The PHL entered a new era as the 2006-07 season began. For
the first time since the 1989-90 season the league had a new commissioner, Greg
Nolan. The Nolan era began with a special tour in which the commissioner
attended a home game in all thirty PHL cities over the first half of the
season, addressing each fanbase and dropping a ceremonial puck. “We have a lot
of work to do as a league” said Nolan in his first address in Toronto. “But I
assure you the future of the PHL is bright.” Part of that bright future made
his debut in Detroit. Rookie Nathan Sibley led the Mustangs in scoring with 91
points, claiming rookie-of-the year honours. The son of former LA Wizard Jason
Sibley, Nathan proved to be more of a skilled player than his gritty father. He
was placed on a line with veteran Dominik Musil and together they finally gave
Detroit fans a reason to get excited for the first time in years despite a
last-place finish in the east.
The Eastern Conference was dominated by Atlantic Division
teams, as Boston took the top spot thanks in part to the solid play of 39-year-old
Jason Crowley. Crowley, who had all but confirmed he was playing in his final
PHL season, had 22 goals and another 27 assists for 49 points, playing mostly
in a second-line role alongside rookie Jordan Mclean, who was born during
Crowley’s second season in Minnesota. On January 8, Boston visited Minnesota on
what Crowley knew would be an emotional night. The longtime Lumberjacks captain
skated out to a standing ovation at the Oval Center that lasted 12 minutes. Not
surprisingly, the tears flowed from number 90. “I didn’t plan on having that
reaction but I was okay with it” said Crowley. “This whole state means so much
to me. Not every player gets to win championships in the same place they
learned to skate. I’ll always be grateful to the Lumberjacks organization.”
Crowley would establish himself as the almost undisputed greatest American
player in league history, passing Vincent Ducharme and George Allen to reach
fifth on the all-time scoring list with 1756 points. The Bulldogs also
solidified their goaltending after a rocky start for Chad Cohen, sending
defenseman Travis Tearney to Toronto in a big trade for former college star
Mark Davis.
2006-07 was an important year for the Houston Roughnecks. In
their second season in Texas, the franchise finally began to make some strides.
Petr Kaleek finally enjoyed a career season, leading the league in shutouts and
claiming the Whyte Trophy as the league’s top goalie as well as the Ridley
Trophy for League MVP. Second-year forward Derek Ewin led the Roughnecks in
scoring, but the team was mostly noted for a hard-working, tight defensive
style introduced by second-year head coach Joe Fletcher. The team would go up
by a goal or two, then clog up the middle of the ice, forcing teams to the
boards. If other teams did manage to get into the Houston end, they were forced
to shoot from the perimeter, as the slot would be inaccessible. Fans around the
league complained that Houston games were incredibly boring to watch but
Roughneck fans certainly weren’t complaining as their team clinched a playoff
spot for the first time since the move.
A string of wins at the end of the season helped the
Roughnecks avoid a four-team scramble for the last playoff spot in the east. Quebec,
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Miami all found themselves vying for the final spot
with a couple of games remaining on the schedule. Miami was eliminated quickly
after a loss to Carolina, while Cleveland defeated arch-rival Pittsburgh to
claim the 8th spot. All the Cosmos needed was a Montreal win over
Quebec to clinch. The Royale led near the end of the game but with only 12
seconds left Jake Wilson scored his second of the night to tie the game and
send it to overtime. It would be a big night for the former Minnesota State
Screaming Eagle, as he would score just 29 seconds into OT to complete the
hat-trick and send Quebec to the playoffs.
If fans thought the Eastern Conference playoff race was
exciting, it had nothing on the battle out west. On the final night of the
season, Portland faced Seattle, while Denver faced St. Louis. Of the four
teams, only Seattle had been eliminated, after losing to LA two nights earlier.
The winner of Denver/St. Louis would claim the final spot if Seattle could beat
Portland. The Bulls and Spirits would trade leads all game long. Denver led
entering the third period, just as the Grey Wolves and Cascades were entering
the second tied in Portland. A goal early in the third period gave Denver a 5-4
lead as both teams tried hard not to think about the game on the West coast. Martin
Barker had to make some big saves in the dying seconds but the Bulls held on
for a 6-4 win. After saluting their fans, the Bulls retreated to the dressing room
where they nervously watched the third period of the Cascades/Wolves game, now
tied 2-2. The 2006-07 season was a coming-of-age season for the Cascades, who
had finally found a way to overcome injuries and off-ice drama to find
themselves one goal away from their first-ever playoff berth. Seattle would
jump to a 4-2 lead early in the third, but Portland didn’t panic. A goal from
veteran Chris Cassidy brought the game within reach again for the Cascades.
With three minutes left and nothing to lose, Portland pulled Daniel Boivre for
the extra attacker. The move backfired, as Matt Pope scored with 43 seconds
left to seal the win for the Grey Wolves. But the referee waved off the goal.
The Wolves had six skaters on the ice. Seattle was penalized and the Cascades
now had 6-on-4 powerplay with Boivre pulled. The Cascades peppered Dan Pilford
with shots, and finally Kris Lukowich found the back of the net to tie the game
with 8 seconds left. The Cascades were still alive. It looked like the game
would go to overtime, but when Portland won the faceoff, Patrick Diaz took the
puck down the wing and with less than four seconds on the clock, flipped it
toward the Seattle goal. Pilford thought he had it between his pads, but it
fell out behind him and rolled into the net as the buzzer went off. The play
had to be reviewed to determine if time had run out. The referee discussed the
play on the phone for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he hung up the
phone, turned and pointed to center ice. Indicating a goal. The Cascades poured
off the bench like they had won the Lewis Cup. Portland would finally make its
post-season debut. “It doesn’t get more dramatic than that” said head coach
Rick Camford.
Two players in the Western Conference reached important
milestones in 2006-07. In November, 22-year-veteran Randy Fernandez became only
the second defenseman in PHL history to reach 1000 points. Fernandez, playing
in his second season with the Dallas Desperados was frequently asked about
retirement throughout the year as he was set to become a UFA again in the
summer. But the 40-year-old insisted that as long as someone was willing to
sign him he had no intention of retiring. Meanwhile, in Edmonton, Kris
Nazarenko got halfway to Fernandez in only less than a quarter of the time.
Nazarenko scored his 500th career point on a goal in a 3-0 win over
Oakland in late march.
The Milwaukee Choppers once again led the charge out west with
a 109-point season. Brad McNair won the Cleveland Cup with 106 points while his
linemate, Adam Wyrzykowski, also finished in the top ten with
92. It looked like the Chops would have no issue coming out of the West for the
third straight season. Milwaukee would face Portland in the first round and the
Choppers were confident they would return to the finals for the third
consecutive season. “I think we just keep getting better as a team” said
McNair. “Every year we get more confident, we’re excited about the playoffs
this year.”
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