THE BLADE: TOLEDO, OHIO | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014 HOCKEY toledoBlade.com SECTION C, PAGE 5 Walleye’s winning streak ends at 2 Toledo ends affiliation with Hawks By MARK MONROE said the Walleye provided “a great WHEELING, W. Va. — The Wall- first 10 minutes. BLADE SPORTS WRITER setting to learn the professional eye gave up three goals in the sec- “We needed to be strong in front The Walleye will end their affili- game” for the team's prospects. ond period and went on to lose 4-0 of our own net,” Walleye coach Toledo 0 0 0 - 0 ation with the Chicago Black- Toledo currently has one Black- to Wheeling on Tuesday night. Dan Watson said. “We did a good Wheeling 0 3 1 - 4 hawks, a partnership Toledo has hawks player on its roster, forward Toledo went 0 of 7 on the power had with the NHL organization Max Shalunov. There are two Red job of it except for a few minutes in 1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Sylvester play. Wheeling goalie Mike Con- the second period.” Whl (cross-checking), 9:03; Minella Whl (el- since 2009. Wings prospects on the team’s ros- bowing), 15:53; Novak Tol (hooking), 17:00. don finished with 34 saves. Max Shalunov 2nd Period-1, Wheeling, MacKay 16 (Gill, The announcement, which was ter. Minella), 4:36. 2, Wheeling, Bakker 6 (Johnson, made on Tuesday, means the The Walleye finished with a 34- and Richard Ne- Fernandez), 8:20. 3, Wheeling, Minella 9 (Gill, Napoli told The Blade in Febru- 32 edge in shots. domlel each had MacKay), 10:16. Penalties-Elbrecht Tol (rough- Walleye will no longer exchange ary the team was unsure of the fu- ing, fighting - major), 5:43; Boak Whl (fighting Max MacKay, Shane Bakker, five shots for the - major), 5:43; Fernandez Whl (interference), players with Chicago’s American ture of the agreement with the 10:54; Sylvester Whl (hooking), 12:52; Peroff and Christiaan Minella scored in Walleye. Tol (hooking), 15:48; Minella Whl (high-stick- Hockey League team, the Rockford Blackhawks. the second period for Wheeling WHEELING 4 Toledo (21-40- ing), 16:53. IceHogs. “The dual affiliation has pluses 3rd Period-4, Wheeling, Fernandez 11 (36-25-6). Tyler Fernandez scored WALLEYE 0 5) had won two (Merth, Stevenson), 19:41. Penalties-John- Toledo, which competes at the and its minuses, but if you’re look- son Whl (tripping), 4:25; Ratchuk Whl (hold- with 19 seconds left. games in a row. ing), 15:04. Double-A level of professional ing at it from a reflective, unvar- Shots on Goal-Toledo 9-9-16-34. Wheeling hockey in the ECHL, has served as nished perspective, there are more Walleye goalie Hannu Toivonen The Nailers, who are fighting for a 8-17-7-32. (12-14-0) finished with 29 saves. playoff spot, earned two valuable Power Play Opportunities-Toledo 0 / 7; a developmental team for Chi- minuses than pluses,” he said. Wheeling 0 / 3. Condon had nine saves in the points. Goalies-Toledo, Toivonen 12-14-0-0 (32 cago's prospects. “When you’re winning, you see the shots-28 saves). Wheeling, Condon 20-12-0-4 The Walleye will remain an first and second periods before The Walleye are now 3-6-0 (34 shots-34 saves). pluses much more clearly. When stopping 16 shots in the third. against Wheeling. A-1,770 ECHL affiliate of the Detroit Red you’re losing, the minuses are just The Nailers scored all three The teams meet again today in Wings, an association that has ex- that much more apparent.” goals in the second period in the West Virginia. isted for decades. The team will Nick Vitucci, the team's director continue to exchange players with of hockey operations, said the the Red Wings' AHL affiliate in team has had an abnormally high Grand Rapids. Toledo's ECHL number of player transactions with team was named the Storm when its affiliates this season. Vitucci re- Walleye with Richard Nedomlel the organizations first aligned in signed as coach in February. Continued from Page C1 ■ Position: Defenseman 1991. The inconsistency with person- [NHL enforcer] Chris Pronger,” he ■ Jersey Number: 24 Toledo's dual affiliations with nel hurt the team's ability to create said. “It was more difficult to play ■ Ht./Wt.: 6-4, 225 the two NHL teams have been in cohesion, officials said. my style back at home on the big- ■ Birthplace: Prague place since the Walleye's inaugural There are seven players from On the ■ Age: 20 season in 2009-10. Chicago's farm system that ap- ger ice. I always wanted to make Toledo Walleye Hook ■ Favorite way to spend time away from the the NHL and the only way was to The arrangement has had a det- peared in a Walleye uniform this : I try to relax. I play Xbox and hang out with my girlfriend. move to [North America].” rink rimental affect on Toledo’s roster season. Five remain called up to ■ Hockey players you admired growing up: Chris Pronger and this season as repeated callups So at age 17, Nedomlel left Cen- Scott Stevens Rockford. Forwards David Gilbert, tral Europe and went to Western ■ Favorite sport other than hockey: In the summer I play tennis proved to be difficult to overcome Philippe Lefebvre, and Pat Mul- Canada to hone his skills. He and sometimes soccer. and the team failed to qualify for lane, along with defensemen Joe signed with the Swift Current ■ Favorite type of music: Techno, rap. Anything but country. the playoffs. Gleason and Bobby Shea, are with Broncos of the Western Hockey ■ Favorite meal? Steak and mashed potatoes “We have thoroughly enjoyed the IceHogs. League. He played three seasons ■ Have you ever eaten walleye? No. Not yet. our relationship these past five Gilbert is still Toledo's leading of major junior hockey in ■ Favorite beverage: Sprite years with the Blackhawks,” said scorer with 35 points, including a Saskatchewan. ■ Best fast food: It's a bad thing. But sometimes McDonald's. Joe Napoli, the Walleye's president team-high 17 goals, in 44 games. : Rocky “The only thing I knew how to ■ Favorite movie and general manager. Two other players in Chicago's ■ Favorite TV show: Entourage The affiliation ends at the com- system, goalie Mac Carruth and say [in English] was my name and ■ Favorite video game: Grand Theft Auto 5 ‘How are you?’” Nedomlel said. ■ Favorite Web site: NHL.com pletion of this season. forward Byron Froese, are playing “And then the boys taught me all ■ Do you have a Twitter account? No The Indianapolis Fuel will be- with other ECHL teams. Carruth is the bad words.” ■ Person you most admire: My dad [George] come the ECHL affiliate of the with the Florida Everblades and He said he learned English from ■ If you could meet any person who would it be? Chris Blackhawks next season. India- Froese is with the Cincinnati Cy- his host family and a teammate, Pronger napolis is the 23rd franchise to join clones. who also happened to be from the ■ Favorite place you've been to? Florida the ECHL and will begin play in Over the first three seasons, the Czech Republic. ■ Top sports moment: Getting drafted by Detroit October. Blackhawks sent 25 players to the I lost both of my front “The language was not that big ■ Have you lost any teeth while playing? “With Indianapolis joining the Walleye. teeth. My first day in Canada I lost both fake ones in a fight. ECHL next season, their proximity Goalie Carter Hutton, a former of a deal,” he said. “The style of ■ Nickname: Nedo and Nedsy game was more difficult. I had to ■ What would you be doing if you weren't playing hockey? I to Chicago is an obvious affiliation Chicago prospect who played in 14 play even more physical than I was don't know. Playing a different sport like soccer. fit,” Napoli said. games with the Walleye in 2011- used to.” ■ Something nobody knows about you: I love cars. I like to fix Mark Bernard, the Blackhawks' 12, is now in the NHL with the As an only child, Nedomlel said cars. It's my passion. director of hockey administration, Nashville Predators. his parents George and Nadia were reluctant to let him go over- adult beverages back in the Czech cent 3-1-1 streak has brightened NHL seas alone. Republic where the legal drinking the mood in the locker room. “My mom was upset,” he said. age is 18. “It's gotten better and better,” he “But they were happy I wanted to “My family celebrated a lot. I said. “This year we won't make the Bailey’s goal leads Islanders do something for myself. Plus I was a little bit drunk,” he said. “I playoffs. But I hope next year ASSOCIATED PRESS was getting all those penalties back got a lot of calls from relatives and coach Watson is back. He has been twice for the first multigoal game home. They knew it would be friends. The thing every hockey very good for us. He shows us a lot UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Josh Bai- of his career and the Hurricanes good for me. The first month they player thinks about is wanting to of videos. We've learned a lot from ley had a goal and assist, and the dominated the listless Pittsburgh worried about me. But they over- make the NHL. And the best part is him.” New York Islanders kept up their Penguins. came it.