The Toledo Walleye are once again opening a season with a schedule full of road games but coach Dan Watson believes playing in hostile environments early on can pay dividends through team bonding.
The Walleye travel to Coralville, Iowa this week to take on one of the ECHL's two new expansion teams, the Iowa Heartlanders. Toledo plays its new Central Division opponent on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Walleye opened the season with a 5-2 loss at Kalamazoo last Saturday. It was the sixth consecutive season that the Walleye have opened on the road. This is the third season in a row that the team will open with five straight road contests.
“It's been the norm,” Watson said. “I like to actually go on the road and get a trip out of the way early on.”
Following the trip to Iowa, Toledo will play two more road games next week. The Walleye play at Indy next Wednesday before playing at Kalamazoo next Friday.
The home opener is set for Saturday, Nov. 6 against Kalamazoo.
The latest a Toledo team has started its home schedule was Nov. 7, 2015, against Adirondack. Toledo played the first eight games on the road that season.
“I think getting away from home is helpful early in the season,” Watson said. “The guys are confined together. They're in the hotel together. They go to the movies together. They go to dinner together.”
With a roster full of fresh faces that are new to the organization this season, the road trips foster a chance to build camaraderie.
“I think it creates a faster bonding with a team,” Watson said.
In its inaugural season in 2009-10, the Walleye opened at home on Oct. 16. The team opened at home in four of its first six seasons.
However, in five of the last six seasons, the Walleye have not opened up at home until early November. All three of Toledo's games in October are on the road.
The early road slate also benefits attendance by avoiding the conflict of high school and college football contests with home games at the Huntington Center.
The Walleye had been 5-1-1 in season openers on the road before the loss in Kalamazoo. Overall, Toledo is 6-5-1 in season openers.
While the Walleye are 0-1-0 to start the season, Iowa is 1-1-1. The Heartlanders lead the Central Division while Toledo is tied for last in the seven-team division.
The Iowa franchise plays in the Xtreme Arena, a 5,100 seat venue that was opened in September 2020. The Heartlanders are affiliated with the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
In January, ECHL officials approved expansion applications for Coralville, Iowa, and Trois-Rivières, Quebec to begin play for the 2021-22 season.
Both franchises are owned by Dean MacDonald through Deacon Sports and Entertainment.
While Toledo does not play the Trois-Rivieres franchise this season, the Walleye will play the Iowa franchise nine times.
The Heartlanders will come to the Huntington Center for back-to-back games on Nov. 19-20.
TOUGH OPENER: In the 5-2 loss to start the season, the Walleye fell behind 2-0 at Kalamazoo before rallying to tie it at 2 midway in the first period on goals from Gordi Myer and John Albert. However, Toledo then gave up three unanswered goals.
Myer, a Sylvania native, scored the first goal of the season in his first game playing for his hometown team.
Goalie Billy Christopoulos was pulled from the game early in the second period after giving up five goals on 12 shots. Kaden Fulcher made 14 stops on 14 shots in relief.
Forward Brandon Hawkins was injured in the opening period and never returned. He has since been put on the injured reserve list. Forward Josh Dickinson has returned to the team after being loaned to Toledo's American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids.
TICKET RECORD: The organization has set a new season ticket sales record for the 2021-22 season. More than 2,800 fans have signed up for season tickets, breaking the old record established in 2019. A limited number of season ticket packages remain. For more info go to ToledoWalleye.com.
ECHL NEWS: The ECHL announced the name of its newest team, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, on Wednesday.
The team will play at a new facility, Enmarket Arena, in Savannah, Ga. The franchise will join the ECHL for the 2022-23 season.
The logo is the shape of a ghost figure carrying a hockey stick. The team colors are black, white, and fluorescent green.
Another recent addition to the league, the Newfoundland Growlers, have been suspended from playing home games at its arena, Mile One Centre. The suspension is pending a third-party investigation into allegations of “disrespectful workplace conduct.”
The Growlers, who joined the ECHL in 2018-19, have started the season with four straight road wins.
The City of St. John’s, Newfoundland said Wednesday that Deacon Sports & Entertainment Limited, the parent company of the Growlers, was informed about the suspension a week before the team was scheduled to play in its home opener. The city said it will not provide details of the allegations.
“Given the seriousness of the situation we have no choice but to take this action,” St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen said in a statement. “While we know this is disappointing to hockey fans, the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority.”
The Growlers are an affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The team said it is looking to play its home games at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum, the home of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, while the investigation in St. John’s is ongoing.
The Walleye played at Mile One Centre during the Kelly Cup Finals in 2019.
First Published October 28, 2021, 9:48 p.m.
