After a long season of jockeying for playoff position, and a late battle to see who’d end up in the fourth and final postseason spot, the South Division semifinals are set. The Icemen and Gladiators series kicks off on Thursday night in Jacksonville, followed by the opener of the Florida-Greenville series one night later.

No. 1 Florida Everblades Vs. No. 4 Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 27 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville
Game 4 – Friday, April 29 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville
Game 5 – Saturday, April 30 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida (If Necessary) 

Is this the year that the Everblades finally get over the hump and bring the Kelly Cup back to Estero for the first time since 2012? Florida was the class of the South Division for a good portion of the season, fighting off a late charge by the Atlanta Gladiators—whom they swept in the last two games of the season—to secure home ice for the first two rounds.

The standard is high in Florida. The ‘Blades have never missed the playoffs in their existence, short of the season being canceled late in 2019-20. They are coming off losing the Kelly Cup Final in Game 7 in 2018, losing the Conference Final to eventual champion Newfoundland in 2019 and then suffering a first-round exit as the Brabham Cup winner to the South Carolina Stingrays last season.

Meanwhile, Greenville held off the Orlando Solar Bears to secure the fourth playoff spot, and draw a tough matchup against the Everblades. But, they held their own against them in the regular season, splitting the ten games played evenly.

Season Series: 

5-5 (seven of the ten games were played in Greenville, Florida was 1-2 in their three home games, which were the last three played in the season series)

Players To Watch: 

Parker Gahagen, Florida Everblades
Nikita Pavlychev, Greenville Swamp Rabbits

When everything was on the line for the division title, it was Gahagen that head coach Brad Ralph turned to, giving him starts on back-to-back nights that secured the team home ice. Nashville Predators prospect Tomas Vomacka will likely see some playoff action as well, but it seems Gahagen will get the bulk of the games. He led the team with 20 wins in net, and posted a sparkling 2.32 goals against average and .916 save percentage in a team-high 35 appearances.

Pavlychev, a former Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick, has put together a solid sophomore season, and has a 6-foot-7, 211-pound frame that’s built for postseason hockey. The 25-year-old Russian-born forward was nearly a point-per-game player for the Swamp Rabbits this year and earned a lengthy AHL call-up with the Ontario Reign. Pavlychev posted a goal and two assists in his final two games of the season, and could be someone to keep an eye on if he’s able to keep that momentum going into Friday night’s opener.

No. 2 Atlanta Gladiators Vs. No. 3 Jacksonville Icemen

Game 1 – Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 2 – Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 4 – Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 5 – Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. ET at Atlanta (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m. ET at Atlanta (If Necessary)
Game 7 –Wednesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. ET at Atlanta (If Necessary) 

In their first 90-plus point season in a decade, the Gladiators somewhat quietly put together a solid season, taking the race for the South title all the way to the final weekend.

They’ll start what should be a very interesting division semifinal series against the Icemen on Thursday night in Jacksonville, who will host the first four games after Atlanta stated, “scheduling conflicts with Gas South Arena prevent the Gladiators from playing a home game until May 1.”

In theory, the entire series could be played without Atlanta getting a home game. It’s a situation similar to what the South Carolina Stingrays went through last year, when they were ultimately unable to play in their home arena throughout the postseason—but still advanced to the Kelly Cup Final.

Season Series: 

7-4, in favor of Atlanta (4-3 at home)

Players To Watch: 

Derek Nesbitt, Atlanta Gladiators
Ara Nazarian, Jacksonville Icemen

Nesbitt is a sentimental favorite to hoist the Kelly Cup around the league. The 40-year-old well-respected minor-league lifer recently reached the 1,000 career games plateau and is still one of the more productive players in the league.

Atlanta’s second-leading scorer with 51 points this season, Nesbitt last won an ECHL championship back with the Idaho Steelheads in 2007, and will surely be motivated in what may be one of his last chances.

As for Nazarian, he’s finishing up his third pro season, but is getting ready for his first-ever playoff experience. The 25-year-old is largely an underappreciated scorer who earned his first career call-up to the AHL with the Rochester Americans this season. He lit the lamp in each of his last two games with Jacksonville, and the former University of New Hampshire standout was nearly a point-per-game player this year.