Defeated Louisiana 4 games to 1
May 11, 1997
SCORE BY PERIODS
South Carolina 3 1 2--6
Louisiana 1 3 0--4
FIRST
PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, South Carolina-Romfo (Tardif, Hynnes) 3:53.
2, South
Carolina-Ross (short handed) (unassisted) 8:50. 3, South
Carolina-Knopp (power
play) (Romfo, Tardif) 13:40. 4, Louisiana-Handy
(Weingartner, Mittlesteadt)
16:17. Penalties: Mayes, SC (interference),
6:58. Murphy, LA (unsportsmanlike
conduct), 8:58. Cormier, SC (interference),
16:57. Cipolla, SC (slashing),
19:19.
SECOND
PERIOD -- Scoring: 5, Louisiana-Murphy (Boh) 3:11. 6, Louisiana-Handy
(Valicevic,
Kravets) 11:07). 7, Louisiana-Valicevic (power play) (DePourcq,
Handy) 17:08. 8,
South Carolina-Romfo (power play) (Tardif, Hynnes) 18:13.
Penalties: Bednar, SC
(roughing) :22. Kravets, LA (roughing), :22. Romfo, SC
(unsportsmanlike
conduct), 6:05. Kravets, LA (goaltender interference), 6:05.
Dumont, LA
(roughing), 6:05. Marietti, SC (interference), 8:29. DePourcq, LA
(goaltender
interference), 12:56. Bednar, SC (roughing), 16:54. Melanson, LA
(hooking),
18:01.
THIRD
PERIOD -- Scoring: 9, South Carolina-Seitz (Bednar) 3:44. 10, South
Carolina-Ross (power play) (empty net) (Marietti) 19:56. Penalties: Rowland,
SC
(tripping), 3:59. Seitz, SC (hooking), 8:13. Boh, LA (holding the stick),
8:13. Marietti, SC (high sticking), 14:37. BENCH, LA (delay of game), 18:50.
SHOTS ON GOAL
South Carolina 15 12 9--36
Louisiana 13 20 9--42
Power Play Conversions: South Carolina - 3 of 7, Louisiana - 1 of 7.
Goalies:
South Carolina-Fitzsimmons (42 shots, 38 saves). Louisiana-Delorme
(9 shots, 7
saves), Schoen, 8:50 of 2nd period (26-23).
A: 11800.
POST AND COURIER
It took nine seasons, but the East Coast
Hockey League’s two championship trophies have finally been united –
in
South Carolina.
The Stingrays outlasted Louisiana, 6-4, Sunday night to claim the best-of-seven Kelly Cup Finals four games to one.
Jared Bednar’s goal at 8:44 of the third
period was the game-winner in the Brabham Cup regular-season titlists’
last
piece of unfinished business.
Regular-season MVP Mike Ross scored an
empty-netter with four seconds left, and, as time ran out, the Stingrays
mobbed
goalie Jason Fitzsimmons, named the playoff MVP. Stingrays captain Brett
Marietti accepted the cup from
its namesake, commissioner emeritus Patrick J.
Kelly. Marietti and his teammates then traded turns hoisting it
during victory
laps greeted by applause from 11,800 at the Cajundome.
The IceGators did not go quietly in front of
the sellout crowd. They came from 3-0 down to go up 4-3 before succumbing
to
three Stingrays unanswered strikes.
“We worked hard and dug deep. It’s what
these guys have done all year. They’ve refused to lose,” said
champagne-soaked
Stingrays coach Rick Vaive while puffing a cigar and sporting a
brand-new championship hat. “The one thing this team will
be able to remember
is being the first to earn those two cups in the same year since the league
began.”
The deciding game’s last big turning point
was Jeff Romfo’s power-play goal with 1:47 left in the second period, which
tied it
4-4 and slowed Louisiana’s momentum.
“The second period has been our worst all
series,” Fitzsimmons said. “But like on Friday (a 7-4 Stingrays win here),
we
prevailed in the third period when the game was on the line. That just shows
how much heart we have right here.”
Fitzsimmons made 38 saves and finished with
all 13 Stingray wins in these playoffs. Romfo and Ross each had two goals and
an
assist, and Marc Tardif added three assists in his last game before retiring
from hockey.
“It’s a nice day and a sad day,” Tardif said. “It’s hard to leave what I’ve been doing since I was nine.
“But winning a championship like that is a good way to finish a career.”
Bednar’s game-winner was his only goal in
15 playoff games since being reassigned from St. John’s of the American Hockey
League. Jason Cipolla, Bednar’s teammate at St. John’s much of this season,
set it up with a pass from behind the net.
“A defender was coming at me. I stepped up
and shot and it went off one of their guys’ sticks,” Bednar said.
“That’s what
happens when you get a lot of traffic in front of the
goalie.”
Romfo gave the Stingrays a 1-0 lead at 3:53
of the first. After taking Marc Tardif’s pass from the blue line, Romfo
wheeled in the
right circle before beating starting goalie Marc Delorme with a
wrister inside the near post.
It was 2-0 when Ross scored a shorthanded
goal at 8:50. Ross was just over center ice when he let go a low drive that beat
Delorme
stick side. IceGators coach Doug Shedden responded by pulling Delorme in
favor of Bryan Schoen.
The Stingrays pushed it to 3-0 on the power
play at 13:40. Tardif led the rush, flipped it in the middle where it deflected
off Romfo
to Kevin Knopp, who skated in front and found the top left corner.
Ron Handy was in front to redirect Rob Weingartner’s left-point drive at 16:17 to bring Louisiana within 3-1.
South Carolina had a 15-13 edge in
first-period shots. Among Fitzsimmons’ 12 saves was a nifty kick save on Don
Parsons’
point-blank chance at the 14:12 mark. The IceGators led in
second-period shots 20-12 and outscored the Rays 3-1.
Louisiana’s Jay Murphy tipped in the
rebound of Aaron Boh’s right-point shot at 3:11 to cut it to 3-2. Less than a
minute later,
Fitzsimmons denied Parsons’ rebound bid off a 2-on-1 with John
Spoltore.
Handy tied it 3-3 with his second goal of the night, a jam-in in front off assists from Chris Valicevic and Mikhail Kravets.