TheState.com: Inferno

Stingrays end Inferno’s season

Tue, 06 May 2008 01:48 EDT

Columbia’s offense never gets on track as South Carolina advances to finals

South Carolina goalie Davis Parley stopped all 23 shots he faced and Travis Morin and Stephen Werner each scored as the Stingrays blanked Columbia 2-0 in Game 5 of the South Division finals Monday night before a crowd of 3,055 at the North Charleston Coliseum.

With the victory the Stingrays advanced to the best-of-seven American Conference finals against Cincinnati, a 6-1 winner over Reading on Monday night in Game 7 of the North Division finals. It’s the first time since 2001, the last time the Stingrays won the Kelly Cup title, that South Carolina has been to the conference finals.

Playing in his second decisive Game 5 in the past 10 days, Parley — the former Florida Panthers draft pick — came up his second shutout of the playoffs.

Parley made 33 saves in a 2-0 victory over Gwinnett in Game 5 of the South Division semifinals and was equally as sharp against the Inferno on Monday night.

Inferno force Game 5

Sat, 03 May 2008 23:48 EDT

Reid Cashman’s goal at 2:27 of overtime gave the Columbia Inferno a 3-2 victory against South Carolina Saturday night at the Carolina Coliseum, forcing a decisive fifth game in the ECHL South Division championship series.

Monday’s game will be in North Charleston.

“In overtime, a shot’s the best play, so I just wanted to get the puck around the net,” said Cashman, who has three goals and eight assists in the playoffs. “To tell you the truth, I have no idea how it went in.”

The shot hit Stingrays goalie Josh Johnson’s pads, and fell to his feet. Johnson, however, lost sight of the puck, and appeared to knock the puck over the goal line with his own skates.

Cashman set up Daniel Sparre’s game-tying goal with 1:09 remaining in regulation, passing the puck from the left side to the right post where Sparre was in position to stuff in it.

Inferno stave off elimination

Fri, 02 May 2008 23:38 EDT

Peter Tsimikalis scored two unassisted goals late in the third period to lift the Inferno to a do-or-die 5-3 win against the South Carolina Stingrays at the Carolina Coliseum on Friday night.

The verdict puts Columbia in position to even the best-of-five ECHL South Division championship series at 2-all with a win tonight at the Coliseum.

Tsimikalis broke a 3-3 tie at 15:11 of the third period by scoring directly off a face-off in the left circle. He later sealed the deal with an empty-net goal with 15 seconds remaining in regulation.

“To be honest, it was a lucky shot,” said Tsimikalis, referring to his first goal. “I’ve seen a lot of guys do it, but this was the first time for me. I usually just try to draw the puck back, but I went forward on it this time.

“The entry-netter was my first, too. My line hasn’t done too much in the playoffs, so it’s nice to be able to contribute in a game we had to win.”

Inferno face end of the line

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:52 EDT

The Columbia Inferno returns home to the Carolina Coliseum tonight with no margin for error.

Troy Mann’s team trails its best-of-five ECHL South Division championship series against South Carolina 2-0.

“We opened the playoffs with four straight wins, so it’s not out of the question that we can win three games in a row and take the series,” Mann said. “But we can’t be looking that far ahead. We have to focus on playing a solid 60-minute game, 20 minutes at a time.”

Mann understood Sunday’s Game 1 against the Stingrays would be a challenge, considering the series opener came 48 hours after an emotional 4-1 win at top-seeded Texas that wrapped up the divisional semifinal series.

“We didn’t get back to town until 3 p.m. on Saturday, so we didn’t really have an off day to get ready for South Carolina,” Mann said. “I expected the guys to be tired and emotionally drained, and they were.”

Inferno fall into 2-0 hole

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:38 EDT

NORTH CHARLESTON — The power play spelled doom for the Columbia in Game 2 of its division final series against South Carolina on Tuesday

The Inferno gave up one goal on its power play, and South Carolina scored twice when it had a man advantage in a 5-2 victory.

South Carolina leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and can complete the sweep Friday in Columbia. The Stingrays have won nine of the teams’ 12 games this season.

South Carolina took the lead 5:10 in when Andrew Gordon scored short-handed. Marty Guerin scored his second goal of the series six minutes later to create a 2-0 lead.

Columbia tied the score in the second period on goals by Reid Cashman and Mac Faulkner, the latter being a power-play goal. Faulkner’s goal was his fifth of the postseason.

Morris: Inferno, fans left out cold

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:14 EDT

WITH EACH PASSING Columbia Inferno game in the ECHL chase to the Kelly Cup, the city of Columbia marches one step closer to professional sports extinction. Sad, but true, Columbia soon will be among the largest cities in the country without a professional sports team.

Professional baseball left town three years ago, finding greener pastures and a more wonting community in Greenville. Now ice hockey is packing its bags after a seven-year run. The Inferno leave with a vague promise they will return when a new arena appears. Don’t hold your breath.

Columbia city officials will tell sports fans they still have the Columbia Blowfish, but that’s like the city of Brooklyn, N.Y., telling its baseball fans the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League have replaced the National League’s Dodgers.

Owner Bill Shanahan has done a masterful job of promoting the Blowfish as if they were a minor-league baseball team. But the reality is that Coastal Plain League summer college baseball is glorified American Legion ball, and if I want to see USC and Clemson reserves, I can watch them at practice in the fall.

Besides, the Blowfish would not exist without the blessing of USC. That is the way sports entertainment works in Columbia these days. When Columbia Mayor Bob Coble long ago jumped in bed with USC, their lovefest came at the expense of the community good, at least when it comes to sports.

South Carolina edges Inferno for series lead

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:47 EDT

NORTH CHARLESTON — The South Carolina Stingrays found enough offense to slide past the Columbia Inferno, 2-1, Sunday night at North Charleston Coliseum to take a 1-0 lead in the second-round playoff series.

Marty Guerin scored the first goal for South Carolina on a power play at the 4:41 mark in the second period.

The other Stingrays goal was scored by Steve Pinizzotto, putting the Inferno away early in the third.

Columbia forward Daniel Sparre scored the lone goal for the Inferno in the second period.

South Carolina outshot Columbia 37 to 22.

Inferno ready for South finals

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:57 EDT

The Columbia Inferno will play for the South Division championship against an in-state rival when the ECHL playoffs resume tonight against the South Carolina Stingrays.

Columbia advanced on Friday night by beating Texas, 4-1, in Game 5 to win the series, 3-2.

Game 1 is tonight at 7:05 p.m. in Charleston. Game 2 is Tuesday, with Game 3 in Columbia on Friday.

This is the second time Columbia has advanced past the conference quarterfinals. In 2003, the Inferno reached the Kelly Cup finals.

Steve McJannet leads the Inferno with seven assists and eight points in the playoffs. Columbia’s Todd Ford is tied for the Kelly Cup playoffs lead with six wins while ranking third in save percentage (.937) and fifth in goals-against average (1.99).

Sparre sparks Inferno

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:03 EDT

Daniel Sparre’s rebound goal four minutes into sudden-death overtime gave the Columbia Inferno a come-from-behind 2-1 victory against the Texas Wildcatters on Wednesday at the Carolina Coliseum to even the ECHL South Division semifinal playoff series at two games apiece.

The decisive fifth game will be Friday in Beaumont.

“We always say that hard work will be rewarded, and that was the case tonight because we worked out butts off,” “We never gave in, even after we got down 1-0,” said Sparre, who played for the Wildcatters last season.

“Now, we’ll see what happens on Friday. This is one bus ride I’m looking forward to taking.”

The game-winning goal was set up when Mac Faulkner, who sat at Tuesday’s 1-0 overtime loss with the flu, pounced on a loose puck on the left side, and dropped a pass back to defenseman Patrick Wellar at the point.

Texas ties series with Columbia

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:46 EDT

SOUTH BEAUMONT, Texas — If Columbia didn’t have Texas’ attention before this second-round ECHL playoff series, the Inferno have it now.

Max Taylor scored three goals and the top-seeded Wildcatters took 34 shots in the first two periods in a 6-2 victory Sunday night that evened their best-of-five series at 1.

Columbia surprised Texas, which had the best regular-season record in the ECHL, in Game 1 on Friday.

Game 2 was a penalty-filled contest in which 25 penalties were called. Texas converted 3 of 11 power-play opportunities. Columbia converted 1 of 7.

After the teams traded goals in the final two minutes of the first period, Texas seized control with three goals in the second period. Taylor accounted for two of them. The Wildcatters built a 6-1 lead before Peter Tsimilakis scored for Columbia.

Inferno top Texas 4-2

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:06 EDT

At South Beaumont, Texas, the Columbia Inferno scored twice in each of the first two periods and defeated Texas 4-2 in the opening game of a second-round ECHL playoff series Friday.

Daniel Sparre put the Inferno ahead with a goal 19 seconds into the game. Liam Huculak’s goal at the 4:18 mark of the opening period gave Columbia a 2-1 lead.

The Inferno made it 3-1 when Eric Lundberg scored on a power play 10:33 into the second period.

After Texas pulled within a goal, Tyler Doig scored Columbia’s second power-play goal to put the Inferno up 4-2 at the second intermission.

Neither team scored in the final period. Columbia goalie Todd Ford had 32 saves and the Inferno were 2-for-6 on power play opportunities. Peter Tsimikalis had two assists for Columbia.

Inferno make mad dash to Texas

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:49 EDT

INFERNO PLAYERS AND coaches were glued to their computers Wednesday night, awaiting the Game 5 result between South Carolina and Augusta.

The Stingrays won 3-1 to clinch the series after losing the first two games in Augusta.

That means Columbia, the fifth seed in the ECHL South, will have to hustle to the Lone Star State for a best-of-five division semifinal series against the top-seeded Texas Wildcatters, who tied an ECHL record with 115 points during the regular season.

An Augusta win would have sent the Inferno to Gwinnett.

“I told the guys to keep their eyes on the computer, and if South Carolina won, to get (to the Carolina Coliseum) as soon as they could because we’d be hitting the road to Texas around midnight,” Inferno coach Troy Mann said.

Inferno pulls off series sweep

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:36 EDT

Columbia swept the Florida Everblades out of ECHL playoffs with a 3-2 win Saturday night at the Carolina Coliseum, sweeping the South Division series in three games.

“This is a great thing for the franchise and our fans,” Inferno coach Troy Mann said. “To come in as an underdog and beat one of the premier franchises in this league says something about the character of the guys in the room. We competed hard and got great goaltending — that’s how you win championships.”

Goalie Todd Ford emerged as the star, turning away 91 of the 96 shots he faced in thee games. Ford stopped 33 shots in the series clincher.

Both Florida goals came in the third period after Columbia took a 2-0 lead after two periods.

“(Ford’s) had good stretches for us before, but he has the tendency to fight the puck sometimes,” Mann said. “But he wasn’t fighting the puck in this series. In fact, these three games are probably the best he’s played in his two seasons with us. He followed the puck well so well that he always seemed to be in position to make the save.”

Inferno get win in Game 1 of playoffs

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:57 EDT

ESTERO, Fla. — The Columbia Inferno’s top three players stepped it up in Game 1 of the ECHL playoffs, and it resulted in a 3-2 comeback victory against Florida in the South Division quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Mac Faulkner scored at 4:43 of overtime off an assist by Steve McJannet. The Inferno’s captain and two assistant captains — Brad Ralph, Faulkner and Jeff Miles — combined for two goals and an assist.

Todd Ford, meanwhile, made 25 saves in goal for the Inferno, who were outshot 27-24 in the game.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Friday in Florida. Game 3 is at the Carolina Coliseum on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.

Florida opened the scoring in the first period on a power play as Franklin MacDonald scored. Peter Aston and Derek Damon had assists.

End of drought is winning feeling

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:13 EDT

AFTER PLAYING ON teams that have missed the playoffs for three years, Inferno veteran forward Jeff Miles is thrilled to be back.

“Being in the playoffs is what it’s all about for a hockey player,” said Miles after Saturday’s regular-season finale vs. Gwinnett.

“The game are much more intense, rougher and tougher. It’s great hockey and I can’t wait to get going.”

Columbia opened the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs last night with a first-round South Division game on the road against the Florida Everblades.

Miles has not been on a playoff club since his first full professional season in 2004-05 with the Reading Royals when he scored six points in five games.

Inferno reunite in time for playoff run

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:16 EDT

The Columbia Inferno return to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs for the first time in three years tonight against the host Florida Everblades, the fourth seed in the South Division.

“To make the playoffs and finish with a winning record after two very tough seasons has made this a positive year for us,” said Inferno coach Troy Mann, whose club finished fifth in the final ECHL South standings with a 33-28-11 records and 77 points.

“We’re looking forward to a tough playoff series against one of the top franchises in the league. We feel that we match up real well with Florida.”

In eight games during the regular season, Columbia went 1-2-1 on Everblades ice and was 3-1 at home. All but one of the games was decided by one goal.

Game 2 of the first-round, best-of-five series will be Friday in Florida before the series shifts to the Carolina Coliseum on Monday night.

Inferno | Drive for spot No. 5 arrives

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:49 EDT

COLUMBIA GOES INTO the final two games of the regular season with an outside shot at finishing in fifth place in the ECHL South Division standings. The reward will be a first-round Kelly Cup playoff series against the Florida Everblades, instead of a best-of-five match-up against either South Carolina or Gwinnett.

“We’re going to give it our best and see what happens,” Inferno coach Troy Mann said. “But when you come right down to it, there really isn’t that much difference between the top three teams in the division behind Texas, and we won’t see Texas in the first round.”

The key to the late push for a higher seed is tonight’s game in Charlotte. The Checkers scored a 5-3 win in Gwinnett on Tuesday to take a two-point lead over the Inferno. Charlotte comes into the game with a 34-28-7 record and 75 points, while Columbia stands at 31-28-11 for 73 points.

“Charlotte has three games left and we have two, so we have to beat them to have a shot at finishing fifth,” Mann said. “But no matter what happens, the key for us is to start gearing up for the start of the playoffs. I’m a little concerned that we gave up leads in the third period in our two games last weekend. Playoff hockey is a lot tighter than in the regular season, and getting a lead and holding on to it is critical.”

Mann is more than pleased with the season, no matter the outcome of the stretch run. A 8-3 win last week against Mississippi along with the one point picked up in a 5-4 overtime loss to South Carolina assured the Inferno of finishing above .500 for the first time since 2004-05.

Rookie makes most of fluctuating lineup

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:53 EDT

WHILE PLAYER CALL-UPS are the reality for every ECHL franchise, no team in the 25-member league has been impacted by AHL talent grabs as severely as the Columbia Inferno.

“I figured it out the other day, and we’ve had 23 call-ups involving 12 different players so far,” said Inferno coach and director of hockey operations Troy Mann.

“Every team in the league has to deal with call-ups, but we’re also in business to win, not just develop young players for the next level. I don’t think this franchise has ever had as many call-ups as we have this year. We’ve had to play shorthanded for long stretches because of it, but we’ve still been able to stay competitive because we had some guys step up when they had to play bigger roles.”

One such player is rookie defenseman Julien Brouillette, who was slated no higher than sixth on the defense depth chart this season. But the 21-year-old native of St. Esprit, Quebec, has become the team’s most stable regular on the blueline in recent weeks. Brouillette played in 62 of the Inferno’s 67 games through last weekend, just one fewer than team leaders Jeff Miles, Brad Ralph, Owen Fussey and Jeremy Hall. No Columbia defenseman has played in more games than Brouillette.

“I liked what I saw when I scouted him, and I figured I could work him in gradually and increase his playing time as the season went on as he adjusted to playing at this level,” Mann said.

Devlin | Duo adds heat to late-season push

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:40 EDT

JEREMY SCHENDERLING AND Kris Sparre have been paying early dividends since they’ve recently donned Columbia Inferno sweaters.

Schenderling is a rookie forward picked up in a trading deadline deal with Augusta that also netted the Inferno defenseman Eric Lundberg for under-performing veteran forward Anthony Battaglia. Schenderling has two goals and five assists is his first seven games with Columbia.

Sparre, the younger brother of Inferno sniper Daniel Sparre, was signed out of junior hockey and, technically, has yet to score a point in his first three games as a professional. But he scored the decisive penalty shot in his pro debut to hand the Inferno a 3-2 shootout victory against Florida on Friday at the Carolina Coliseum.

“I didn’t expect this from either of them,” Inferno coach Troy Mann said. “Jeremy showed he could score goals in junior, but for whatever reason he was struggling with Augusta. Maybe he just needed a change of scenery to get him going. Kris isn’t as skilled as Danny, but he made a pretty move in the shootout to get us a win. He’s still learning the system, but he could help us down the stretch”

Schenderling was in a major slump at the time of the trade, producing one goal and three points in his last 16 games in Augusta. He had six goals and six assists in 33 games with the Lynx after scoring 23 goals in his final season in the Canadian junior ranks with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League.

Breaking the Ice

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:00 EST

Boys will be boys.

And Pine Ridge Middle administrators are hoping a new mentoring partnership with the Columbia Inferno Hockey team will help boys tap into their potential to become academically successful young men.

Once a month a group of hockey players come to the Lexington 2 school, where they spend more than an hour eating, playing games and talking with about 13 students.

While the sessions are informal, the bond formed between them is strong.

“It’s like having a whole gang of big brothers,” said student Dontavious Riley, 16.