ECHL Toledo Walleye

Storm Tracks

Published on April 7, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release


In the first round of the 2003 ECHL playoffs, the Storm, the Number One seed in the Northwest Division, defeated the Lexington Men O'War, the Number Four seed, 3 games to 0.

The second round of the playoffs-the Northwest Division Finals-pits the Storm against the Cincinnati Cyclones, the Number Three seed, in a best-of five series, beginning Friday night at the Toledo Sports Arena (7:30 p.m.).

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 80 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 is 48-32.

With the two home victories in the first round playoff series, the Storm now has an all-time home playoff record of 34-9, which translates into a (.791) home playoff win percentage-the highest in ECHL history.

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.

Even though game three of the Northwest Division Semi-Final was played at the Toledo Sports Arena, it was technically an "away" game for the Storm. Toledo's playoff record in away games is 14-23. The twenty-three away playoff losses for the Storm is second only to Columbus/Hampton Roads (25) for the most in ECHL history.

The nine goals scored by the Storm in Game One of the first round in the playoffs is a franchise high. It ties the ECHL record for the third most in a single playoff game.

The record for the most goals by one team in a single playoff game is held by the Dayton Bombers, who scored 11 on the Greensboro Monarchs on April 1, 1995. Several teams have scored ten in a single game. That feat was most recently accomplished by the Peoria Rivermen against the Louisiana IceGators on April 28, 1997. Several teams have also scored nine in a single playoff game-most recently the Augusta Lynx against the New Orleans Brass on April 4, 2001.

The nine goals scored by Toledo in the opening game of the opening round of the playoffs was a season high for the Storm. During the regular season, the Storm scored eight goals (8-3) on March 2 against the Wheeling Nailers.

The eight goal margin of victory in the 9-1 win on Wednesday was also the largest for the Storm this season. Toledo defeated the Dayton Bombers 6-0 on February 9 to establish the regular season high in that category.

Fourteen different Storm players factored in the scoring in Wednesday's 9-1 win over Lexington. (Only defensemen, Nathan Lutz and Paul Ballantyne, and goaltender, Doug Teskey, did not get on the scoresheet in that game.)

Eight players for the Storm made their professional playoff debut in Game One of the Northwest Division Semi-Finals: Nathan Lutz, Grady Moore, Trevor Read, Timo Helbling, Matt Ellis, Nick Parillo, Erik Anderson, and Paul Ballantyne.

Five players picked up their first professional playoff point in their first pro playoff game on Wednesday night: Erik Anderson (2g-3a=5pts), Grady Moore (0g-1a=1pt), Trevor Read (0g-1a=1pt), Timo Helbling (0g-1a=1pt), Matt Ellis (0g-1a=1pt), and Nick Parillo (0g-1a-1pt).

The Storm played at a team season-high (+45) in Wednesday's game. Erik Anderson and Jim Brown both played at a (+6), establishing the Storm's individual season-high for single-game (+/-). Anderson, Brown, Grady Moore, and Nathan Lutz currently lead the ECHL in playoff (+/-)-each of them playing at a (+7) through the first three playoff games.

In all three first round playoff games, Toledo scored the game's first goal. Over the course of the regular season, the Storm was 38-3-6 when scoring first.

Erik Anderson scored the game's first goal at 5:23 of the first period in Wednesday's 9-1 win. Anderson also scored what turned out to be the game winning goal (the Storm's second of the game at 8:49 of the first period).

Erik Anderson picked up five points on Wednesday night, establishing a season high for Toledo. During the regular season, Storm players scored as many as four points in a single game seven different times (Grady Moore, Dale Junkin, Jim Brown, and Nick Parillo-three times).

Erik Anderson also scored a short-handed goal (the Storm's fourth at 17:11 of the third period) and picked up an assist in Toledo's 5-1 win over Lexington in Game Three of the first round. (That is the only Storm shg of the playoff season thus far.) Anderson's seven playoff points (3g-4a=7pts) makes him the leading scorer in the ECHL playoffs.

Tim Verbeek scored the Storm's third goal (at 13:24 of the first period) on Wednesday night, and he also scored the team's third goal (at 13:11 of the third) in the 3-0 win in Game Two-as well as Toledo's third goal (at 11:26 of the third) in the third game of the first round playoff series. Verbeek's three game goal scoring streak is a season-long for him.

Jim Brown scored Toledo's fourth goal (1:35 into the second period) in Wednesday's 9-1 win. Brown also picked up three assists in Game One. That was his second four point performance of the season. (He scored three goals and added an assist in the 8-3 win over Wheeling on March 2). Brown also scored the game's first goal of the 5-1 win in Game Three on Saturday night for the Storm.

Dale Junkin gave Toledo a 5-0 lead on Wednesday with his first goal of the playoff season at the 5:58 mark of the second period.

Dale Junkin also scored what proved to be the game winner in Game Two-the game's first goal-six minutes into the first period of the 3-0 win by Toledo. That was the only power play goal scored by the Storm in the first round series.

Jeff Mitchell scored back-to-back goals two minutes and fourteen seconds apart (at 12:13 and 15:27 of the third period) to give Toledo a 7-1 lead on Wednesday night. Mitchell also scored an empty net goal with 55 seconds remaining in Game Three on Saturday.

Jeff Mitchell currently leads the ECHL with 29 total penalty minutes in the first three playoff games. His seventeen minutes in Game Two is the most assessed against a single player in a single playoff game thus far. He also leads the league with seven minor penalties.

Wes Mason scored Toledo's eighth goal on Wednesday night with 3:32 remaining in the game. Mason also picked an assist in each of the three Storm playoff games (1g-3a=4pts).

Toledo's ninth goal on Wednesday was scored by Kris Waltze at the 17:35 mark of the third period. Waltze also assisted on the first goal in Game One, and he picked up an assist on Toledo's second goal in the 3-0 win in Game Two.

The four goals scored by Toledo in the third period on Wednesday night tied a season-high for the Storm. During the regular season, the Storm scored four goals in a single period on four occasions.

Doug Teskey was Toledo's goaltender in all three first round playoff games. Teskey stopped 108 of the 110 total shots he faced from Lexington, which translates into a .982 save percentage-the highest in the ECHL playoffs. Teskey's 0.67 goals against average is tied for the league lead with Louisiana's Kyle Kettles.

On Friday night, Doug Teskey stopped all 39 shots he faced in Game Two of the first round of the playoffs. That was Teskey's first professional playoff shutout. Teskey is one of five ECHL goaltenders to get a shutout in the 2003 ECHL playoffs.

In the 3-0 win on Friday, Matt Ellis scored Toledo's second goal. Ellis has picked up a point in each of the three playoff games (1g-2a=3pts) that Toledo has played thus far.

Grady Moore picked up two assists on Friday night. Moore, who led the Storm in the regular season with 40 assists, assisted on at least one goal in each of the three Storm playoff games (0g-4a=4pts).

In Saturday's 5-1 win, the game winning goal was scored by Jeff Johnstone at the 3:06 mark of the second period. He was one of five different Toledo players to score in that game.

Over the course of the first three playoff games, Toledo scored one power play goal in twelve total opportunities with the man advantage-an 8.3% scoring ratio.

The Storm allowed 1 power play goal in fourteen chances for Lexington in the first round of the playoffs-which is a 92.8% kill ratio.

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.

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)

Of the ten playoff appearances for the Storm in franchise history, the team has advanced beyond the first round eight times. Toledo was eliminated in the first round in 1992 (by Louisville) and 1997 (by Columbus).

The goaltender for the Columbus Chill team that eliminated the Storm from the first round of the playoffs in 1997 was Jeff Salajko, who is currently a member of the Storm.

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

04/01/03 DELETE Brian Finley, goaltender, re-called to Milwaukee Admirals (AHL).
04/01/03 ADD Jeff Salajko, goaltender, signed and added to roster.
04/01/03 DELETE Rod Taylor, forward, placed on 7-Day Injured Reserve.
04/02/03 ADD Kris Waltze, forward, activated from 7-Day Injured Reserve.
04/02/03 DELETE Andre Payette, forward, placed on 7-Day Injured Reserve.

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