1997 Playoffs

After losing their hold on first place in the Western Conference, the Chicago Shamrocks hoped to redeem themselves in the playoffs. Fans figured it would be relatively easy as the Shamrocks faced the Edmonton Northern Lights in the first round. In game one, the Northern Lights stunned the Shamrocks 4-2. Game two would go into overtime, where Joey Hamilton scored for Edmonton, silencing the crowd at the Lincoln Sports Arena in what would go on to be the final playoff game in the building. The Northern Lights went on to win another overtime thriller in game three before completing the sweep and one of the biggest upsets of the decade.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Twisters faced a rematch with the California Nuggets. Kevin Hoyle and the Nuggets were determined to finally break through to the second round. Both teams won their first two home games, as the teams skated to a 2-2 series tie. The trend would continue in game five, as Brett Delaney’s two goals gave Kansas City a 5-2 win and a chance to take the series on the road in game six. The Twisters jumped to an early 3-0 lead in game six on goals from Scott Drayton, Magnus Swedberg, and Darian Ashmore. It looked like the Twisters had the game and the series in the bag when California suddenly scored two quick goals to start the third period. The Nuggets pushed for the tying goal but could not solve Jason Lind as the Twisters hung on to advance to the second round.

In other Western Conference action, the Los Angeles Wizards brought Winnipeg’s return to the playoffs to a quick end in four-straight, while the defending champion Lumberjacks eliminated Vancouver in five games.

In the East, the New York Civics defeated the Boston Bulldogs in five, while Washington took out the Stingers in six games.

The Toronto Racers, determined to finally end years of playoff frustration, faced the Cleveland Cosmos, who were playing in their first playoff series in franchise history. Toronto predictably won the first two at home, including a 5-0 blowout in game one. The Cosmos quickly responded in Cleveland, however, winning two overtime games in a row to tie the series. Suddenly, Toronto fans were starting to get nervous. Game five at the Queen Elizabeth Arena would be critical for the Racers. Marc Brunelle and Joe Murdock each had three points in a 5-1 win to give the Racers the series lead. Back in Ohio, the Racers finished things off with a 3-1 victory to advance to the second round.

Meanwhile, the Carolina Raiders had made the most of their return to the playoffs, taking the heavily favored Montreal Royale to a seventh game. The Raiders held a 3-2 lead in a hard-fought game entering the third period. Goaltender Kevin Stroud made save after save as Montreal pushed for the tying goal. In desperation, the Royale finally pulled goaltender Jonathan Bouret for the extra attacker. With just four seconds left, rookie Todd Paterson’s shot found its way into the net to tie the game. The goal took the wind out of Carolina’s sails, but they managed to bounce back fairly quickly in overtime. Former Royale Trevor Ramsey nearly ended it late in the first OT when his shot on an open net went wide. Just 19 seconds into the second overtime, Sergei Vetrov finally ended the marathon with a quick shot that Stroud never saw. Montreal advanced to the second round.

Round two saw three series’ go the distance, as the Civics and Generals, Royale and Racers, and Wizards and Twisters all went to a game seven. The Twisters surprisingly routed Los Angeles 6-1 in their deciding game, while the Civics had to overcome a 3-2 series deficit, then a 3-2 deficit in game seven, where captain Aaron Duplacy proved to be the hero, scoring both the tying goal and the OT winner to send New York to the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Toronto faced Montreal in a series for the ages. After splitting the first four games, the Royale pulled ahead in game five on the strength of a two-goal night from Vincent Ducharme. Facing enormous pressure to come through in game six on the road, the Racers found themselves down 1-0 throughout most of the game as Jonathan Bouret turned in a spectacular performance in the Montreal net. Finally, Randy Fernandez’ point shot beat Bouret and the game was tied. With only five minutes to go, Stuart Burns beat Bouret with a goal that would prove to be the winner as the Racers forced game seven. The deciding game was all Montreal early on, as Ducharme and JC Girard each scored to give the Royale a 2-0 lead. Murdock scored for Toronto midway through the second period, but it would not be enough, as Bouret made 57 saves in a Montreal victory. “This is beyond disappointing” said Fernandez. “I don’t know what more we can do at this point.”

Elsewhere in round two, Edmonton’s magic ran out against the defending champions, as the Lumberjacks defeated them in a very physical 5-game series.

The Eastern Conference Finals began at Broadway House between the New York Civics and the Montreal Royale. Game one was a huge disappointment for the Civics as the Royale took it 3-1. The Civics’ undisciplined play was mainly to blame for the loss, as all three Montreal goals came on powerplays. After the game, head coach Bruce Irvine ripped into his team, telling the media his players played like “a bunch of spoiled brats.” Fans and media wondered how the Civics would respond to their coach’s criticism, but the Civics came out a focused and motivated team, winning the next three games to take a 3-1 series lead. Now Montreal was on the ropes heading back to Broadway fro game five. Vincent Ducharme responded the way a captain should, carrying the team on his back and scoring two goals in a 4-2 Royale win. In game six, he followed it up with a goal and an assist in a 3-1 victory to force a seventh game in New York.  New York’s priority in game seven was to shut down Ducharme at all costs. The Civics’ checkers were all over Ducharme from start to finish, frustrating him to the point where he even took an uncharacteristic penalty in the third period. Duplacy, Lamar Jackson, and Grant Sibley each scored as New York finally eliminated the Royale to reach their first final in 22 years.

Meanwhile, in the Western Conference Final, the defending champion Lumberjacks immediately had their hands full with the Kansas City Twisters as Jason Lind earned a shutout in a 4-0 KC victory. The ‘Jacks would pull ahead before Kansas City tied the series in game four to make it a best-of-three. Game five in Minnesota was critical and Jason Crowley showed up in a big way when the team needed a hero in the second overtime. Crowley deked three Twister defenders before beating Lind low to give Minnesota a 3-2 win and a chance to return to the finals. Lind needed to come up big again in game six  at home if the Twisters were going to stay alive. After allowing a bad goal from Minnesota defenseman Jeff Winslow in the first minute, Lind shook it off and played one of the best games of his career, stopping 53 shots while Blair Horton and Travis Watson each scored in a tight 2-1 KC victory to send the series to game seven. Carrying the momentum from their thrilling game six victory, the Twisters never really allowed the Lumberjacks into game seven, as Watson, Delaney, Elliot Andrews, and Dave Mack each scored to send the team to the Lewis Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. “This is what we’ve been working towards for the last eight years” said ecstatic team owner Ken Milliken. “To finally get there, to finally have the opportunity to bring a winner to Kansas City is a dream come true.”