Jacksonville Icemen ready to drop the biscuit in Kelly Cup Playoffs
It’s been one heck of a ride for the Jacksonville Icemen and second-year coach Nick Luuko. The team recorded a club best 44 wins this season and it finished in the top four in the league in almost every defensive statistical category.
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For all the hard work, the Icemen have clinched a spot in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
The Icemen, a proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, along with the City of Jacksonville, officially announced the opening of the playoffs in a press conference on Wednesday. The announcement was held at the Icebreakers Bar & Grill located inside the newly renovated Community First Igloo in Jacksonville.
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“Our community is proud to support the Jacksonville Icemen during their third trip to the Kelly Cup Playoffs,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, who attended the event, said during the presser. “The Icemen continue to rally the community around our growing love of Ice Hockey, and I am excited to cheer them on as they face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits!”
The club is currently in their sixth season in Jacksonville. They finished second place in the South Division this season, only two points behind first place finisher South Carolina Stingrays.
Read: Jacksonville Icemen say ‘thank you’ to healthcare workers with ticket special
In addition, the Icemen set new attendance records in overall and average attendance at home. They led the entire ECHL in overall attendance and average attendance, averaging 7,749 fans per game.
The accolades don’t stop there.
This past weekend, captain Christopher Brown set the team’s new single seasons scoring record with 65 points, passing former Icemen star Wacey Rabbit (2018-19, 60 pts) and current teammate Craig Martin (2021-22, 60 pts).
“We are incredibly proud of the accomplishments that were made this season by our front office staff, players and coaches,” Icemen CEO Andy Kaufmann said. “We still have goals to achieve as we head into the playoffs, and we look forward to enjoying the postseason with our staff, fans and sponsors.”
The Icemen will look to best last season’s Kelly Cup Playoff run. After taking a decisive 4-0 series win over the Atlanta Gladiators in the South Division semifinals, Jacksonville found themselves skunked in four games in the division finals against the Florida Blades. The Blades would go on to take the 2022 Kelly Cup.
The Icemen are slated to faceoff with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits beginning with Game 1 this Fri., Apr. 21.
Here is the complete schedule for the Icemen’s best-of-seven series with Greenville:
Game | Date/Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
1 | Friday April 21, 7:00 p.m. | Greenville at Jacksonville (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena) |
2 | Sunday, April 23, 5:00 p.m. | Greenville at Jacksonville (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena) |
3 | Tuesday, April 25, 7:05 p.m. | Jacksonville at Greenville (Bons Secours Wellness Arena) |
4 | Friday, April 28, 7:05 p.m. | Jacksonville at Greenville (Bons Secours Wellness Arena) |
5*** | Saturday, April 29, 7:05 p.m. *** | Jacksonville at Greenville (Bons Secours Wellness Arena) |
6*** | Tuesday, May 2, 7:00 p.m. *** | Greenville at Jacksonville (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena) |
7*** | Wednesday, May 3, 7:00 p.m. *** | Greenville at Jacksonville (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena) |
*** If Necessary
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Tickets may be purchased on Ticketmaster, or by calling the Icemen office at 904-602-7825.
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