By By Jeff Byrd / staff writer
April 18, 2002
JACKSON Down two games, the Jackson Bandits will seek to get back into their East Coast Hockey League's Southwest Division final series against the Mississippi Seawolves on Friday night.
Game three of the best-of-five series is set for 7 p.m. at the Mississippi Coliseum. Game 4 will be Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Coliseum.
The Seawolves protected their home ice by romping past the Bandits in games one and two, 5-2 and 6-1.
The Bandits had advanced to the quarterfinal series of the Kelly Cup by upsetting Southwest Division winner in the Louisiana Ice Gators 4-2 in Game 5 of the best of five series.
Some good news for the Bandits will be the return of goalie Andrew Allen. Allen missed the first two games of the Seawolves series when he was called up to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League right after the Louisiana series. He became the third Bandit to be called up to the NHL this season.
With the ending of the NHL regular season, Allen will be back for the Bandits on Friday and for the remainder of the series. How important is Allen?
He made 44 saves in the game-five clincher against Louisiana. He stopped 41 in game four. The Seawolves scored 11 goals in the first two games against the Bandits' second-team goalie Mike Tamburro.
The Seawolves got great net work from their goalie in Luc Belanger. Belanger made 34 saves in game one and had 37 more in game two.
The Seawolves have won five straight games in the playoffs. Brent Gauvreau leads the team with 10 points, (3 goals, 7 assists), Francois Fortier is next with (3 goals and 6 assists). He had four points in the game two win against the Bandits.
The winner of the Jackson-Mississippi series will take on winner of the Greenville vs. Pee Dee series in the Kelly Cup semifinals. Pee Dee is up two games to none in that series.