Coming off one of his better seasons in his career, David
Appleby’s domination continued into the post-season, where the St. Louis
Spirits faced surprisingly tough competition in the Dallas Metros. The Spirits
were even forced to come back from a 3-0 deficit in game one, with Appleby
leading the charge with two goals and an assist on Grant Millen’s overtime
goal. Dallas put up a valiant effort throughout the remainder of the series,
even forcing another overtime in game three, but clearly the blown lead in game
one took the wind out of the Metros’ sails as St. Louis completed the sweep
thanks in large part to Appleby’s six goals. There were two other sweeps in the
first round, as Pittsburgh dispatched Montreal in four straight, while the
Winnipeg Pioneers stunned the LA Wizards in a four-game sweep that included two
overtime games. Craig Bush put up some of the best numbers of his young career
for Boston in their series with Nova Scotia, but it would not be enough as the
Bulldogs succumbed to the Claymores in six games. Bobby Sorel found his old
form again for his new team as the Concordes defeated the Washington Generals
in six games, while Ottawa won a very physical series against Philadelphia also
in six games.
The Seattle Grey Wolves gave the defending champion Chicago
Shamrocks all they could handle early in their first round series. After
Chicago won game one in a 5-0 blowout, The Wolves took a 2-1 series lead after
back-to-back overtime victories. Chicago managed to turn the series around
after a big 4-1 road win before hanging on for a 4-2 series victory. Denver and
California played the only seven-game series of the first round as the lead in
the series shifted back and forth all the way to game seven in Denver. Jani
Kaaleppi’s two-goal night in game seven gave Denver a 2-1 lead through most of
the game while Andy Gray turned away a barrage of California shots in the final
minutes before Guy Fisset finally sealed the victory with an empty netter.
Round two saw one of the biggest upsets in league history
when Long Island shocked the heavily favored Pittsburgh Stingers in a four
game sweep that saw the first three games go into overtime. Stuart Burns played
a huge role in the upset, scoring three goals including the winner in game one,
while Sorel continued his brick-wall performance in net. St. Louis took down
Winnipeg also in a sweep with the dynamic duo of Appleby and Millen continuing
to lead the way, while Nova Scotia managed to win a very gritty series with
Ottawa in five games.
Perhaps the most underrated rivalry in the PHL was that
between the Chicago Shamrocks and the Denver Bulls. Chicago/St. Louis had
gotten most of the attention but the Shamrocks and Bulls found themselves
facing each other five times since 1977 with three of those series going the
full seven games. The two teams would meet again in the second round in 1984
and was an instant classic. Chicago took an early 2-0 series lead before the
Bulls tied the series with back-to-back 4-2 wins in Denver. The Bulls then took
3-2 series lead in game five on an overtime goal from Brad Hewson. With an
opportunity for Denver to close out the series at home in game six, the teams
once again played into overtime, where disaster struck for the Bulls. Denver defenseman
Kerry Patton attempted to clear a rebound in front of the net but missed the
puck, when he pulled his stick back, he hit the puck directly into the net
behind him, giving Chicago the win. The Shamrocks went on to take the series in
game seven.
Chicago would ultimately fail to defend their title as they
finally ran into David Appleby and the surging-hot St. Louis Spirits. The
Spirits swept the Shamrocks in a series that was much closer than the four
games would indicate, becoming the first team in PHL history to go undefeated
all the way to the Lewis Cup Finals.
Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia Claymores hoped to finally return
to the championship round for the first time since 1969. Their chances looked
good when they took a 2-0 series lead over the Concordes. Long Island then responded
with a 3-1 win at home in game three, and back-to-back overtime wins in games
four and five. With a chance to advance to the Finals in game six, the
Concordes did not disappoint the sellout crowd of 18200. Bobby Sorel was
spectacular once again while Stuart Burns, Theo Sprouse, Craig Davidson and
Brian Reese each scored as the Long Island Concordes advanced to the Lewis Cup
Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
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