Winning streak puts Brass one win from playoffs
March 25, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
New Orleans Brass News Release
Playoff tickets on sale Tuesday, last regular-season home game is Wednesday
(3/25/02) The Brass won three straight games over the weekend to move one step away from a Kelly Cup playoff berth. New Orleans leads Mobile by five points for the fifth playoff spot in the ECHL's Southwest Division. Any combination of three points gained by the Brass or lost by the Mysticks will clinch the playoff spot for New Orleans.
Goaltender Paxton Schafer posted back-to-back shutouts Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Schafer's 23 saves and Matt Demarski's third-period goal gave New Orleans a 1-0 win at Mississippi. On Saturday against Baton Rouge, Shawn Mather scored three goals for his first professional hat trick, and Schafer made 23 saves to shutout his former Kingfish teammates, 5-0. On Sunday, Schafer stopped 25 of 26 Pensacola shots and Mikko Sivonen had a goal and an assist in the Brass' 3-1 win against the Ice Pilots. Schafer's numbers for the week were brilliant: 3-0 record, 0.33 goals-against average, .987 save percentage, 2 shutouts.
RECORDS: Sunday's win was the 36th of the season for the Brass, tying a franchise record set in 1997-98 and tied in 1999-2000. Also, Schafer and the Brass went 149 minutes and 15 seconds without allowing a goal last week. The shutout streak is the longest in Brass history, eclipsing last year's shutout streak of 145:07 which included shutouts by Ron Vogel and Alexei Volkov. The weekend crowds totalled nearly 11,000 fans, pushing the Brass over the 150,000 mark for the third year in a row.
THE BIG GAME: Wednesday night, the Brass will have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot at home against the Mobile Mysticks AND set a franchise record for wins in a season on Fan Appreciation Night. The first 2,500 fans to enter the New Orleans Arena receive a free 2001-2002 team poster compliments of Pepsi. Additional prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. Doors open at 6:00pm, and game time is 7:05pm. Tickets are available at the Louisiana Superdome Box Office and all Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (504) 522-5555.
FINISH ON THE ROAD: The Brass will finish the regular season with road games Friday in Columbia and Saturday in Augusta. The last time the Brass played the Lynx, Martin Bartek's overtime goal gave the Brass a victory in the 2001 Kelly Cup playoff series with Augusta and sent New Orleans into the conference quarterfinals.
MARCH MADNESS: The Brass' season ends with 16 games in 30 days. So far in March, the Brass' record is 8-5. The regular season ends March 30. The 2002 Kelly Cup Playoffs begin next week!
THIS WEEK, March 25-30:Tuesday 11:00am Practice at the New Orleans Arena
6:30pm "Talkin' Brass Hockey" on Cox 10
Wednesday 7:15am "Inside Brass Hockey" on 1350-AM WSMB
10:30am Practice at the New Orleans Arena
7:05pm BRASS VS. MOBILE, 7:05PM (Fan Appreciation Night)depart for Columbia following the game
Friday 6:30pm BRASS at Columbia Inferno (1350-AM WSMB)
Saturday 6:35pm BRASS at Augusta Lynx (1350-AM WSMB)
BRASS PLAYOFF WATCH
PLAYOFF TICKETS! Kelly Cup Playoff tickets go on sale Tuesday morning at 10:00am at the Superdome Box Office and all Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets can be purchased by phone by calling (504) 522-5555. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
With three games left to play, New Orleans leads Mobile by 5 points for the fifth playoff spot in the ECHL's Southwest Division.
2002 Kelly Cup Playoff matchups, if the playoffs began today:
Southwest Division
#4 Jackson vs. #5 New Orleans
#2 Mississippi vs. #3 Pensacola
#1 Louisiana vs. the winner of #4 vs. #5
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