The Battery: May 2, 2012

In military terms, a battery is a group of weapons, usually cannons(more info here). In the Battery, I’ll touch on stories from Ohio’s other hockey teams, or items related to the Blue Jackets & their affiliate system that haven’t been touched upon in a regular post. This week it’s wrapping up the season’s for Ohio’s minor(and junior) leagues. So let’s have at it…

Lake Erie Monsters (AHL)-affliate of the Colorado Avalanche
It came down to the last day of the regular season, a win would have put the Monsters into the Calder Cup playoffs for the second straight year. Their opponent, the Rochester Americans were also looking to steal the two points in order to clinch their playoff spot and ultimately were victorious at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, coming away with a 2-1 victory.

Though the ending was disappointing for Lake Erie, there were some positives to take from this season. Goaltender Cedric Desjardins(a former Cincinnati Cyclone) set single season records for GAA(2.11) and SV%(.932) as he amassed a 16-11-5-3 record. Off the ice, the team saw a huge gain in attendance, with an almost 1300-person increase in average attendance to set the number at 7,845, good for third in the 30 team AHL. As minor league teams battle for their local entertainment dollar, it’s a great sign for the health of this franchise to see such a big gain, having the marketing power of the Cavaliers front office is proving to be a big asset.

Toledo Walleye (ECHL), affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks & Detroit Red Wings
There were no playoffs this year for the Walleye, but that didn’t keep fans away. Despite finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference and 18 points out of the last playoff seed, Toledo had the league’s 2nd best average attendance this year with 6,252 per game(nearly 85% of capacity). According to Angie Marie at Examiner.com, this season set an unfortunate mark as when coupled with missing the playoffs last season as well, this was the first time a professional hockey team in Toledo has missed the playoffs in consecutive years since the early 1970s.

Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), affiliate of the Nashville Predators & Florida PanthersThe Cyclones also missed their leagues’ playoffs by just one point, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference with 79 points courtesy of a 35W-28L-2OTL-5SOL record. Coach Jarrod Skalde had a tough act to follow after taking the reins from current San Antonio Rampage Coach Chuck Weber, and has struggled to maintain the success his predecessor had(Kelly Cup championships in 2008 and 2010). It can be hard to sustain talent levels from year to year but Skalde seems to have the trust from the organization to build the Cyclones back into a contender. Meanwhile, attendance at downtown Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena ranked as 12th in the 20 team league with an average of 4,190 per game, but has trended up in each of the last five seasons.

Dayton Gems (CHL), Unaffiliated
The Gems may have the most interesting off-season as there are questions if the franchise will survive to see next year. There are two major issues facing the Gems. First, in the world of minor league hockey, there always seems to be an air of instability, it gets worse the lower down the rung you go. Dayton Pro Sports reported this back in February, it’s rumored that two of Dayton’s closest rivals in the Central Hockey League, the Evansville IceMen and the stalwart Fort Wayne Komets may jump ship to the ECHL as soon as the CHL playoffs end. If this occurs, it would leave Dayton with higher travel costs and less natural rivals(the Bloomington(Illinois) Blaze would be the next closest team).

Compounding the potential additional costs is the news that team owner Kathy Rupp held a rather somber press conference publicly stating that the franchise needs additional owners to help stem the monetary loss and keep the team afloat. It’s unfortunate, as the team saw incredible gains across all ticket categories this year, despite missing the playoffs. Dayton has a strong hockey history and it would be unfortunate to lose another franchise, but if some monied individuals don’t step up soon, that may be the case. The run of the Toledo Walleye has to give Dayton hockey fans hope that a new arena could ring in an era of stability, but with Dayton’s economy as it is, the expenditure has been a tough sell. Hopefully we’ll see the Gems take the ice this fall, but there appears to be much more news to come on this front.

Youngstown Phantoms (USHL-Tier I, Junior A League)
Unlink all the other teams I listed, the Phantoms actually made their leagues playoffs. With a 32-21-6 record, good for 4th in the Eastern Conference, the Phantoms made it to the second round before falling to the Green Bay Gamblers. The Phantoms made the rounds through social media with this OT winner in their first round playoff series versus Cedar Rapids, scored by Austin Cangelosi
With the USHL being a junior league, the next step for these players is NCAA college hockey. The Phantoms ended the season boasting 20 of their 25-player roster as having committed to various NCAA programs.