The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe penned a fine article on Thursday evening, previewing the playoff series between the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and their first-round opponent, the Indy Fuel:
The Toledo Walleye clearly seem to have the upper-hand against their first-round playoff opponent, the Indy Fuel.
But looks can be deceiving. Top-seeded Toledo (50-17-5) hosts fourth-seeded Indy (36-30-6) in Game 1 of a best-of-7 Central Division semifinal series at 7:35 p.m. Friday at the Huntington Center.
The Walleye posted an 8-1-0 record against the Fuel this season and are 23-2-1 all-time vs. Indy. Toledo outscored Indy 36-26 in the season series. The Walleye won the division and Western Conference titles, while the Fuel got in on the final day of the regular season.
However, five of the games this season were decided by just one goal and the last two games went to overtime. The last time the Fuel visited the Huntington Center, they earned a 7-4 win March 11.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Walleye coach Dan Watson said. “They are not an easy team. They are a big physical team. It’s a tough test.”
The teams also were dead-even in overall offensive production. Toledo and Indy averaged 3.36 goals per game, tied for the eighth most in the ECHL.
Monroe continues, and his article includes interviews with Walleye coach Dan Watson; Monroe also wrote an article regarding goaltender Pat Nagle winning the ECHL’s “March MASKness” competition.
