BILOXI, Miss. � The Mississippi Sea Wolves remain in the South Division and American Conference as the ECHL on Thursday announced the division and conference alignments and the format for the 2006 Kelly Cup Playoffs which were both unanimously approved by the ECHL Board of Governors at its Annual Meeting on June 21-22.
The South Division in 2005-06 features Mississippi rivals Florida, Gwinnett, Pensacola and Texas. Other teams joining the division this season include Augusta, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville and South Carolina, making it a 10-team division.
In the South Division, the top eight teams based on regular-season point totals will advance to the postseason. In the best-of-five Division Quarterfinals, the first-place team will meet the eighth-place team, the second-place team will meet the seventh-place team, the third-place team will meet the sixth-place team, and the fourth-place team will meet the fifth-place team. In the best-of-five Division Semifinals and in the best-of-five South Division Finals, the winners will be reseeded according to regular-season points. The winner of the South Division Finals will advance to face the winner of the North Division in the best-of-seven American Conference Finals for the right to advance to the best-of-seven Kelly Cup Finals.
The ECHL welcomes the Phoenix Roadrunners, the Stockton Thunder and the Utah Grizzlies in 2005-06 and will have 27 teams playing in 16 states and British Columbia beginning October 21 and ending April 8. Every team begins the season with the goal of winning the Patrick J. Kelly Cup, presented annually to the league postseason champion and won in 2005 by the Trenton Titans, who defeated the Florida Everblades in the finals.
The conference and division alignments are:
American Conference (16 teams)
North Division (6 teams) � Dayton, Johnstown, Reading, Toledo, Trenton and Wheeling
South Division (10 teams) � Augusta, Charlotte, Columbia, Florida, Greenville, Gwinnett, Mississippi, Pensacola, South Carolina and Texas
National Conference (11 teams)
West Division (6 teams) � Alaska, Idaho, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Victoria and Utah
Pacific Division (5 teams) � Bakersfield, Fresno, Long Beach, San Diego and Stockton
In the North Division, the fourth-place and fifth-place finishers will meet in a best-of-three Division Quarterfinal, the winner advancing to the Division Semifinals against the division winner. The other Division Semifinal match-up will be between the second-place and third-place finishers. The Division Finals will be a best-of-seven with the North Division winner advancing to meet the winner of the South Division in the best-of-seven American Conference Finals for the right to advance to the Kelly Cup Finals.
The playoff qualifiers in the National Conference will be the top four teams with the highest regular-season point total from the Pacific Division and the top four teams with the highest regular-season point total from the West Division. The Division Semifinals will be best-of-seven series with the first-place finishers meeting the fourth-place finishers and the second-place finishers meeting the third-place finishers. The winners of the Division Semifinals advance to the division finals which are also best-of-seven series. The Division Finals winners will meet in the best-of-seven National Conference Finals to advance to the Kelly Cup Finals.
2006 Kelly Cup Playoffs Format
American Conference
South Division
Quarterfinals (Best-of-Five Series)
No. 1 Seed (Division Winner) vs. No. 8 Seed
No. 2 Seed vs. No. 7 Seed
No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed
No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed
Semifinals (Best-of-Five Series)
No. 1 Seed vs. No. 4 Seed
No. 2 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed
Finals (Best-of-Five Series)
Winner of No. 1 Seed/No. 4 Seed vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed/No. 3 Seed
American Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven Series)
North Division Winner vs. South Division Winner
American Conference
North Division
Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
No. 5 Seed vs. No. 4 Seed
American Conference
Semifinals (Best-of-Five Series)
No. 1 Seed (Division Winner) vs. Quarterfinals Winner
No. 2 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed
Finals (Best-of-Seven Series)
Winner of No. 1 Seed/Quarterfinals Winner vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed/No. 3 Seed
National Conference
Pacific Division
Semifinals (Best-of-Seven Series)
No. 1 Seed (Division Winner) vs. No. 4 Seed
No. 2 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed
Finals (Best-of-Seven Series)
Winner of No. 1 Seed/No. 4 Seed vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed/No. 3 Seed
West Division
Semifinals (Best-of-Seven Series)
No. 1 Seed (Division Winner) vs. No. 4 Seed
No. 2 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed
Finals (Best-of-Seven Series)
Winner of No. 1 Seed/No. 4 Seed vs. Winner of No. 2 Seed/No. 3 Seed
National Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven Series)
Pacific Division Champion vs. West Division Champion
2006 Kelly Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven Series)
National Conference Champion vs. American Conference Champion
The Sea Wolves will open their 10th Anniversary Season on the road on Saturday, October 22 at longtime rival Pensacola.
Mississippi�s home opener will be played on Friday, October 28 against the rival Texas Wildcatters at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
Reserve your piece of the exciting, hard-hitting Sea Wolves hockey action for the 10th Anniversary Season by purchasing 2005-06 season tickets starting at $306 per seat for an adult, which is just $8.50 per game and $240 for a child, an average of $6.67 per game.
A 10 percent deposit will lock in your season ticket today by calling (228) 275-WOLF. Each season ticket also includes two free �Bring a Pal to the Pack� vouchers.
Group discounts are also available by telephone at (228) 275-WOLF. Individual game ticket prices will be released in October.
For the latest ticket and team information on the Sea Wolves 10th Anniversary Season visit online at msseawolves.com.
