Stingrays Win Kelly Cup, Beat Alaska 4-2

Published on June 6, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. - The South Carolina Stingrays won their record third ECHL Kelly Cup championship on Friday beating the Alaska Aces 4-2 in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 6,610 at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Stingrays won the inaugural Kelly Cup in 1997 and became the first two-time champion in 2001. The three championships tie the league record for titles as Hampton Road won the Riley Cup, the trophy presented to the ECHL winner from 1989-96, in 1991 and 1992 and the Kelly Cup in 1998. South Carolina coach Jared Bednar was a player in 1997 and 2001 and is the first player or coach to have his name engraved on the Kelly Cup three times.

South Carolina rookie goaltender James Reimer, who made 26 saves in Game 7, was named the Most Valuable Player after going 3-1 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 1.64 and a save percentage of .942 in the Finals.

The Kelly Cup trophy is named for Patrick J. Kelly, who presents it each year to the postseason champion. Kelly was one of the founding fathers of the ECHL and the second inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008. Kelly served as Commissioner for the league's first eight seasons and was named Commissioner Emeritus in 1996, a title that he continues to hold. Kelly, who celebrated his 55th season in professional hockey in 2007-08, coached 1,900 career games and had 935 wins. Kelly coached in the Eastern Hockey League, the Southern Hockey League and the National Hockey League where he was the only coach to ever lead the Colorado Rockies to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

South Carolina holds the ECHL record for playoff appearances (15), games (139) and wins (77) and is the third team to defeat the regular season (Florida in the South Division Finals) and defending champion (Cincinnati in the American Conference Finals) en route to the championship. The Stingrays are the fourth club to beat the regular season first-place finisher (Florida) and the second-place finisher (Alaska) on the way to the title.

Celebrating its 21st season in 2008-09, the ECHL is the Premier 'AA' Hockey League and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

The ECHL is the primary development league for the AHL and the NHL. The ECHL and the AHL are the only two minor professional hockey leagues that are recognized in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association. The CBA states that any player on an NHL entry-level contract designated for assignment to a minor league must report if assigned to a team in the ECHL or the AHL. A player on an NHL entry-level contract assigned to a minor professional league other than the ECHL or the AHL is not required to report and can request reassignment to a team in the ECHL or the AHL.

2009 Kelly Cup Finals (Best of Seven)

South Carolina Wins Series 4-3

Game 1 - SOUTH CAROLINA 4 at Alaska 2
Game 2 - South Carolina 1 at ALASKA 3
Game 3 - Alaska 2 at SOUTH CAROLINA 4
Game 4 - Alaska 0 at SOUTH CAROLINA 5
Game 5 - ALASKA 3 at South Carolina 2
Game 6 - South Carolina 2 at ALASKA 3
Game 7 - SOUTH CAROLINA 4 at Alaska 2

Kelly Cup Champions - Here is a complete list of Kelly Cup Champions:

2009 - South Carolina defeated Alaska, 4 games to 3
2008 - Cincinnati defeated Las Vegas, 4 games to 2
2007 - Idaho defeated Dayton, 4 games to 1
2006 - Alaska defeated Gwinnett, 4 games to 1
2005 - Trenton defeated Florida, 4 games to 2
2004 - Idaho defeated Florida, 4 games to 1
2003 - Atlantic City defeated Columbia, 4 games to 1
2002 - Greenville defeated Dayton, 4 games to 0
2001 - South Carolina defeated Trenton, 4 games to 1
2000 - Peoria defeated Louisiana, 4 games to 2
1999 - Mississippi defeated Richmond, 4 games to 3
1998 - Hampton Roads defeated Pensacola, 4 games to 2
1997 - South Carolina defeated Louisiana, 4 games to 1