138 penalty minutes in four games against each other in the regular season.

Other Kelly Cup Playoffs Series

National Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Trenton Titans (42-21-9) at Alaska Aces (45-19-8) Game 1 - Tuesday, May 3 at 7:15 p.m. AT

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ECHL Stories from May 2, 2005


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