2006 Playoffs

Round One

Eastern Conference

Long Island (1) vs Atlanta (8)

The Copperheads’ second appearance in the playoffs was short-lived as Ilya Rusakivich scores six points for the Concordes. Long Island advances in five.

Philadelphia (2) vs New York (7)

For the first time in PHL history, every game in this series was decided by a single goal. With the teams tied 2-2 after four games, the Redshirts pulled ahead in game five thanks to an overtime goal from Alex Leblanc. In game six, Greg Willis earned a shutout while Tobias Krause scored the game’s only goal as the Civics forced game seven. Game seven nearly went into overtime, but Jared Baxter scored with only 1:21 left in regulation to give Philly a 2-1 lead. Goaltender Steve Christie had to make a few big saves in the final moments as the Redshirts held on to advance to the second round.

Toronto (3) vs Carolina (6)

After putting everything towards making a long run, Carolina’s post-season ended in disaster thanks to a rash of injuries. Gus Avery was knocked out of the series in game one with a torn ACL, in game three, Andrei Alexeev separated his shoulder. Goaltender Kevin Stroud played most of the series, but was hampered by back problems. The 36-year-old announced his retirement immediately after game six as Toronto finished off the series with a 3-0 victory.

Cleveland (4) vs Boston (5)

Boston overcomes a 3-2 deficit, sending the series to a game seven in Cleveland. Ice problems at Colonial Airlines Arena delayed the deciding game until the night after it was originally scheduled. Ice conditions weren’t much better when the puck finally dropped but it didn’t slow either team down. The game was tied 2-2 entering the third when veteran Matt Pope passed the puck to Brendan Marlo, who beat Blair Kelsey to give Boston the lead. The Bulldogs managed to shut the Cosmos down toward the end of the game, preserving the lead and sending the Bulldogs to the second round.

Western Conference

Milwaukee (1) vs Oakland (8)

After another dominant regular season, the defending champion Choppers received the first of what would be a few scares over the 2006 playoffs. Oakland goaltender Travis Sweet continued his outstanding play as the Nuggets took a surprising 2-1 lead. In game four, the Nuggets nursed a 1-0 lead well into the third period, when Brad McNair took over, tying the game to send it to OT, then winning it with his second goal of the game. The Choppers had narrowly avoided going down 3-1, then won game five 3-0 for an opportunity to close out the series. Game six was close, as Milwaukee simply could not solve Sweet. Finally, Adam Wyrzykowski scored to give the Choppers a 1-0 lead. After Oakland sent it to overtime, Brendan Bittner beat Sweet on a breakaway to send Milwaukee to the next round.

Seattle (2) vs Chicago (7)

Jonathan Wheatley scores seven points in the first true upsets in the playoffs, as the Chicago Shamrocks beat Seattle in a physical five-game series.

Edmonton (3) vs Kansas City (6)

Edmonton wins a hard-fought battle thanks to a point-per-game performance by Kris Nazarenko. Game six in KC had an emotional tone as it was likely Scott Drayton’s final game as a Twister.

Dallas (4) vs Los Angeles (5)

The series was closely played with the teams playing to a 2-2 tie. In game five, AJ Vernon’s two goals led Dallas to a 4-1 win as the Desperados took a 3-2 series lead. LA forced game seven with a 3-2 overtime win and Jason Crowley finally returned to the Dallas lineup for the deciding game. The Desperados dominated game seven, jumping to a 3-0 lead. Isaac Hart scored for LA with five minutes left but it was too little too late, as Dallas advanced to the next round.

Round Two

Long Island vs Boston

Perhaps the greatest rivalry of the past 20 years, the Concordes meet the Bulldogs in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Game one was dominated by the Bulldogs, who won 7-2. After the Concordes won game two, Boston won again in game three as tempers flared at the end of the game. Fights broke out and over 80 minutes in penalties were handed out in the final minutes. Game four was hard-hitting and tense, as the teams skated to overtime. In OT, Ryan Shelton beat Chad Cohan to give the Concordes a win and tie the series. After a 2-0 win at home, Long Island had an opportunity to finally put the Bulldogs away in game six. Once again, it would go to overtime, and once again, it was the Concordes’ captain, Ryan Shelton, who would be the hero. The Concordes finally defeated Boston after losing to them three years in a row.

Milwaukee vs Chicago

Chicago’s 2-1 series lead is erased, as Milwaukee recovers from a 2-1 deficit for the second time in the post-season. McNair leads the way once again, scoring five points in the series as Milwaukee advances to the Western Conference Final.

Philadelphia vs Toronto

Injuries to key Redshirt players including captain Jared Baxter result in a quick series win for Toronto. Joe Murdock scores a hat-trick in game five as Toronto moves on to the Eastern Conference Final.

Edmonton vs Dallas

With a berth in the Western Conference Finals on the line, two teams looking for a breakout met in a hard-fought six-game series. With some lingering concussion symptoms, Jason Crowley missed the first two games, which Dallas won on the road to take a 2-0 series lead. Crowley returned for game three and had an assist, but the Northern Lights won 4-2, then took game four 3-2 to tie the series. Needing another road win in game five, Dallas came out strong in game five, taking a 5-0 lead and ultimately winning 5-2. Game six in Dallas was tight, tied 2-2 through two periods. Midway through the third, Kyle Clark scored for Dallas, giving them a 3-2 lead. Edmonton pulled Brent Maloney in an attempt to tie the game, but Shawn Marchinski scored the empty netter to seal the win and send Dallas to the Western Conference Finals.

Conference Finals

Long Island vs Toronto

After some frustrating years on Long Island, the Concordes finally had a true opportunity to win a championship, with their first Eastern Conference Final appearance since 1992. Early in the series, the Concordes came out strong, winning game one with a late third period goal from Ilya Severov. In game two, Ryan Shelton continued his strong play with a hat-trick in a 7-4 victory. Heading to Toronto, the Racers made a change, putting Mark Davis in net for game three. Davis earned a shutout in a 2-0 win, then stopped 39 shots in game four in a 4-1 win to tie the series. Davis’ solid play continued in game five while Sean Macdonald scored in overtime to give Toronto the series lead. The Concordes could not solve the Racers’ young goaltender. In game six, Long Island opened the scoring on a goal from Severov, but Darren Reid, Joe Murdock, and Chris Falkner each scored to give the Racers a 3-1 win and send them to the Lewis Cup Finals.

Milwaukee vs Dallas

In what turned out to be a series for the ages, the Dallas Desperados faced the defending champion Milwaukee Choppers. The series was close early on, as the teams were tied 2-2 after four games, with three of those games decided by one goal. In game five, Jason Crowley proved to be the hero, scoring the winner, while AJ Vernon added an empty-netter in a 5-3 win. The Desperados once again found themselves one win away from the Lewis Cup Finals. Game six went into overtime, with the Choppers needing a goal to survive. Late in the first overtime period, Shawn Marchinski had a breakaway, with an opportunity to send Dallas to the championship. Matt Darwin came up with a huge save to preserve the game, then Brent Zahorsky took a clearing pass from JP Laporte and got on a breakaway of his own. Zahorsky beat Alexei Rolonov to send the series to a deciding game. Game seven was another close one, as 39-year-old Randy Fernandez opened the scoring for Dallas. The Desperados clung to a 1-0 lead until the final minute, when the Choppers pulled Darwin. Henrik Akerman beat Rolonov in a crease scramble to tie the game. Seconds into overtime, Akerman scored again, sending Milwaukee back to the Lewis Cup Finals. For Dallas, the loss was absolutely devastating, as the Desperados once again found themselves eliminated in game seven.