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KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS\' PICTURE BECOMES CLEARER

March 18, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The 2002 Kelly Cup Playoffs picture became clearer in the Northern Conference, but remained unsettled in the Southern Conference.

Charlotte became the second team in the Northeast Division to clinch a playoff berth joining defending Northern Conference Champion Trenton. Charlotte has 84 points and is eight points behind Trenton with two games in hand on the Titans. Atlantic City is in third place with 80 points and can clinch its postseason berth with a win at Charlotte on Wednesday while Roanoke is in fourth place with 76 points, six points ahead of Richmond. If the playoffs opened Monday, Trenton would host Roanoke and Charlotte would host Atlantic City.

Dayton and Peoria both clinched postseason berths in the Northwest Division. Dayton leads Peoria by a point, but the defending Northwest Division champion Rivermen have a game in hand on the Bombers. Johnstown is in third place with 70 points while Wheeling is in fourth place with 69 points and has a game in hand on the Chiefs. Cincinnati is five points behind Wheeling and has a game in hand on both the Nailers and the Chiefs. If the playoffs opened Monday, Dayton would host Wheeling and Peoria would host Johnstown.

Louisiana is the only team in the Southern Conference to clinch a postseason berth and the IceGators have done it in record-setting fashion while guaranteeing home-ice advantage throughout the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Pensacola is in second place in the Southwest Division with 78 points, one point ahead of Mississippi, who has two games in hand on the Ice Pilots. Jackson is in fourth place with 71 points, two points ahead of New Orleans, who is one point ahead of sixth-place Mobile. If the playoffs opened Monday, Jackson would host New Orleans in a one-game Wild Card series with the winner advancing to meet the IceGators in the first round. The other first round match-up would be Mississippi at Pensacola.

Greenville leads the Southeast Division with 80 points, two points ahead of Columbia with a game in hand on the Inferno. Pee Dee is in third place with 77 points, one point ahead of Florida with a game in hand on the Everblades. Florida is one point ahead of defending Kelly Cup Champion South Carolina, who has a game in hand on the Everblades. Augusta is three points behind South Carolina and has two games in hand on the Stingrays. If the playoffs opened Monday, Florida would host South Carolina in a one-game Wild Card series with the winner advancing to play Greenville in the first round. The other first round match-up would have Columbia hosting Pee Dee.

The first round, the Division Finals and the Conference Finals are all a best-of-five series while the Kelly Cup Finals is a best-of-seven series. The 2002 Kelly Cup Playoffs are scheduled to begin April 2 with the Kelly Cup Finals scheduled to open May 3.

ICEGATORS WIN SECOND BRABHAM CUP

Louisiana clinched its second regular season East Coast Hockey League title and its second Brabham Cup with a 5-2 win against Mississippi on Saturday. The IceGators won their first Brabham Cup, awarded annually to the ECHL regular season champion, in 1997-98. Louisiana is 51-11-4 and has 106 points with six regular-season games remaining.

The IceGators' 106 points ties Pee Dee, who had 106 points in 1998-99, for the second most points scored in a season while the 51 wins ties Pee Dee, who had 51 wins in 1998-99, for the second most wins in a season. Florida holds the ECHL records with 53 wins and 108 points, setting both in 1999-2000.

Louisiana is 29-2-4 at home and has tied Pee Dee's record of 29 home wins, set in 1998-99. The IceGators host Jackson in their final home game of the season on March 26. The IceGators are 22-9-0 on the road and need three wins to tie the ECHL record of 25 road wins, set by Florida in 1999-2000 and tied by Trenton in 2000-01.

BROPHY LOOKING TO BECOME ONLY SECOND EVER TO REACH 1,000 WINS

Wheeling's John Brophy is looking to become only the second coach in professional hockey history to reach 1,000 wins. Brophy enters the week with 997 victories in his 28 years as a head coach at every level of professional hockey, including the National Hockey League, and ranks second to only Scotty Bowman of the Detroit Red Wings in all-time professional coaching wins. The Nailers play at Roanoke on Tuesday and host Atlantic City on Friday and Toledo on Saturday before closing out the week at Toledo on Sunday.

INGLASCO PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jeff Johnstone Roanoke Express
GP: 3 G: 3 A: 5 PTS: 8 +/-: +5

ECHL GOALIE OF THE WEEK

Sean Matile Florida Everblades
GP: 2 Rec.: 2-0-0 GAA: 1.50 PCT: .943

FEATURE GAMES OF THE WEEK

NORTHERN CONFERENCE

Charlotte at Trenton Tuesday @ 7:05 ET Trenton is 2-1 against Charlotte . . . Checkers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and 14-11-5 on the road . . . Titans are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and 21-6-4 at home.

Toledo at Wheeling Saturday @ 7:30 ET Wheeling leads the series 4-2 . . . Storm has won two in a row and is 4-5-1 in its last 10 games and 11-17-5 on the road . . . Nailers are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and 18-14-1 at home.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Pee Dee at Macon Wednesday @ 7:35 ET Season series is tied 2-2 . . . Pee Dee has won two in a row and is 5-5 in its last 10 games and is 14-15-4 on the road . . . Macon is 0-7-3 in its last 10 games and 17-12-4 at home.

New Orleans at Mississippi Friday @ 7:35 CT New Orleans is 5-2 against the Sea Wolves . . . Mississippi is 5-3-2 in its last 10 games and 17-13-3 at home . . . Brass are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 17-13-3 on the road.

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