Close, but no cigar
The 1994-1995 season saw the Blades put up a record below .500 with 35-40-6 at 76 points, with an average attendance 6,943. Yet, despite having such a poor record, the team managed to qualify for the playoffs on April 5. You might ask how this was possible when given the previous season’s above .500 record and missing the playoffs. The expansion of the league and the playoff format made it possible for the Blades to qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference? Another little wrinkle of the playoff format allowed for the to cross over to the other conference because they had more points than the Indianapolis Ice. So, thus began a record breaking run through the playoffs.
First they took on the Detroit Vipers, Dody Wood propelled the Blades past them with a hat trick on April 25. That gave the Blades a 4-3 game win and a 3-2 series win. After that it was the Peoria Rivermen. The Blades set two records in that series, the first being the longest 1-0 playoff game in the IHL’s 50-year history. The second record being the biggest upset in playoff history based on regular season points. The Blades next defeated the Kalamazoo Wings to reach the Turner Cup Finals. But, there was no fairy tale ending to the miraculous post-season. The Denver Grizzlies swept the Blades in four games to win the Turner Cup at Kemper Arena.
The 1994-1995 season saw the Blades put up a record below .500 with 35-40-6 at 76 points, with an average attendance 6,943. Yet, despite having such a poor record, the team managed to qualify for the playoffs on April 5. You might ask how this was possible when given the previous season’s above .500 record and missing the playoffs. The expansion of the league and the playoff format made it possible for the Blades to qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference? Another little wrinkle of the playoff format allowed for the to cross over to the other conference because they had more points than the Indianapolis Ice. So, thus began a record breaking run through the playoffs.
First they took on the Detroit Vipers, Dody Wood propelled the Blades past them with a hat trick on April 25. That gave the Blades a 4-3 game win and a 3-2 series win. After that it was the Peoria Rivermen. The Blades set two records in that series, the first being the longest 1-0 playoff game in the IHL’s 50-year history. The second record being the biggest upset in playoff history based on regular season points. The Blades next defeated the Kalamazoo Wings to reach the Turner Cup Finals. But, there was no fairy tale ending to the miraculous post-season. The Denver Grizzlies swept the Blades in four games to win the Turner Cup at Kemper Arena.
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