By Jack Murray
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle and associate coach Craig Ramsay could become the first former Miami RedHawk and first former AHL Cincinnati Sword to hoist the Stanley Cup tonight after Game 7 against Calgary.

Both Boyle and Ramsay began their pro careers in Cincinnati.

Boyle, a former two-time All-American at Miami (1994-98), played 13 games, including five playoff games, with the IHL's Cyclones after signing as a non-drafted free agent with the NHL's Florida Panthers on March 30, 1998.

Boyle was an AHL All-Star with Florida Panthers farm clubs in Lexington and Louisville. He was acquired by Tampa Bay by then-general manager Rick Dudley for a fifth-round draft choice Jan. 7, 2002.

Boyle has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 22 games this postseason for Tampa Bay. He is the second Miami graduate to reach the Finals in three years. Center Kevyn Adams, Miami's only NHL first-round draft choice in history, played for the Carolina Hurricanes when they lost to Detroit in 2002.

Ramsay, a second-round draft choice of the Buffalo Sabres, played a handful of games with the Cincinnati Swords in the 1971-72 season before being recalled by the Sabres, with whom he enjoyed a long career as an ace penalty killer and checking forward in the NHL.

Ramsay is appearing in his first Stanley Cup Finals in 29 years. Ramsay, a former head coach with Buffalo and Philadelphia, is a candidate for the open Ottawa job.

On the other side, Calgary defenseman Mike Commodore played 61 games with 210 penalty minutes for the AHL Cincinnati Mighty Ducks before being traded along with Ducks goalie J.F. Damphousse by Anaheim to Calgary for center Rob Niedermayer on March 11, 2003.

NOTEBOOK: The Lightning forced a decisive seventh game with a 3-2 double-overtime win late Saturday. Former Flame Martin St. Louis scored 33 seconds into the second overtime. ... The Flames are 10-3 in road playoff games this season, tying the NHL record set by New Jersey in 1995 and 2000. ...

Brad Richards scored two more goals in Tampa Bay's 3-2 double-overtime win, giving him 12 this postseason. The Lightning are 31-0-2 overall and 9-0 in the playoffs when Richards scores. ... Tampa Bay has set a playoff record by alternating wins and losses for 13 straight games. New Jersey did it 12 straight times in 1988. ... "It's fitting we have a Game 7," Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said.

Stanley Cup Finals

Tampa Bay vs. Calgary (Series tied 3-3)

Game 1: Calgary 4, Tampa 1

Game 2: Tampa 4, Calgary 1

Game 3: Calgary 3, Tampa 0

Game 4: Tampa 1, Calgary 0

Game 5: Calgary 3, Tampa 2, OT

Game 6: Tampa 3, Calgary 2, 2OT

Game 7: at Tampa Bay, 8 p.m. today (Ch. 9, 2)