CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Cincinnati Cyclones will play the South Carolina Stingrays in the American Conference Finals of the Kelly Cup playoffs.
Cincinnati will travel to the South Division winner’s home for game one and two, then returning to U.S. Bank Arena for games three, four and five, if necessary. If games six and seven are needed, the series would continue in South Carolina The Cyclones are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators.
Game one will be played at South Carolina on Saturday, May 9 at 7:05pm. Game two will also be played at the North Charleston Coliseum on Monday, May 11. Games three and four will be at U.S. Bank Arena on Wednesday, May 13 and Friday, May 15. If a fifth game is needed, it will also be played in Cincinnati on Saturday, May 16—these games will all be played at 7:30pm. If the sixth and/or seventh games are needed, they will be played at South Carolina on Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19.
The Cyclones advanced to the series by rallying to defeat Wheeling in seven games of the opening round and then sweeping Elmira in four games. The Cyclones claimed the North Division regular season title with a 41-26-5 record. It was the second straight year the club captured the North Division regular season title and followed it up with the North Division playoff championship.
South Carolina (42-23-6) finished off Florida in a six-game series last night (4-3 in overtime) and also knocked off Charlotte in a six-game affair in the opening round of the playoffs. It is the second straight season that these clubs have met in the American Conference Finals. The Stingrays have won the Kelly Cup twice (1997 and 2001).
For the third time in team history, the Cyclones have advanced to a Conference Finals series. During the 2003 Kelly Cup playoffs, Cincinnati defeated Peoria in four games and Toledo in four games to advance to the Northern Conference Finals. The Cyclones were upended in seven games by Atlantic City. In that series, Cincinnati trailed three games to none and used a trio of wins to force the final game and absorbed a 3-2 defeat. Last season, the Cyclones claimed the American Conference playoff championship in a five game triumph over South Carolina.
Game three (Wednesday, May 13) will be game ‘G’ for Cyclones season ticket holders and they should use that ticket for admission to that contest. Game four (Friday, May 15) of that series, is ticket ‘H’ for season ticket holders. If a fifth game is needed—that would be the ‘J’ ticket in the package and the game would happen on Saturday, May 16.
Should that game not be played in this round—ticket holders are asked to keep their tickets, as they would be used in the following round. The winner of the American Conference Finals series will advance to play the winner of the National Conference Finals playoff series for a berth in the Kelly Cup Finals.
Best-of-seven North Division Finals – Cincinnati v. South Carolina
Game 1 Saturday, May 9 at North Charleston Coliseum 7:05pm MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5)
Game 2 Monday, May 11 at North Charleston Coliseum 7:05pm MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5)
Game 3 Wednesday, May 13 at U.S. Bank Arena 7:30pm
Game 4 Friday, May 15 at U.S. Bank Arena 7:30pm
Game 5 Saturday, May 16 * at U.S. Bank Arena 7:30pm
Game 6 Monday, May 18 * at North Charleston Coliseum 7:05pm MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5)
Game 7 Tuesday, May 18 * at North Charleston Coliseum 7:05pm MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5)
* - if necessary
Tickets for all Cyclones games can be purchased at the U.S. Bank Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com. The most up-to-date information and broadcast of the games can be found on our website www.cycloneshockey.com.
-www.cycloneshockey.com-
