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Wranglers Need One Point For Playoff Berth

March 5, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Las Vegas begins the week needing only one point clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year and the third time in four seasons since joining the league as an expansion team in 2003-04.

The Wranglers would join defending Kelly Cup champion Alaska which qualified for the postseason last weekend. Las Vegas leads the Pacific Division and is second in the National Conference and the ECHL with 79 points and a 33-11-13 record.

Alaska leads the league with 86 points and a 41-13-4 record, and for the second straight year was the first team to clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The defending Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup champion Aces have reached the postseason each of their first four seasons and are looking to become the first team in ECHL history to repeat as the regular season champion. A year ago, the Aces became only the second team in history to win both the regular season point championship and the postseason championship, joining the South Carolina Stingrays who captured the Brabham Cup and the Kelly Cup in 1997.

In the National Conference, playoff berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division as well as to the next six-best teams, based on regular-season point totals, and all playoff series will be best-of-seven games. In the Conference Quarterfinals, which will be best-of-seven game series, the division winners will be seeded first and second in order of points and the next six-best teams will be seeded third through eighth in order of points. In the Conference Semifinals and the Conference Finals, teams will be re-seeded according to the same criteria as the Conference Quarterfinals with division leaders seeded first and second while the remaining teams will be seeded in order of regular-season points.

Bakersfield is in second place in the West and third in the National Conference and the league with 76 points and a 33-13-10 record. The Condors were 2-0-2 last week including a win at Alaska on Sunday that ended the Aces' team record 14-game home winning streak. Bakersfield remains on the road this week traveling to Utah on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Victoria holds the eighth and final spot in the National Conference with 53 points (26-31-1), which is six points ahead of Long Beach (22-31-3) and Utah (21-31-5) who each have 47 points. The Salmon Kings have not advanced to the Kelly Cup Playoffs each of their first two seasons. The Ice Dogs have reached the postseason each of the last two years after missing the playoffs their first season while the Grizzlies are looking for their second straight trip. Victoria, which is 6-2-0 in its last eight games, plays at Stockton on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Long Beach, which is 3-1-0 in its last four games, travels to Alaska for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday while Utah hosts Bakersfield on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Idaho is second in the West Division and fourth in the conference with 67 points (31-19-5) while Fresno is third in the Pacific Division and fifth in the conference with 65 points (30-21-5). The Steelheads have reached the postseason each of their first three seasons and in 2004 became only the second expansion team in league history and the first since 1990 to win the Kelly Cup. The Steelheads play at Las Vegas on Tuesday before hosting Fresno on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Falcons reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time a year ago and advanced to the National Conference Finals before losing in double overtime in Game 7 at Alaska.

Stockton is in fourth place in the Pacific Division and sixth place in the conference with 58 points (24-21-10) while Phoenix is in third place in the West Division and seventh in the conference with 55 points (25-28-5). Both in their second season, the Thunder and RoadRunners both are looking to reach the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time. Stockton hosts Victoria on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday while Phoenix hosts Texas on Tuesday and Thursday.



ECHL Trade Deadline Information

The ECHL trade deadline is Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.

Here is a Q&A to help media and fans to better understand the process.

How Is A Trade Made?

After two clubs have come to an agreement on a trade, the clubs must advise the League office, via an official trade form that has been signed by both clubs, of the terms of the trade. The League office then schedules a conference call with the two teams to review the transaction and give final approval for the deal. On the trade call, the League will review the terms of the player contracts and ensure that teams are aware of their respective obligations to the player(s) involved and that any conditions to consummation of the transaction have been clearly defined and agreed upon. The trade becomes official after each team has signed and returned the trade agreement form to the League office.

Can A Trade Take Place After 3 p.m. ET On Wednesday?

Trade calls may take place after the 3 p.m. deadline, but the League must have been advised of any and all transactions, including the specific details, prior to 3 p.m. It is not unusual that a number of trades are agreed to between the clubs just before 3 p.m. However, due to the volume of trades occurring just prior to the deadline, the League may not be able to conduct the actual trade call until after 3 p.m. Trade calls may last anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the complexity of the deal.

How Are Trades Announced?

Once a trade has been approved and the players in the transaction have been notified, the teams involved mutually agree upon a time to make the official announcement.



Dayton Makes Move In North

Outscoring its opponents 28-7 while winning all five games it played last week, Dayton improved to 29-20-4 and jumped to second place in the North Division with 62 points, two points behind leader Cincinnati (30-22-4) and two points ahead of third-place Reading (27-25-6).

The 29 wins and 62 points are the most since 2001-02 when Dayton finished first in its division and advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals. The Bombers, who have won six of their last 10 games and are looking to reach the postseason for the first time since 2002, will play at Cincinnati on Friday before hosting Wheeling on Saturday and Sunday.

Reading, which has won eight of its last 10 games and is looking for its fourth consecutive trip to the Kelly Cup Playoffs, travels to South Carolina on Friday and Saturday. Cincinnati, which returned to the ice after a two-year absence, will visit Johnstown on Saturday.

In the North Division, berths in the Kelly Cup Playoffs will be awarded to the first-place team as well as to the next four-best teams, based on regular-season point totals. The fourth seed and the fifth seed will play a best-of-three series in the Division Quarterfinals with the winner advancing to meet the division winner in the Division Semifinals, a best-of-five series that also had the second seed playing the third seed. The winners will advance to the best-of-seven Division Finals with the winner advancing to the American Conference Finals to meet the winner of the South Division.

Toledo (29-24-1) and Trenton (27-24-5) are tied for fourth place with 59 points, three points ahead of Johnstown (25-24-6). The Storm, which lost in the conference finals a year ago, will host Wheeling (21-27-6) on Wednesday before heading to Trenton on Friday and Saturday and Johnstown on Sunday.

Johnstown, which is 4-4-2 in the last 10 games, visits Trenton on Wednesday before hosting Wheeling on Friday, Cincinnati on Saturday and Toledo on Sunday.



Gladiators' Schell On Track To Break ECHL Assist Record

Despite multiple reassignments to the American Hockey League the last couple of weeks, Brad Schell of Gwinnett is still on track to break the ECHL assist record and become the first player since 2002-03 to score 100 points.

Schell leads the league with 76 assists and 99 points having scored a point in 47 of his 53 games with Gwinnett while also scoring three points (1g-2a) in four games with Chicago of the AHL. He can become the first ECHL player to score 100 points since Buddy Smith of Arkansas had 104 points in 2002-03 and is looking to surpass the ECHL record of 93 assists by Dan Gauthier of Knoxville in 1990-91.

Scott Mifsud of Gwinnett is second with 59 assists and 81 points. Schell and Mifsud are trying to become only the second teammates in league history to finish first and second in assists, joining Louisiana's Ron Handy and John De Pourcq, who led the ECHL with 67 and 63 assists in 1996-97.

Gwinnett's Colton Fretter continues to lead ECHL rookies with 35 goals and 64 points despite missing the last seven games after being injured on Feb. 14.

The assist and scoring leaders each of the last two years have been from the Alaska Aces. Scott Gomez had 73 assists and 86 points during the NHL lockout in 2004-05 and Alex Leavitt had 65 assists and 91 points a year ago. Leavitt's teammate Mike Scott was second in the league with 87 points, marking the first time since 1996-97 and only the fourth time in ECHL history that teammates have finished first and second in scoring.

South Carolina's Ed Courtenay (54g-56a) and Mike Ross (50g-60a) tied for the lead with 110 points in 1996-97. Erie's Scott Burfoot led the league with 97 points (29g-68a) and teammate Stephane Charbonneau was second with 91 points (50g-41a) in 1994-95. Stan Drulia of Knoxville led the league with 140 points (63g-77a) and teammate Dan Gauthier was second with 134 points (41g-93a) in 1990-91.



Aces Tie Fourth-Longest Home Winning Streak Record

Alaska had its team record 14-game winning streak end with a 3-2 overtime loss to Bakersfield on Sunday.

The Aces tied the fourth-longest winning streak in ECHL history, becoming the seventh team to win 14 consecutive home games and the first since San Diego and Wheeling in 2003-04.

The league record for consecutive home wins is 18 games by South Carolina from Dec. 23, 1994-Mar. 19, 1995. The second-longest winning home winning streak is 17 games by the Wheeling Thunderbirds from Nov. 24, 1994-Feb. 8, 1995 while the third-longest is 15 games by Louisiana from Feb. 4-Mar. 25, 2000.



Florida Holds Onto First In South Division

Going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, Florida has improved to 35-17-4 and regained first place in the South Division with 74 points, one point ahead of Texas (32-18-9) and two points in front of Gwinnett (33-17-6).

Florida plays at Gwinnett on Tuesday before hosting Pensacola on Friday and Saturday while Texas will travel to Phoenix on Tuesday and Thursday and Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. The Gladiators host Florida on Tuesday and Augusta on Saturday while playing at Columbia on Thursday and at Charlotte on Sunday.

Florida has reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs each of its first eight seasons including advancing to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2004 and 2005. The Gladiators have reached the postseason all three years since relocating to Georgia and reached the Kelly Cup Finals a year ago.

The Wildcatters, who were forced to miss the 2005-06 season in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, are looking for their first postseason trip since relocating to Beaumont in 2003-04. Texas has already surpassed the highs from its first two seasons with 32 wins, 16 road wins and 16 home wins.

Gwinnett leads the league with 233 goals and 4.16 goals per game after leading the ECHL a year ago with 304 goals and 4.29 goals per game. The Gladiators also lead the league with 100 power-play goals and a power-play percentage of 25.0 percent. Gwinnett is on pace to score 129 power-play goals which would break the ECHL record of 115 power-play goals set by Nashville in 1995-96. The Gladiators scored 114 power-play goals last season and led the league with a power-play percentage of 24.1 percent, which was the highest percentage since 1999-2000 when Greenville had 24.3 percent.

In the South Division, berths in the Kelly Cup Playoffs are awarded to the first-place team as well as to the next four-best teams based on regular-season point totals. The fourth seed and the fifth seed will play a best-of-three game series in the Division Quarterfinals with the winner advancing to meet the division leader in the Division Semifinals, a best-of-five series that also had the second seed playing the third seed. The winners will advance to the best-of-seven Division Finals with the winner advancing to the American Conference Finals to meet the winner of the North Division.

Augusta is in fourth place with 67 points (32-23-3), which is four points ahead of Charlotte (30-21-3). The Lynx play at Charlotte on Tuesday, at Columbia on Friday and at Gwinnett on Saturday. Charlotte has a two-point lead on South Carolina (27-22-7) for the fifth and final playoff berth. The Checkers will host Augusta on Tuesday, South Carolina on Thursday and Gwinnett on Sunday. South Carolina holds the league record for most playoff appearances and consecutive playoff appearances with 13, having advanced to the postseason every season since joining the league in 1994-95. The Stingrays, who won the Kelly Cup in 1997 and 2001, host Columbia on Tuesday and Reading on Friday and Saturday while visiting Charlotte on Thursday.



Johnstown, Stockton Sellouts Raise Attendance

Sellout crowds in Johnstown and Stockton and the two largest crowds of the season in Augusta raised the ECHL attendance to 2,877,308 as the league moved closer to three million fans for the 14th consecutive season.

The ECHL has had 23 sellouts this season led by Charlotte with seven sellouts and Idaho with four sellouts. Florida, Johnstown and Stockton each have two sellouts while Alaska, Dayton, Fresno, Gwinnett, Reading and South Carolina each have one sellout. South Carolina has had two crowds in excess of 10,000 this season with 10,112 on Oct. 21, 2006 and 10,496 on Jan. 20, which was the first sellout since Oct. 24, 1998.

Stockton welcomed almost 21,000 for three games, including its second sellout of the year with 9,737 on Mar. 3, and raised its league-leading attendance to 6,865 per game, which is an increase of 7.60 percent from a year ago when the Thunder led the league in their inaugural season. Stockton's average is the largest since 2000-01 when Florida led the ECHL with 7,086 per game and Greenville was second with 7,015.

Johnstown had its second sellout of the season with 4,021 on Feb. 28 and raised its average to 2,522 per game, which is up 4.00 percent from last season.

Alaska raised its average to 5,068 per game, which is up 3.65 percent from a year ago, and 16.77 percent from 2003-04 as the Aces look to raise their attendance for the fourth season in a row. Reading had its third-largest crowd of the season with 6,789 on Mar. 3 as the Royals raised their average to 5,213 per game, which is sixth in the league.

Augusta had its two largest crowds of the season on Mar. 2 and 3 to raise its average to 2,517 per game while Las Vegas had its second-largest crowd of the year with 6,520 on Mar. 2 and raised its average to 5,067 per game.

Florida is second in the league with 6,071 per game followed by Charlotte with 6,003 per game, which is up 2.8 percent from last season. Bakersfield is third with 5,710 per game, which is up 1.9 percent from a year ago as the Condors look to increase average attendance for the fourth straight season since joining as an expansion team in 2003-04.

Twelve of the 23 returning teams have seen their average attendance increase from last season. Utah leads the league in increased attendance with 10.1 percent followed by Fresno with 8.9 percent. Dayton has increased its average by 7.1 percent while Toledo is up 4.1 percent. The ECHL is trying to raise attendance for the fourth year in a row for the first time ever. In 2005-06 the league had its largest average since 1999-2000 with 4,327 per game when 13 of 22 returning teams raised their attendance.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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