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North vs.
South
Columbia, Atlantic City to face-off in ECHL Kelly Cup Finals
The 2003 Kelly Cup
Finals open Wednesday with Columbia hosting Atlantic
City. The Inferno and the Boardwalk Bullies are both in their second season
and are making their first-ever Finals appearance.
Columbia and Atlantic
City did not meet in the regular season. The Inferno
did play 15 games against teams from the Northeast Division compiling an
8-6-1 record. Atlantic City only played two games against teams from the
Southeast Division going 1-0-1 with a win against Augusta and a shootout
loss against Pee Dee.
The Boardwalk Bullies
have qualified for the postseason in each of the two
seasons since moving to Atlantic City, losing to Dayton in the Northern
Conference Finals in 2002. The Inferno has qualified for the playoffs in
each of its first two seasons, losing to Pee Dee in the Southeast Division
Semifinals in 2002.
Columbia secured its
berth with a 4-2 win over Mississippi in Game 6 of the
Southern Conference Finals on Friday, improving its home record in the
playoffs to 7-0. Columbia finished atop the Southern Conference and third
overall in the ECHL with 96 points in the regular season. The Inferno swept
Greenville in the Southeast Division Semifinals and swept Pee Dee in the
Southeast Division Finals.
Atlantic City advanced
to the Finals with a 3-2 win over Cincinnati in Game
7 of the Northern Conference Finals on Saturday. The Boardwalk Bullies
finished atop the Northeast Division and fourth overall in the ECHL with
94
points. Atlantic City swept Trenton in the Northeast Division Semifinals
and
beat Greensboro, three games to one, in the Northeast Division Finals.
Columbia is looking
to become the third straight team from South Carolina to
win the Kelly Cup joining the Greenville Grrrowl (2002) and the South
Carolina Stingrays (2001).
Atlantic City coach Mike Haviland was an assistant coach with Trenton when the Titans lost to South Carolina in the Kelly Cup Finals in 2001.
Columbia coach Scott White helped Greensboro win the ECHL Championship in his first professional season in 1989-90 and helped the Monarchs return to the ECHL Finals in 1991.
Mike Nicholishen of
Atlantic City is the only player in the 2003 Finals that
already has his name on the Kelly Cup, earning the honor with South Carolina
in 2001.
