| Minor
League Ice Hockey |
January
2003
|
New
Jersey has two minor league ice hockey teams – the Trenton
Titans and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies,
both of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The Titans are
affiliated with the NHL's New York Islanders and Philadelphia
Flyers and the American Hockey League's (AHL) Bridgeport Sound
Tigers and Philadelphia Phantoms. The Boardwalk Bullies are
independent of NHL and AFL affiliates.
The
Titans' first Kelly Cup playoff run – the minor league
equivalent to the Stanley Cup Playoffs – came in 2000.
They reached the Northern Conference finals before losing to
the eventual Kelly Cup Champion Peoria Rivermen. Seven of the
team's former stars – Stephen Valiquette, Ruslan Fedotenko,
Todd Fedoruk, Francis Belanger, Jesse Boulerice, Matt Henderson,
and Cody Rudkowsky – now play for NHL teams.
In
its first ECHL season, the Boardwalk Bullies participated in
the 2002 Kelly Cup Playoffs and were the 2002 Northeast Division
Champions. The team is contending for the Northeast Division
title again this year and is poised to have another playoff
run later this spring.
Next: Stanley
Cup
|
