ECHL Toledo Walleye

Storm Playoff Tracks

April 14, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release


After two games in the best of five Northwest Division Finals, the Storm trails the Cincinnati Cyclones two games to none.

This playoff appearance for the Storm is the tenth in the twelve-year history of the franchise. The Dayton Bombers, Pee Dee Pride/Knoxville Cherokees, and Hampton Roads Admirals hold the ECHL record with eleven playoff appearances.

Toledo's 82 total playoff games ties the franchise with the Louisiana IceGators for the second-most in ECHL history. The record is held by the Columbus Cottonmouths/Hampton Roads Admirals with 94.

The Storm's overall playoff record (in twenty total rounds) is 48-34.

With the two home playoff losses this week, the Storm now has an all-time home playoff record of 34-11.

The Storm's 34 home playoff wins ties the all-time record established by the Columbus Cottonmouths/Hampton Roads Admirals, who did not qualify for the playoffs this season.

Toledo has a 14-23 playoff record away from the Toledo Sports Arena. The Storm's 23 away playoff losses is second only to the Columbus Cottonmouths/Hampton Roads Admirals (25) for the all-time ECHL record of playoff road losses.

Tuesday will mark the first game of the 2003 playoff season that the Storm has actually played away from the Toledo Sports Arena. Although Game Three of the first round of the playoffs against the Lexington Men O'War was technically an "away" game for the Storm, it was played at the Sports Arena because Lexington's home ice was not available.

The back-to-back losses to Cincinnati at the Toledo Sports Arena in the Northwest Division Finals marks the first time this season that the Storm has lost two consecutive games at home. (At one stage during the regular season, Toledo did go winless in four consecutive home games, 0-1-3, from January 4 through February 1, 2003.)

Over the course of the regular season and playoffs, the Storm has lost only five games at the Toledo Sports Arena in regulation time-and three of those losses have come at the hands of the Cincinnati Cyclones. In fact, the Cyclones have now won three consecutive games at the Sports Arena, dating to their 3-2 victory over the Storm in Toledo's final home game of the regular season.

In Friday's 2-1 loss to Cincinnati, the Cyclones scored the game's first goal. That marked the first time during the playoffs that the Storm failed to score first. Toledo did score the game's first goal on Saturday night-14 seconds into the first period. That marked the first time in the playoffs that the Storm scored first and failed to win. (Toledo has a 3-1 record when scoring first in the playoffs; during the regular season, the Storm went 38-3-6 when getting the game's first goal during the regular season.)

In Friday's 2-1 loss to the Cyclones, the Storm's lone goal was scored by Nathan Lutz at 12:21 of the second period. That goal, which tied the game at one, marked the first goal of the playoff season for Lutz, who scored five goals in fifty-five regular season games.

Grady Moore assisted on the Storm's only goal on Friday night. That was the fifth assist in the playoffs for Moore, who led the Storm in the regular season with forty assists and had at least one helper in each of the first four Storm playoff games; but was held off the scoreboard on Saturday night.

Matt Ellis scored both of the Storm's goals in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Cincinnati. His first goal came fourteen seconds into the game; and his second was scored 1:33 into the third period to make the scored 3-2, Cyclones. Ellis, who also assisted on the lone goal scored by Toledo on Friday night, is the only member of the Storm who has had at least one point in all five playoff games played by the team this season (3g-3a=6pts). Saturday night's game marked Ellis' first multi-goal (and multi-point) performance in his professional playoff career. During the regular season, Ellis had five multi-goal games and fifteen multi-point performances.

We Mason assisted on both goals scored by Matt Ellis on Saturday night. That was Mason's second multi-point game of the playoff season. (He had a goal and an assist in Toledo's 9-1 win over Lexington in Game One of the first round.) Mason (1g-5a=6pts) has had at least one point in every Storm playoff game except Friday's 2-1 loss to Cincinnati.

Paul Ballantyne assisted on Ellis' second goal on Saturday night. In doing so, he became the sixteenth player to get at least one point for the Storm in the playoff season. The only Storm skaters not to register a point yet in the playoffs are Andre Payette and Miroslav Durak, each of whom played his first playoff game on Saturday night.

The Storm goaltender in every playoff game been Doug Teskey, who now has a record of 3-2 in the 2003 playoff season. Teskey has allowed a total of 7 goals in five games (the fourth goal by the Cyclones on Saturday night was an empty-netter) for a 1.41 goals against average, which is third in the ECHL playoffs. Teskey has made a total of 174 stops in 181 shots for the opponents, which translates into a (.961) save percentage, which is third amongst playoff goaltenders.

The Storm's 1.60 team goals against average is second only to the Mississippi Sea Wolves (1.00) for ECHL playoff teams.

Toledo has scored a total of 20 goals in five playoff games-the team's 4.00 goals for/game average ranks tied for third amongst ECHL playoff teams.

The Storm has failed to score power play goal in ten tries in the first two games of the Northwest Division Finals against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Overall, Toledo has only scored one power play goal in twenty-two chances during the playoffs-a 4.5% scoring ratio, which ranks 18th out of the eighteen teams that qualified for the ECHL playoffs.

Two of Cincinnati's four goals on Saturday night were scored while the Cyclones were on the power play. The game winning goal-the Cyclone's third of the game-scored by Mike Casselman at 11:36 of the second period was a power play goal; and, Nick Bootland's empty net goal (at 18:47 of the third) was also scored while the Cyclones had the man advantage. The Cyclones are now two for eleven on the power play in the Northwest Division Finals, an 18.2% scoring ratio. Overall, the Storm has allowed three power play goals in twenty-five chances over the five playoff games this season-which translates into an 88.0% kill ratio, which is seventh amongst the eighteen ECHL teams to make the playoffs.

ADDITIONAL STORM PLAYOFF QUICK NOTES

The Storm has won the ECHL playoff championship twice-in 1993 and 1994.

Only the Hampton Roads Admirals have won more playoff championships than the Storm. Hampton Roads won three championships (1991, 1992 and 1998). The South Carolina Stingrays have also won two (1997 and 2001).

Both of Toledo's championship teams were awarded the Riley Cup. The Storm franchise has never won the Kelly Cup.

The only franchise to win the Riley Cup and the Kelly Cup is the Hampton Roads Admirals.

Only one team in ECHL history has won both the Brabham Cup and the Kelly Cup in the same season-the 1996-97 South Carolina Stingrays.

The 1994 Riley Cup Champion Storm tied the ECHL record for the fewest losses in a single playoff season (2). This equaled the mark established by the 1992 Hampton Roads Admirals and the Greensboro Monarchs (1990).

The Storm in 1994 had the second longest playoff win streak in history at nine games. The Richmond Renegades won 11 straight in 1999.

The first round three-game sweep of the Lexington Men O'War marks the sixth time in franchise history that the Storm has swept an opponent in the playoffs. Every sweep in Toledo franchise history has been accomplished in a three-game series.

The Toledo franchise has not won a second round playoff game since 1998, when the Storm was eliminated from the playoffs in the second round by the Wheeling Nailers 3 games to 1. Since that time, Toledo was swept (3-0) by the Richmond Renegades in the second round in 1998; and was defeated three games to none by the Trenton Titans in the 2001 Northern Conference Semi-Finals (the second round) the last time the Storm was in the playoffs.

Toledo has not won a second round playoff series since 1996, when the Storm defeated the Knoxville Cherokees (3-0) in the second round only to be eliminated by the Jacksonville Lizard Kings (3-2) in the Riley Cup Semi-Finals.

Thirteen of the 22 players on the Storm Playoff Roster had professional playoff experience entering this playoff season.

Five players on the Storm Roster have been a member of a North American professional hockey championship team:

- Andre Payette (Philadelphia Phantoms, 1998, Calder Cup, AHL)
- Wes Mason (Orlando Solar Bears, 2001 Turner Cup, IHL)
- Jim Brown (Quad City Mallards, 1998 Colonial Cup, UHL)
- Dale Junkin (Fresno Falcons, 2002 Taylor Cup, WCHL)
- Jeff Mitchell (Saint John Flames, 2001 Calder Cup, AHL)

In his coaching career, Storm Head Coach Claude Noel, has been to the playoffs eleven times. He was a member of the coaching staff of the 1993 Fort Wayne Komets that won the IHL Turner Cup Championship.

As a player, Toledo Head Coach Noel was a member of two North American professional championship teams: the 1980 Hershey Bears (Calder Cup Champions, AHL) and the 1983 Toledo Goaldiggers (Turner Cup Champions, IHL).

Storm Assistant Coach Mark Bernard was a member of two championship teams: the Hampton Roads Admirals (1991 and 1992, Riley Cup Champions, ECHL). Assistant Coach Bernard was the ECHL's playoff Most Valuable Player in 1992.

TRANSACTIONS

04/09/03 DELETE Rod Taylor, forward, released.
04/09/03 ADD Brian Finley, goaltender, re-assigned by Milwaukee Admirals (AHL).
04/09/03 DELETE Brian Finley, goaltender, placed on 7-Day Injured Reserve.
04/11/03 ADD L.J. Scarpace, goaltender, signed and added to roster as emergency back-up.
04/12/03 DELETE Jeff Salajko, goaltender, placed on 7-Day Injured Reserve.
04/12/03 ADD Andre Payette, forward, activated from 7-Day Injured Reserve.

Check out the Toledo Walleye Statistics



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