2008 Playoffs - Round Two

Milwaukee vs Los Angeles

The biggest upset of the 2007 playoffs was when the LA Wizards defeated the Choppers in the second round. A year later, the teams squared off for the rematch. Despite the Wizards’ 9-point improvement in 2008, the Coppers were still considered heavy favorites in the series, that is until Los Angeles won game one 4-2 thanks to an Oleg Gusarov goal in the third period that would prove to be the winner. Milwaukee recovered with a 4-1 win in game two, but Matt Stover made several big saves as the Wizards took game three at home to lead the series. Isaac Hart was suspended for game four after a knee-on-knee hit on Henrik Akerman and without the LA agitator on his back, Brad McNair exploded for two goals and two assists in a 4-1 Choppers win. The Chops would take the series lead with a 2-0 win at home in game five but Hart tormented McNair throughout game six, then scored what would be the winner in a 6-1 LA victory, sending the series to a game seven. Game seven would go into double overtime, where LA’s Hendrik Soderstrum beat Matt Darwin with a slapshot to upset the Choppers and send the Wizards to the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row.

Long Island vs Toronto

After a shutout performance in game one, Concordes goaltender Luke Morrison struggled in games two and three as the Racers took a 2-1 series lead. The veteran goaltender found his game again in game four, however, earning another shutout in a 2-0 win. Game five would be one of the longest in league history, reaching four overtimes before Ilya Rusakivich finally ended it, giving Long Island a chance to win the series. Game six was all Long Island early on, as Rusakivich, Tory Partridge, and Scott Drayton each scored to give the Concordes a 3-0 lead. A late goal from Joe Murdock would be too little too late as Long Island would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Chicago vs Oakland

Travis Sweet was supposed to be the big story for Oakland after another big season and two straight shutouts against Dallas in the first round, but the young goaltender had to have an emergency appendectomy just hours before game one against Chicago, putting him out for the series and forcing Oakland to go with veteran Kevin Washer, starting his first playoff game since he played in Boston. Washer played very well in the first four games, earning a shutout in game four. In game five, Jonathan Wheatley scored in the third period of a very tight game to give the Shamrocks the lead and eventually the win. Facing a must-win at home in game six, the Nuggets once again fell behind early. Washer was pulled in favor of rookie Ian Thorne in what many figured could be his final PHL game. Chicago won 5-1 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Philadelphia vs Boston

Just three weeks after the ugly Chris Woods incident, the Redshirts and Bulldogs clashed in what seemed like an inevitable playoff meeting. Sean Nowakowski was back in the Philly lineup, wearing a full cage to protect his jaw, while Woods watched from home while finishing his season in Canadian Senior Hockey, his PHL career likely over. A surprisingly tame game one went to the Redshirts, but after game two, the fun began. The Redshirts hung on for a 2-1 win but Joey Hamilton flipped the puck down into the empty Boston net anyway, after the horn had sounded. Immediately, several Bulldogs gathered around Hamilton, while the Redshirts rushed to his defense, the two teams throwing jabs at each other. The officials broke it up but afterwards Boston’s Brayden McPherson told reporters that Hamilton was a “little piece of (expletive)” and that someone would need to “teach him respect”. Brendan Marlo and Mikael Larsson came up big in game three, a 3-0 Boston win, but the game was a rough one, with scrums after every whistle. Jeffery Simpkins scored on the empty net to seal the win and celebrated like his team had won the Lewis Cup, enraging the Redshirts. Philadelphia enforcer Ryan Schwimmer grabbed Simpkins, but McPherson intervened and the two heavyweights went toe-to-toe as fans who were leaving the arena hurried back to their seats. The series everyone had anticipated was on. Game three was complete chaos, with Boston up 3-0 in the second period, Simpkins took an extra poke at Redshirts goalie Luke Bowers after he had made a save. Defenseman Corey Powell grabbed Simpkins and started throwing haymakers immediately. Then Jeremy Sutton started trading punches with Joey Hamilton. Eventually, Bowers and Mark Davis met at center ice, with Davis getting the upper hand. Philly attempted a comeback in the third but Boston held on for a 3-2 win. Police were eventually called in when several big fights broke out in the stands, then in the parking lot. Players were kept inside the arena for nearly three hours after the game as a street brawl outside turned deadly.

The league issued a stern warning to both teams ahead of game five. Any player to fight after a whistle or a horn would be suspended one game, and any player who fought while another fight was in progress would also be suspended one game. Police in full riot gear lined the parking lot and the corridors of the PhillyDome for game five. Right off the opening faceoff, Enforcers McPherson and Schwimmer squared off for the second time in the series with McPherson getting the win. The fight seemed to calm everyone down a bit. The Redshirts, realizing they would not win an alley fight with the Bulldogs, relied on their speed and quick passing and won the game 4-2. Back in Boston for game six, Philly went up 3-0 in the first ten minutes, chasing Davis from the net. Boston would score early in the third but it was too late. As the final seconds ticked down on another rough game, two linebrawls delayed the final buzzer. When the buzzer finally sounded on a wild series, the referees would not allow the teams to participate in the traditional handshake line, instead ordering the Bulldogs off the ice immediately, ending another chapter in one of sports’ greatest rivalries.