Playoff Attendance Up Over 32 Percent From 2003
April 15, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. â Bolstered by a standing-room-only crowd of 6,451 at Alaska on April 9, the 36 games in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs drew 101,363. The average of 2,816 per game is up more than 32 percent from the first round average from last season and up more than 27 percent from the 2003 postseason average of 2,205. The first round average for 2004 is up more than 11 percent from 2002 and up over five percent from 2001.
The standing-room-only crowd in Alaska is the largest first round crowd in three years and is the 11th-largest Kelly Cup Playoffs crowd in the past five years. It is the largest postseason crowd since 8,834 at South Carolina for Game 5 of the 2001 Kelly Cup Finals. It is the first sellout crowd in the postseason since April 19, 2000 at Florida, and it is the fifth sellout and the largest crowd of the season for Alaska which raised its attendance by more than 42 percent in the regular season to 4,340.
Florida drew 10,148 for its first two games and ranks second, behind Alaska's average of 6,451, in the postseason averaging 5,074 per game. The Everblades have led the league in postseason average attendance each of their first five seasons. In the regular season, Florida led the ECHL in total attendance with 223,732 and average attendance with 6,214, the fourth consecutive year that the Everblades have led the league in both total attendance and average attendance.
Making its first-ever Kelly Cup Playoffs appearance, Reading drew 9,461 for its first two games and ranks third in the postseason averaging 4,730 per game followed by Idaho which averaged 3,804 for its first two games. Among teams still in the postseason, Gwinnett is sixth with 3,381 while South Carolina is eighth at 2,989 and Peoria is 10th with 1,959.
The best-of-five Division Finals open Friday with Florida hosting South Carolina in the Southern Division, Louisiana hosting Gwinnett in the Central Division, and Idaho hosting Alaska in the Pacific Division. The Northern Division Finals will open on Saturday with Peoria hosting Reading.
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ECHL Stories from April 15, 2004
- Eklund, Hay, Craig and Soucy Called Up to Tampa Bay - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Playoff Attendance Up Over 32 Percent From 2003 - ECHL
- Winners Announced For Marquee Madness Contest - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Steelheads want to pack the house - Idaho Steelheads
- Bullies To Retire Rivard's #21 - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Northern Division Finals Set, #3 Peoria Rivermen vs. #4 Reading Royals - Reading Royals
- Bullies 2004 Playoffs Review (Wait 'Til Next Year) - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Gladiators Advance to Division Finals - Atlanta Gladiators
- Ice Dogs Reach Television Agreement With KVMD - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- IceGators to face Gwinnett in division finals - Louisiana IceGators
- Royals Hammer Final Nail in Wheeling Coffin...Win Decisive Game 5, 4-0 - Reading Royals
- Gladiators Victorious in OT, 2-1 - Atlanta Gladiators
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