Mississippi Heads into Postseason as Top Seed in Southwest
March 31, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Mississippi Sea Wolves News Release
BILOXI, Miss. â Mississippi is the top seed in the Southwest Division for the first time in team history, even though the Louisiana IceGators tied the Sea Wolves with 92 points. The first tiebreaker system for the East Coast Hockey League is wins, and Mississippi finished with 44 to Louisiana's 40.
The winner in tomorrow's game between the fifth place Pensacola Ice Pilots and fourth place Jackson Bandits in the Southwest Division Wildcard Game will face the Sea Wolves. Game 1 of the best-of-five Southwest Division Semifinals will be played at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
Mississippi completed its 72-game regular season with a team record 44 wins, posting an overall record of 44-24-4.
The Sea Wolves also won team record 26 games at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and finished 26-7-3 at the Wolves Den. Mississippi was 18-17-1 on the road.
On Tuesday, Mississippi defeated Baton Rouge 4-1 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, extending the Sea Wolves home winning streak to a team record 12 and home unbeaten to a team record 18 (16-0-2). On Friday, Mississippi outlasted Pensacola, 4-3 in the shootout. The Sea Wolves wrapped up their regular season by dropping a 6-2 decision at Jackson on Saturday.
The Week Ahead at a Glance:
Today, March 31 â Team practice open to the public from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, April 1 â Team practice open to the public from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, April 2 vs. To Be Determined â 7:05 p.m. CT Game 1 â Southwest Division Semifinals (Best-of-Five) Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Thursday, April 3 â Team practice open to the public from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Friday, April 4 vs. To Be Announced â 7:35 p.m. CT Game 2 â Southwest Division Semifinals (Best-of-Five) Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Saturday, April 5 â TBA
Sunday, April 6 â TBA
Player of the Week: Defenseman David Cornacchia had five assists over the three games last week, including helpers in each contest. The 5-foot-11 and 200-pound native of Toronto, Ontario picked up an assist in the victory over Baton Rouge. He had a career-high three assists at Pensacola, helping Mississippi to the shootout win. Cornacchia added another helper at Jackson on Saturday. Cornacchia has seven assists and 18 penalty minutes in eight games with Mississippi this season. He spent most of the season on injured reserve after undergoing emergency surgery for compartment syndrome while attending training camp with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Goaltender of the Week: Greg Gardner added to his team record and career-high by winning two more games for a total of 32 victories on the season. The 6-foot and 190-pound native of Mississauga, Ontario went 2-1-0 last week making 103 saves on 110 shots over three contests. Gardner completed the regular season with an overall record of 32-17-4. He set team records for appearances in one season (55), wins (32), goals against average (2.77) and save percentage (.919).
Streaking Sea Wolves: Mississippi is riding a team record 12 straight wins at home and its unbeaten streak at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum is at a team record 18 straight games (16-0-2). The last regulation loss suffered by the Sea Wolves at the Wolves Den was on December 20 against Louisiana. Defenseman David Cornacchia has a four-game assist streak (6a). Forward Cody Bowtell has points over his last two games (1g-1a). Forward Kent Davyduke has a two-game point streak (1g-2a).
Injured Reserve: Defenseman Jim Baxter and forward Cody Bowtell are on the 7-day injured reserve. Goaltender Mike Buckley remains on the 30-day IR.
Transactions from last week:
03/24 Add Stu Pietersma (RW) activated off injured reserve
03/24 Delete Jim Baxter (D) placed on 7-day injured reserve
03/26 Delete Cody Bowtell (F) placed on 7-day injured reserve
03/28 Add Kent Davyduke (F) returned from Manchester (AHL)
03/28 Add Dave Paradise (F) activated off 7-day injured reserve
03/28 Delete Chuck Thuss (G) released as emergency backup goaltender
Individual playoff tickets are available at all TicketMaster locations, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office and by calling 228-594-3707.
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