2005 Lewis Cup Finals

The Milwaukee Choppers charged into the Lewis Cup Finals having lost only two games the entire playoffs. Brad McNair was on fire as he led the team in scoring while Matt Darwin was also playing the best hockey of his career in net. Meanwhile the big, hard-hitting Bulldogs had proven to be one of the toughest teams to play against throughout the post-season.

Game one in Boston got off to a quick start with each team scoring in the first two minutes. Both goaltenders played a strong game until Boston exploded for three goals in the third period. Brendan Marlo, Isaac Hart, and Chris Woods were the goal scorers, and Matt Darwin was uncharacteristically pulled after Boston’s fourth goal. The Bulldogs had stunned the Choppers, handing them their first loss since the first round. Milwaukee now trailed a series for the first time in the 2005 playoffs, but would bounce back in game two. Matt Darwin was back in net and was spectacular, stopping 39 shots for a slim 2-1 victory as the teams traveled to Milwaukee tied 1-1.

In Milwaukee for game three, the Bulldogs knew they needed a win on the road after surrendering game two. Isaac Hart opened the scoring but then took a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct just four minutes later when he pried Henrik Akerman’s helmet off and threw it. The Choppers took advantage, scoring on the powerplay to tie the game. Boston would lose another lead later in the game, and Milwaukee ultimately won the game 4-2. The Bulldogs hoped to be more disciplined in game four. Isaac Hart once again made an impact for his team, but this time a positive one. Hart fought Adam Wyrzykowski early in the game and his victory gave the Bulldogs much-needed momentum. Boston earned a 2-0 lead shortly after the fight, on goals from Marlo and Matt Pope. Viktor Holmqvist did his best to hold onto the lead but the Choppers once again stormed back. Brendan Bittner and Thomas Suchy each scored early in the third to tie the game, which would eventually go to overtime. Overtime did not last long, as Bittner scored again, giving the Choppers the win and an opportunity to take the cup in Boston.

The Bulldogs once again made a valiant effort in game five, tying the game after going down early. But it would not be enough. JP Laporte and Brad McNair each scored in the third period and Boston simply could not solve Darwin again. Back in Milwaukee, fans who had packed the DreamWare Center eagerly counted down the seconds. The buzzer went and the Choppers mobbed Matt Darwin. It was Milwaukee’s first title since 1989, and one of the most dominant playoff performances of all time, as the Choppers had claimed the cup with only three playoff losses.

The victory was especially sweet for playoff and league MVP Brad McNair, who had finally experienced a career year after five long years in New Orleans. “This is really incredible” said McNair. “I think this is one of the greatest teams of all time and it’s just awesome to be a part of it.”

2005 Playoffs

Round One

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia (1) vs Detroit (8)

Entering the playoffs as the odds-on Lewis Cup favorite, the defending champion Redshirts faced their “Original Eight” rivals, the Detroit Mustangs in a first round series that would prove to be one of the most shocking in recent memory. Rookie goaltender Tyler Mosley was nearly unbeatable while Eric Woods turned in the best performance of his PHL career with three goals and three points in four games. Detroit stunned the Redshirts in four straight to advance to round two.

Toronto (2) vs Miami (7)

Miami never really got into this series. Joe Murdock and Darren Reid formed one of the deadliest duos in the playoffs, combining for 14 points including Murdock’s game four hat-trick in a five game victory over the Stingrays.

Boston (3) vs Quebec (4)

After falling into a 0-2 hole, the Nationale clawed their way back into the series, tying it at 2-2. However, Boston’s stifling defense, backed by solid goaltending from Viktor Holmqvist, proved to be too much for Quebec. Boston won game five on an overtime goal from Matt Pope, then won game six 4-1 to take the series.

Long Island (4) vs New York (5)

In the first “Subway Series” since 1994, the Concordes longed to finally get the better of their rivals from the city. The star-studded Civics gave Long Island all they could handle in the first four games, as the series returned to the Island for game five tied 2-2. Game five finally saw the emotion expected from the series, as tempers erupted midway through the third period with the usually calm and gentle Tobias Krause doing surprisingly well in a fight with scrappy Concordes defenseman Nathan Webb. New York took the game and a commanding series lead with a 4-1 victory. The Civics were taking full advantage of the smaller Concordes, a team built for speed, by pounding them at every opportunity. Knowing his team needed to respond physically to survive, Concordes captain Ryan Shelton squared off with Civics’ enforcer Brant Brown, fighting the much larger Brown to a draw. Inspired by their captain’s courage, the Concordes won the game 4-2 to send the series to game seven at home. In the deciding game, Shelton was the hero once again, this time scoring the winner in a 3-1 win to take the series.

Western Conference

Milwaukee (1) vs Denver (8)

Denver’s big return to the post-season lasted longer than many believed it would be. The heavily favoured Choppers dominated game one, but then just barely won game two before the Bulls tied the series with two big wins at home. To make matters worse for Milwaukee, Brad McNair missed game five with the flu, leading many to wonder if Denver could pull off the upset. But captain Brent Zahorsky stepped up in a big way, scoring a goal and an assist as the Choppers won 4-2. McNair returned for game six, scoring the winner in a 3-1 win as Milwaukee advanced.

Dallas (2) vs Chicago (7)

In yet another edition of what had become one of the biggest rivalries in hockey, Chicago and Dallas met in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years and right away the series did not disappoint. Game one went back and forth through three periods before going to overtime. Four overtime periods would solve nothing, with goaltenders Kari Nurminen and Alexei Rolonov both shutting the door. Finally, early in the fifth overtime, Jonathan Wheatley ended the fourth-longest game in PHL history in Chicago’s favour as the Shamrocks took a 1-0 series lead. The Shamrocks went on to take a 3-1 series lead and an opportunity to close it out in game five, but the Desperados had other ideas. Shawn Marchinski, AJ Vernon, Lamar Jackson, and Kyle Clark all scored in a 4-1 win. Game six was another overtime marathon, reaching three extra periods, where Marchinski would be the hero, sending the series to what had begun to seem like an inevitable game seven. Dallas had been the favorites entering the series and now carried the momentum, however, it would be Chicago that came out as the better-prepared team in game seven, taking it 4-2 thanks to a two-goal performance from Wheatley.

Seattle (3) vs Kansas City (6)

The second series to reach a game seven, the Grey Wolves and Twisters engaged in one of the most incredible playoff games in PHL history. In what would be the second-longest game seven in PHL history, goaltenders Dan Pilford for Seattle and Jimmy Otterburn for Kansas City both set new marks for saves made in a single game. Otterburn stopped 72 shots, while Pilford set a new league record with 84 saves for the shutout. Scott Lindsay scored the winner late in the fifth overtime as the Grey Wolves moved on to round two.

Minnesota (4) vs Edmonton (5)

Despite entering the series as the favorites, the aging Lumberjacks simply could not keep pace with the speed and physicality of the Northern Lights, who immediately took a 2-0 series lead on the road. Minnesota took game three 3-1, but it did little more than prevent a sweep. Game five would be the last of Pavel Vana and Aaron Duplacy’s careers. Jason Crowley also took his time leaving the ice as the crowd gave him a standing ovation, leading to speculation that his career was over as well.

Round Two

Eastern Conference

Toronto vs Detroit

After their big upset against the Philadelphia Redshirts, the Detroit Mustangs had a ton of momentum heading into their series against the Toronto Racers. But after splitting the first four games, the Racers took game five 5-2 as Darren Reid had his first career playoff hat-trick. In game six, Toronto dominated the Mustangs, ending the series in a 6-1 rout.

Boston vs Long Island

The Boston/Long Island rivalry continued in the second round with Boston’s 2004 first-round victory still fresh in the Concordes minds. Boston came out strong in the first two games at home, winning 3-2 and 2-0. Like New York, the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Concordes with their size and physicality. But in game three on Long Island, goaltender Chris McNally stood tall for the Concordes, stopping 47 shots while Ilya Rusakivich scored what would be the winner in a 4-2 victory. In game four, the captain came through again, as Ryan Shelton scored in overtime to tie the series. Boston took a commanding 3-2 series lead in game five, but McNally played his best game of the series in game six, earning a shutout and forcing a deciding game back home on Long Island. The MetBank Center was packed to capacity for game seven, which would be scoreless through regulation. As overtime began, Rusakivich had a shot on an open net, but the puck hit the crossbar and fell and trickled along the goalline where Viktor Holmqvist scooped it up. Just minutes later, Mikael Larsson beat McNally to win the game and the series for Boston. The Long Island fans were heartbroken but still hopefull for the future.

Western Conference

Milwaukee vs Chicago

With both Brad McNair and Brent Zahorsky on a tear, the Chopper dominated the Shamrocks. Chicago simply could not solve Whyte finalist Matt Darwin. The Shamricks scored only four goals the entire series and were shut out twice as the Choppers swept their way to the Western Conference Finals.

Seattle vs Edmonton

This series pitted an aging Seattle team against a young, up-and-coming Edmonton team led by generational superstar Kris Nazarenko. Seattle won game one 2-0 at home and appeared to be in control. But the next three games went to Edmonton and the Grey Wolves faced elimination in game five. Game five in Seattle was scoreless through two periods, then Syong Li scored just two minutes into the third period to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead and eventually the win. The Grey Wolves staved off elimination, but would meet their end in game six, as Nazarenko scored twice in a 3-1 Edmonton win to send the Northern Lights to the Western Conference Finals.

Round Three

Milwaukee vs Edmonton

The Milwaukee Choppers were quickly becoming the hottest team in the playoffs heading into the Western Conference Finals. In game one against Edmonton, the Chops showed no signs of slowing down. Brad McNair and Brendan Bittner each had two goals in addition to goals from Adam Wyrzykowski, Brent Zahorsky, and JP Laporte in a 7-0 blowout. Game two was better for Edmonton early on when Bruce Evans opened the scoring, but Milwaukee responded with three quick goals during the third period. The Northern Lights hoped to turn things around at home in game three, were unable to solve Matt Darwin, who earned a 2-0 shutout. Game four went into overtime, as Edmonton turned in their best effort of the series with Kris Nazarenko scoring twice earlier in the game. Overtime would be brief, however, as Bittner beat goaltender Brent Maloney to send Milwaukee to the Lewis Cup Final.

Toronto vs Boston

Only two years removed from a Lewis Cup title, the Toronto Racers were a confident team entering the Eastern Conference Finals. Joe Murdock and Darren Reid had proven to be one of the deadliest duos in the league, combining for 28 points in the first two rounds of the playoffs. There was little reason to doubt them after games one and two at the Queen Elizabeth Arena, where the Racers won an overtime thriller in game one followed by a shutout victory in game two. Heading back home for game three, the Bulldogs knew they needed to win to avoid an enormous uphill battle. Game three would go to overtime, where Brendan Marlo scored the winner. Boston tied the series in game four, as pesky Bulldogs winger Isaac Hart drove Joe Murdock crazy all game. In game five, Hart shoved Darren Reid to the ice while the referee wasn’t looking, prompting defenseman Sean MacDonald to punch him in the jaw. MacDonald was ejected and Boston took the series lead with a 4-2 win. Game six was delayed a day with U2 playing a show at the GlobeBank Arena. When game day finally arrived Toronto was determined to ignore Hart, whose antics finally cost him and his team. Late in the game, Hart took a spearing penalty which led to a powerplay goal for Adam Lawless. Toronto hung on to force game seven, but finally succumbed to the Bulldogs in a tight game seven where Chris Haines scored in the final two minutes. For the first time in 12 years, Boston was headed to the Lewis Cup Finals to face Milwaukee.

2004-05 Regular Season

October 8, 2004, seven Months after being traded for the first time, Brad McNair began his first full season in Milwaukee. McNair gave Choppers fans a lot to be excited about right away when he lit up the Chicago Shamrocks in the home opener, scoring four goals in a 6-3 win. The native of Cornerbrook, Newfoundland enjoyed a career season in 2004-05, winning the Cleveland Cup with 109 points including 52 goals. McNair switched from center to right wing, where he flourished playing alongside team captain Brent Zahorsky and Milwaukee finished first place in the Western Conference. After spending nearly five seasons in a very messy situation in New Orleans, McNair finally found himself on a contending team. “It’s been a lot of fun this year” said McNair. “I really believe this team has what it takes to win right now.”

The Choppers barely edged out the Dallas Desperados for first place. Dallas held the top spot heading into the final week of the year, before Milwaukee won the last two games of the season to tie the Desperados in points, giving the Choppers the title as they had more wins. It was a disappointment for the Desperados, who had enjoyed a strong year despite some injuries to key players.

The Western Conference was a tight race, with Seattle, Minnesota, Edmonton, and Kansas City all fighting for home ice advantage in the playoffs. But one of the most surprising stories of the year was the Denver Bulls, who climbed back in to post-season for the first time since 1996. The Bulls return to the playoffs was largely due to the spectacular play of Martin Barker in net. Barker was a finalist for the Whyte Trophy with six shutouts, while Justin Pratt contributed with 86 points. It had been a long time for the franchise, as attendance was beginning to suffer and the team was losing money. But by season’s end, the Western Airlines Center was full every night. “We’ve put a lot of work into this in the six years I’ve been here” said head coach Jacques Colette. “This is a big step. It’s exciting in this building for the first time in a while.”

In the Eastern Conference, the Long Island Concordes hoped to make the jump from emerging threat to true contender. In November, the Concordes made a blockbuster trade, sending longtime star Bruce Evans to the Edmonton Northern Lights in exchange for superstar Ilya Rusakivich. Rusakivich was holding out on the Northern Lights, who did not want to overspend with Kris Nazarenko nearing the end of his contract. Rusakivich immediately inked a massive, ten-year, $100 Million deal with the Concordes. The Concordes did not regret their new acquisition either. Rusakivich played very well on a line with countryman Ilya Severov, scoring 56 goals to lead the league. Long Island finished fourth, earning home-ice advantage for the first time since 1991.

Philadelphia and Toronto ruled the Eastern Conference once again, while the Boston Bulldogs, led by captain Brendan Marlo, broke 100 points to take third place. The Miami Stingrays won the South Division, yet finished in seventh place due to new league rules which guaranteed division winners only a playoff spot. After a decent performance for Canada at the World Hockey Challenge, Eric Moon followed up with his best regular season performance since he won the scoring title in 2001-02. Moon scored 33 goals and added 42 assists for 75 points. In Montreal, the Royale’s 18 year playoff streak finally came to an end. The Royale spent the latter half of the season in a tight race with Detroit, Carolina, and Cleveland but ultimately fell to 11^th place, five points out of the final playoff spot. At the trade deadline, realizing their post-season hopes could be slim, the Royale dealt veteran Aaron Duplacy to the Minnesota Lumberjacks, hoping to give him a chance at one more championship.

The Eastern Conference playoff race would come down to the final day of the season. Detroit face Toronto, needing either a win or a Carolina loss to get in. Carolina beat Miami, meaning it was do or die for the Mustangs. Eric Woods proved to be the hero, scoring twice in a big 4-2 win as Detroit clinched the final playoff spot.

The last day of the season was also special for another reason. Minnesota faced Milwaukee and both teams had already clinched playoff spots, yet the game garnered attention anyway as longtime Lumberjacks captain Jason Crowley entered the game with 699 career goals. Late in the second period, Crowley beat Choppers goaltender Brad O’Donnell to become the seventh player in PHL history - and the first US-born player – to score 700 goals. Crowley was given a 10-minute standing ovation and even the rival Choppers congratulated him for the milestone. “I honestly never imagined doing this. It’s an amazing feeling.” Said Crowley, who had hinted at retirement during the season. “It’s been an honour to play in this league for so long.”

2004 World Hockey Challenge

In August, 2004, National teams from ten different countries arrived in Stockholm for the eighth World Hockey Challenge. The Russians entered the tournament looking to win their third title in a row, The host Swedes entered their strongest team eve, while the Canadians and Americans were both seeking redemption after disappointing finishes for both teams in 1996 and 2000.

Things did not go as planned early on for both North American teams. The Americans opened the tournament against Slovakia. The Slovaks got an early lead when Montreal Royale star Zdeno Kadlec scored twice in the first period. Despite strong play from Matt Darwin in the USA goal, the Americans could not find a way to beat Slovak goaltender Petr Barca as Slovakia skated to a stunning 2-0 win. Meanwhile, the Canadians opened their tournament against Switzerland, a team playing in their first-ever WHC. Despite having only one PHL player on their roster, the Swiss stunned Canada 3-1, spurring panic across the country. The following morning the Toronto Sun ran the headline “No Canada; Why Canadian Hockey is Officially Dead”. It was Canadian GM and executive director Stuart Holly who proved to be the calming voice. “We will be OK, it’s one game for crying out loud” said Holly, who himself had played in the first four tournaments.

In Pool B, both the Russians and the Swedes got off to fast starts. Each team allowed only two goals in their first three games, meaning their showdown at the end of the round-robin would decide first place in the pool. The game would be a goaltending exhibition between Alexei Rolonov and Viktor Holmqvist. Holmqvist was peppered with shots early, as Swedish defenseman – and Holmqvist’s new Boston teammate – Matt Andersson took a penalty. The dangerous line of Igor Zharkov, Ilya Severov, and Alexei Ivanov had some big chances but could not beat Holmqvist. At the other end, Rolonov was forced to keep the Swedes off the board through a late surge to take the lead. The climax came when he had to stop a 2-on-0 with Jonas Andersson and Hendrik Akerman. Ultimately, the game ended in a scoreless tie, with Russia getting first place thanks to a goal differential tie-breaker.

After stumbling out of the gate, both Canada and USA played very well through the rest of the round robin. Canada shut out Slovakia and defeated Great Britain 3-1, while the Americans took out Switzerland 8-0 and Great Britain 4-0 with Matt Darwin turning in one of the best goaltending performances ever at the WHC. It would all come down to the battle of North America for first place in Pool A. Darwin finally allowed his first goal against since the opener just six minutes in when his Milwaukee teammate Brad McNair scored to give Canada the lead. The United States responded when Jake Wilson beat Pierre Noel to tie the game. The 1-1 tie would hold until midway through the third period, when Joe Murdock took a pass from Kris Nazarenko on an odd-man rush and beat Darwin to give Canada a 2-1 lead. It was all on Rimouski, Quebec native Pierre Noel now. Noel stopped 12 shots in the final minute alone before Eric Moon sealed the win with the empty-netter to give Canada the win and first place.

Canada’s reward for finishing first was a quarterfinal date with the Czech Republic, a team that had underachieved in a tough pool but was considered dangerous nonetheless. Despite strong play from goaltender Petr Kaleek early, the Czechs simply could not contain the fast, hard-hitting Canadian style and soon 18-year-old Kaleek was beaten twice by McNair, then by Jared Baxter and Brendan Marlo in a 4-1 Canadian win. Meanwhile, the Americans faced a similar opponent in the scrappy Fins. Finland made life miserable for Matt Darwin, planting big, tough winger Antti Pulkkinen in front of the net. The Fins soon took a 2-1 lead but the American defense simply had too much size for Pulkkinen in the end. Veteran behemoths Randy Fernandez, Scott Drayton, and Kevin Hoyle each took turns delivering cross-check after cross-check to Pulkkinen and Jarkko Nikula as the game turned nasty. Finally, thanks to goals from captain Jason Crowley and Gus Avery, team USA skated to a 3-2 win to advance to the semis.

The host Swedes were expected to roll over Switzerland, a team that was not even supposed to make the elimination round. However the Swiss team continued their gritty play and managed to force Sweden to a shootout, where goals from Mikael Forsberg and captain Gustav Mattsen gave the Swedes the win and allowed the home crowd to breathe again.

The semifinals would be a repeat of the 2000 tournament, as USA faced Russia and Canada faced Sweden once again. Though the Russians had an advantage over the Americans in speed and skill, they were simply unable to match their size nor could they solve Matt Darwin. Goals from Jake Wilson and Travis Watson propelled Team USA to a 2-0 win and a berth in the championship game. In the other semifinal match, Sweden remembered all too well the heartbreaking late third period loss to Canada in the 2000 semis. This game would be tight as well, tied 2-2 after regulation. Two entire nations spent the five-minute overtime holding their breath as Sweden’s Peter Lundholm and Canada’s Rob Wentzel rung shots off the post. Overtime solved nothing, sending the game to a shootout, where Holmqvist and Noel turned away shot after shot. The shootout went to sudden death, where Swedish captain Gustav Mattsen beat Noel just below the bocker to give Sweden the lead. Canada needed a goal from Brad McNair to tie it. McNair skated in and deked Holmqvist. It appeared he had him beat but could not quite lift the puck over Holmqvist’s pad. The crowd was ecstatic, as Sweden would advance to the championship game for the first time ever, while the Canadians were devastated. The country that was considered hockey’s home had now gone four straight tournaments without a win.

The United States faced Sweden in the title game and the game proved to be unusually high-scoring from the get-go. Mike Bidden opened the scoring for Team USA, then Darren Reid made it 2-0. It appeared the Americans might take their second championship until Matt Andersson’s point shot found its way past Darwin to bring the game within one. Late in the first period, the Americans once again extended the lead on a goal from Jake Wilson, who at age 20 was having a MVP-worthy tournament. USA led 3-1 going into the second period. Darwin and Holmqvist held the game at 3-1 throughout the second and the Americans appeared to be on their way to a title entering the third period. However, just 20 seconds into the third, Tomas Axelsson beat Darwin on a breakaway to bring the game within one. The Americans nursed the 3-2 lead for 12 minutes until Mattsen scored to tie the game. The Swedish crowd erupted while the Americans began to panic. Sweden nearly scored again when Mikael Larsson was sprung on a breakaway, but Darwin stepped up to make the save. The game would go to overtime, which ended quickly. The Swedes were forced to kill off a Lukas Edstrom penalty that was called in the dying seconds of the third period. After killing the penalty, Sweden rode the momentum and shifted the play into the American zone, where Gustav Mattsen immediately jammed a rebound past Matt Darwin to win the game and the tournament for Sweden. Mattsen, who would be named tournament MVP was mobbed by his teammates while the crowd gave their team a standing ovation. Mattsen then took the trophy into the crowd where the players celebrated with their fans. “We did it! We did it!” he screamed into the camera when interviewed. It was only the second time ever that the host nation won the tournament.