View source for 1997–98 CHL season

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox sports season
| title            = 1997–98 CHL season
| league           = [[Central Hockey League]]
| sport            = [[Ice hockey]]
| duration         = 
| season           = Regular season
| season_champ_name= Adams’ Cup
| season_champs    = [[Columbus Cottonmouths]]
| MVP              = [[Joe Burton]] ([[Oklahoma City Blazers (1992–2009)|Oklahoma City]])
| MVP_link         =
| top_scorer       = [[Luc Beausoleil]] ([[Tulsa Oilers|Tulsa]])
| top_scorer_link  =
| playoffs         =
| playoffs_link    =
| finals           = Finals
| finals_link      = Ray Miron President's Cup|William Levins Memorial Cup
| finals_champ     = [[Columbus Cottonmouths]]
| finals_runner-up = [[Wichita Thunder]]
| playoffs_MVP     =
| playoffs_MVP_link= 
| seasonslistnames = [[List of Central Hockey League seasons|CHL]]
| prevseason_year  =  [[1996–97 CHL season|1996–97]]
| nextseason_year  = [[1998–99 CHL season|1998–99]]
}}
The '''1997–98 CHL season''' was the sixth [[Season (sport)|season]] of the [[Central Hockey League]] (CHL).

==Teams==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:auto"
|-
| bgcolor="#051C2C" align="center" colspan="5"|'''<span style="color:#FA4616;">1997-98 Central Hockey League</span>'''
|-
! Division || Team || City || Arena
|-
! rowspan="5" | Eastern
| [[Columbus Cottonmouths]]
| [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| [[Columbus Civic Center]]
|-
| [[Fayetteville Force]]
| [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]], [[North Carolina]]
| [[Cumberland County Crown Coliseum]]
|-
| [[Huntsville Channel Cats]]
| [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]], [[Alabama]]
| [[Von Braun Civic Center]]
|-
| [[Macon Whoopee (CHL)|Macon Whoopee]]
| [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| [[Macon Coliseum]]
|-
| [[Nashville Ice Flyers]]
| [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]
| [[Nashville Municipal Auditorium]]
|-
! rowspan="5" | Western
| [[Fort Worth Fire]]
| [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], [[Texas]]
| [[Fort Worth Convention Center]]
|-
| [[Memphis RiverKings]]
| [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]]
| [[Mid-South Coliseum]]
|-
| [[Oklahoma City Blazers (1992-2009)|Oklahoma City Blazers]]
| [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|Oklahoma City]], [[Oklahoma]]
| [[Myriad Convention Center]]
|-
| [[Tulsa Oilers]]
| [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]], [[Oklahoma]]
| [[Tulsa Coliseum]]
|-
| [[Wichita Thunder]]
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]], [[Kansas]]
| [[Britt Brown Arena]]
|}

==Map of teams==
{{CSS crop
|Location=left
|Description=[[Image:Blue pog.svg|10px]] Eastern Division [[Image:Red pog.svg|10px]] Western Division
|bSize=950
|cWidth=450
|cHeight=300
|oLeft=310
|oTop=310
|Content=
{{Location map+ | USA
| width   = 1150
| caption = 
| places  =

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 32.45
| lon_deg = -84.99
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = '''[[Columbus Cottonmouths|Columbus]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 35.02
| lon_deg = -78.89
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Fayetteville Force|Fayetteville]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 34.73
| lon_deg = -86.59
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Huntsville Channel Cats|Huntsville]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 32.84
| lon_deg = -83.62
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Macon Whoopee (CHL)|Macon]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 36.17
| lon_deg = -86.78
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Nashville Ice Flyers|Nashville]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 32.75
| lon_deg = -97.33
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Fort Worth Fire|Fort Worth]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 35.12
| lon_deg = -89.98
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Memphis RiverKings|Memphis]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 35.47
| lon_deg = -97.51
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = '''[[Oklahoma City Blazers (1992-2009)|Oklahoma City]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 36.15
| lon_deg = -95.99
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Tulsa Oilers|Tulsa]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 37.84
| lon_deg = -97.32
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = '''[[Wichita Thunder|Wichita]]'''
| background=#ffe}}

}}
}}

{{Clear}}

==Regular season==

===Division standings===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! style="width:20em;" class="unsortable" | Eastern Division
! style="width:4em;" class="unsortable" | {{abbr|GP|Games played}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|W|Wins}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|L|Losses}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|T|Ties}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|-
|  '''y'''-[[Columbus Cottonmouths]] || 70 || 51 || 13 || 6 || 341 || 219 || 108
|- 
|  '''x'''-[[Nashville Ice Flyers]] || 70 || 41 || 19 || 10 ||274 || 246 || 92
|-
| '''x'''-[[Huntsville Channel Cats]] || 70 || 40 || 22 || 8 || 333 || 281 || 88
|-
|  '''x'''-[[Macon Whoopee (CHL)|Macon Whoopee]] || 70 || 38 || 25 || 7 || 249 || 234 || 83
|-
| || || || || || || || 
|-
| '''e'''-[[Fayetteville Force]] || 70 || 25 || 42 || 3 || 247 || 348 || 53
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! style="width:20em;" class="unsortable" | Western Division
! style="width:4em;" class="unsortable" | {{abbr|GP|Games played}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|W|Wins}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|L|Losses}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|T|Ties}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:4em;" | {{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- 
| '''x'''-[[Oklahoma City Blazers (1992–2009)|Oklahoma City Blazers]] || 70 || 48 || 19 || 3 || 319 || 237 || 99
|-
| '''x'''-[[Wichita Thunder]] || 70 || 35 || 31 || 4 || 302 || 303 || 74
|-
| '''x'''-[[Tulsa Oilers]] || 70 || 34 || 31 || 5 || 308 || 274 || 73
|- 
| '''x'''-[[Memphis RiverKings]] || 70 || 25 || 40 || 5 || 239 || 287 || 55
|-
| || || || || || || || 
|-
| '''e'''-[[Fort Worth Fire]] || 70 || 13 || 53 || 4 || 214 || 397 || 30
|}

'''y''' - clinched league title; '''x''' - clinched playoff spot; '''e''' - eliminated from playoff contention

==Playoffs==

===Playoff bracket===

{{8TeamBracket | RD1=Quarter Finals
| RD2=Semi-Finals
| RD3=Championships
| RD1-group1= <span style="color:darkred;">'''Eastern'''</span>
| RD1-group2= <span style="color:darkblue;">'''Western'''</span>

| RD1-seed1=1
| RD1-team1='''Columbus'''
| RD1-score1='''3'''
| RD1-seed2=4
| RD1-team2=Macon
| RD1-score2=0

| RD1-seed3=2
| RD1-team3='''Nashville'''
| RD1-score3='''3'''
| RD1-seed4=3
| RD1-team4=Huntsville
| RD1-score4=0

| RD1-seed5=1
| RD1-team5='''Oklahoma City'''
| RD1-score5='''3'''
| RD1-seed6=4
| RD1-team6=Memphis
| RD1-score6=1

| RD1-seed7=2
| RD1-team7='''Wichita'''
| RD1-score7='''3'''
| RD1-seed8=3
| RD1-team8=Tulsa
| RD1-score8=1

| RD2-seed1=1
| RD2-team1='''Columbus'''
| RD2-score1='''4'''
| RD2-seed2=2
| RD2-team2=Nashville
| RD2-score2=2

| RD2-seed3=1
| RD2-team3=Oklahoma City
| RD2-score3=3
| RD2-seed4=2
| RD2-team4='''Wichita'''
| RD2-score4='''4'''

| RD3-seed1=1
| RD3-team1='''Columbus'''
| RD3-score1='''4'''
| RD3-seed2=2
| RD3-team2=Wichita
| RD3-score2=0
}}

==CHL awards==

{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"
| [[William “Bill” Levins Memorial Cup]]: || '''[[Columbus Cottonmouths]]'''
|-
| Adams Cup: || '''[[Columbus Cottonmouths]]'''
|-
| Coach of the Year: || '''[[David Lohrei]]''' ([[Nashville Ice Flyers|Nashville]])
|-
| Most Valuable Player: || '''[[Joe Burton]]''' ([[Oklahoma City Blazers (1992–2009)|Oklahoma City]])
|-
| Playoff Most Valuable Player: || '''[[Mike Martens]]''' (Columbus)
|-
| Most Outstanding Goaltender: || '''[[Brian Elder]]''' (Oklahoma City)
|-
|Most Outstanding Defenseman || '''[[Hardy Sauter]]''' (Oklahoma City)
|-
|Rookie of the Year || '''[[David Beauregard]]''' ([[Wichita Thunder|Wichita]])
|-
|Scoring Champion || '''[[Luc Beausoleil]]''' ([[Tulsa Oilers|Tulsa]])
|-
|Community Service Award || '''[[Rod Branch]]''' (Tulsa)
|}

==External links==
* [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/chl19931998.html 1997–98 CHL season at The Internet Hockey Database]

{{Central Hockey League seasons}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 Chl Season}}
[[Category:1997–98 in American ice hockey by league|Chl Season, 1997-98]]
[[Category:Central Hockey League seasons]]