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.