TOLEDO, Ohio — The countdown to postseason hockey in T-Town draws near.
On Friday inside the Huntington Center, the Toledo Walleye will appear in the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
"It's a tradition here and it's a part of being in Toledo and a Walleye," defenseman Grant Gabriele said. "You expect to do well in the regular season and go far in the playoffs, so it's a culture thing."
Making a deep run has become a habit for the franchise in recent years. The Fish are seeking a fourth-straight trip to the Western Conference Finals.
"Excitement level gets raised and the expectation that it's here," head coach Pat Mikesch said. "We've known for quite a while that we were going to be a playoff team. Now we're just trying to have a good week of energy and make sure we're ready to go."
It's been a season to remember thus far for the first-year head coach. His team cruised through their division, clinching the best regular-season record in the Central Division with a total of 105 points, which was 19 more than the second-place Indy Fuel.
"Getting off to a good start. We got to have a great first period, that's something we've focused on for the past two months," Mikesch said. "We won't change the messaging a whole lot going into the playoffs, it's just executing the things we want to do."
The matchup against the Kalamazoo Wings in the first round doesn't favor the Walleye on paper, despite Toledo being the top seed. Head-to-head, Toledo capped its regular season series with a mere 4-7-2 record against the Wings. Seven of those games were decided by one goal.
"You remember the good and forget the bad," forward Brandon Hawkins said. "So you remember all the good moments you've had in the regular season and replicate them in the playoffs to the best of your ability. Hopefully, we come out on the right side of things."
Since arriving in the Glass City in 2021, Hawkins has been a staple for success. This season alone, he tallied an ECHL-best 93 points - 40 goals and 53 assists - and broke two franchise records for the Walleye. Hawkins surpassed his own mark last year for goals scored and jumping ahead of Shane Berschbach's record of 86 points in a season that had stood since 2016-17.
"I'm not big on individual records, I don't get to that without the team and it's a 'we over me' type of thing," Hawkins said. "If I'm playing to the best of my ability and the guys are playing to the best of their ability, we're collecting wins that's all I care about."
The Huntington Center has proven to be a tough place to play for opponents. Toledo's fans recently helped set new records in attendance with 284,621 total attendees and 27 consecutive sellouts. That includes the regular season home finale against Fort Wayne in which the Walleye won 3-1.
"This building is amazing and we know there's going to be a natural energy in here," Mikesch said. "The history and the expectations that surround this team is something we talk a lot about as a group. Our fan base lives up to their side every single day."
There are many players who will experience postseason hockey in T-Town for the first time on Friday. That includes Gabriele, the ECHL Plus Performer of the Year.
"It's going to be cool, we got a sneak peek of this last weekend with all of the towels," Gabriele said. "From what I've heard it's pretty crazy here in the playoffs, so I'm excited to see it."
As for who will be in net behind Gabriele and the blue line, Mikesch said veteran goaltender John Lethemon will get the start for game one, but he expects Detroit Red Wings prospect Jan Bednar to also see some postseason action.
Skating into a new chapter of the season instinctively provides excitement, moreso when your team is on an impressive win streak.
"Any sort of momentum you can have going is big," Gabriele said. "We've been fortunate to be on a 14-game streak which is pretty hard to do. I think that's given us a lot of confidence."
The Walleye are seeking the franchise's first-ever championship and the first in Toledo since the Storm won back-to-back Riley Cups in 1993 and 1994.