| Columbia Inferno | |
|---|---|
| City | Columbia, South Carolina |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | American Conference |
| Division | South Division |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Home arena | Carolina Coliseum |
| Colors | Red, yellow, black, white |
| Owner(s) | Dr. Ezra Riber and Sam Imbeau |
| General manager | Jimmy James |
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Affiliates | Independent |
| Franchise history | |
| 2001–present | Columbia Inferno |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | none |
| Division Championships | 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05 |
| Conference Championships | 2002–03 |
| Kelly Cups | none |
The Columbia Inferno are an ECHL team based in Columbia, South Carolina. The team is currently on voluntary suspension awaiting construction of a new arena in suburban Lexington County. They played their home games at the Carolina Coliseum. They planned on playing in a new arena during the 2002-03 season, the Colonial Life Arena which was intended for them. The arena was not given to them due to legal issues. The Inferno first took the ice in 2001 as an expansion team after a group of physicians dubbed the "Hockey Docs" sought to purchase a team. While officially unaffiliated in their first season, the Inferno soon reached a working relationship with the Manitoba Moose that turned into a formal affiliation the following season. On July 10, 2006, the team announced the end of their affiliation with the affiliate of Manitoba Moose (AHL) and Vancouver Canucks (NHL) (1). On July 12, 2006, the team announced a new affiliation with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL). The team was been voluntarily suspended for the 2008–09 season as the team was told that it could not be guaranteed a lease with the Carolina Coliseum in time to meet league requirements. The voluntary suspension was extended during subsequent seasons and, according to Joe Babik, the Director of Communications for the ECHL, includes the 2011-2012 season. [1]
Contents |
| Coach | Tenure | W | L | OTL | Current status |
| Scott White | 2001–2005 | 165 | 87 | 36 | Director of Minor League Operations, Dallas Stars |
| Ted Dent | 2005–2006 | 25 | 39 | 8 | Head Coach, Rockford IceHogs |
| Troy Mann | 2006–2008 | 62 | 62 | 20 | Assistant Coach, Hershey Bears |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2001–02 | 72 | 36 | 22 | 14 | -- | 86 | 211 | 197 | 1618 | 3rd in Southeast | Div SF, (Pride) |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 47 | 23 | 2 | -- | 96 | 265 | 202 | 1158 | 1st in Southeast | Final, 1-4 (Boardwalk Bullies) |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 44 | 20 | -- | 8 | 96 | 275 | 217 | 1855 | 1st in South | Div SF, 1-3 (Stingrays) |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 38 | 22 | -- | 12 | 88 | 199 | 186 | 1333 | 1st in East | Conf QF, 2-3 (Checkers) |
| 2005–06 | 72 | 25 | 39 | -- | 8 | 58 | 209 | 290 | 1596 | 7th in South | Out of Playoffs |
| 2006-07 | 72 | 29 | 34 | -- | 9 | 67 | 214 | 247 | 1316 | 7th in South | Out of Playoffs |
| 2007-08 | 72 | 33 | 28 | -- | 11 | 77 | 212 | 217 | 1171 | 5th in South | Conf SF, 2-3 (Stingrays) |
In the 2002-03 season, the Columbia Inferno were the Southern Conference champions.
During the 2002–03 season, the Columbia Inferno played the rival South Carolina Stingrays at home. There was a fight in the second period involving every player from both teams. During this fight over 110 penalty minutes were awarded to both teams combined