Allen Americans Win 2014 CHL Championship Allen Takes Back-to-Back Titles; Jamie Schaafsma Named Playoff MVP GLENDALE, AZ (May 10, 2014) – The Central Hockey League’s (CHL) Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals concluded on Saturday night at the Allen Event Center just one day shy of the same result from a year ago, a championship for the Allen Americans. Last year on May 11, the Americans won their first Presidents’ Cup and on May 10, 2014, the Americans become just the third team to repeat as CHL Champions thanks to a four games to one series win over the Denver Cutthroats. 2014 Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals (best-of-7) Denver Cutthroats (2) vs. Allen Americans (3) Game 1 – CUTTHROATS 5, Americans 4 Game 2 – Americans 5, CUTTHROATS 4 (2OT) Game 3 – AMERICANS 3, Cutthroats 1 Game 4 – AMERICANS 4, Cutthroats 3 (OT) Game 5 – AMERICANS 5, Cutthroats 2 The Americans win their second championship in their third Finals appearance (2013 won against Wichita and 2010 lost to Rapid City), while the Cutthroats fall in their first ever Finals appearance. The Cutthroats won Game 1 in the series before watching the Americans win four straight games to take the Cup. The clinching game was a 5-2 Allen win in Game 5 where the Americans scored four times in the second period to gain an insurmountable lead. The series featured just the third double overtime game in CHL Finals history (Game 2) and it also was just the ninth CHL Finals to have two games decided in overtime of any fashion (Game 2 and Game 4, both wins by Allen). In the final game, Kale Kerbashian scored two goals and had an assist and Bryan Pitton stopped 27 of 29 shots in net leading Allen to the Game 5 win. Allen forward Jamie Schaafsma was named the 2014 CHL Playoff Most Valuable Player after leading his team with 20 points (10-10-20) in the playoffs and leading his team with nine points (6-3=9) in the Finals including the game winning goal in the double overtime thriller in Game 2. Schaafsma, a native of Blenheim, Ontario, scored goals in four of the five games in the Finals and had multiple-goal efforts in Game’s 1 and 2. Allen Head Coach Steve Martinson wins his second CHL title and his eighth championship overall (five with San Diego of the WCHL, one with Rockford of the UHL and two with Allen). The Americans join the Wichita Thunder (1994, 1995) and the Memphis RiverKings (2002, 2003) as the only other CHL clubs to win back-to-back titles and did so by defeating the Brampton Beast in five games in the Opening Round and then earning their way to the Finals with a seven game series win over the Quad City Mallards, a series they trailed 3-2 at one point before winning Game’s 6 and 7. Allen finished third in the standings during the regular season with a 39-22-5 record (83 points). CHL Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Champions 2014 – Allen Americans 2013 – Allen Americans 2012 – Fort Wayne Komets 2011 – Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs 2010 – Rapid City Rush 2009 – Texas Brahmas 2008 – Arizona Sundogs 2007 – Colorado Eagles 2006 – Laredo Bucks 2005 – Colorado Eagles 2004 – Laredo Bucks 2003 – Memphis RiverKings 2002 – Memphis RiverKings 2001 – Oklahoma City Blazers 2000 – Indianapolis Ice 1999 – Huntsville Channel Cats 1998 – Columbus Cottonmouths 1997 – Fort Worth Fire 1996 – Oklahoma City Blazers 1995 – Wichita Thunder 1994 – Wichita Thunder 1993 – Tulsa Oilers CHL Playoff Most Valuable Player 2014 – Jamie Schaafsma, Allen Americans 2013 – Brian McMillin, Allen Americans 2012 – Mike Vaskivuo, Fort Wayne Komets 2011 – Jeff Kyrzakos, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs 2010 – Les Reaney, Rapid City Rush 2009 – Jason Deitsch, Texas Brahmas 2008 – Rob McVicar, Arizona Sundogs 2007 – Greg Pankewicz, Colorado Eagles 2006 – Jeff Bes, Laredo Bucks 2005 – Chris Hartsburg, Colorado Eagles 2004 – David Guerrera, Laredo Bucks 2003 – Kahlil Thomas, Memphis RiverKings 2002 – Don Parsons, Memphis RiverKings 2001 – Rod Branch, Oklahoma City Blazers 2000 – Jamie Morris, Indianapolis Ice 1999 – Derek Puppa, Huntsville Channel Cats 1998 – Mike Martens, Columbus Cottonmouths 1997 – Steve Plouffe, Fort Worth Fire 1996 – Jean-Ian Filiatrault, Oklahoma City Blazers 1995 – Ron Handy, Wichita Thunder 1994 – Ron Handy, Wichita Thunder 1993 – Tony Fiore, Tulsa Oilers
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