Playing Havoc with hockey playoffs, No. 6 Huntsville returns to Cup Finals

HUNTSVILLE – The Huntsville Havoc are back twofold – in the Southern Professional Hockey League President’s Cup finals and on Roto-Rooter Ice at Propst Arena to start the championship series.

Huntsville advanced by defeating Roanoke on the road Saturday to clinch the series after splitting the first two games. The Peoria Rivermen swept Evansville to reach the finals.

Huntsville, which entered the President’s Cup Playoffs seeded No. 6, will host Game 1 against the No. 5 Peoria Rivermen in the best-of-three championship series at the Von Braun Center. In the first two rounds, the Havoc were home for the first game of each series but had to play at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center because of scheduling conflicts at the VBC.

However, at 7 p.m. Thursday, the Havoc and Rivermen will clash in the house the Havoc sold out 17 straight times ending the regular season.

Game 2 will move to the Peoria Civic Center at 7:15 Saturday. As the higher seed, Peoria would also host Game 3 if necessary at 3:15 Sunday.

Season ticket holders have until 6 p.m. today to secure tickets, thereafter tickets are available to the general public. They can be purchased online or by calling 256-518-6160. For more details and prices, click here.

Huntsville returns to the finals for the first time since winning back-to-back championships in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The Havoc advanced by scoring two goals in the third period to win the deciding game 3-1 against the Rail Yard Dawgs.

Series notes:

• The Havoc won the season series with the Rivermen 5-2.
• Huntsville has won four SPHL championships – 2009-10, 2012-13, 2017-18, 2018-19.
• The Havoc have qualified for the playoffs each year but once since its inaugural 2004-05 season. The 2019-20 postseason was canceled due to the pandemic.
• The Rivermen, as a member of the SPHL since 2013, has one league championship – 2021-22. 
• The teams share a watery existence. Huntsville’s city limits run down to the Tennessee River, while Peoria is a port city on the Illinois River.