Mississippi Sea Wolves
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi Sea Wolves were a professional hockey team based in Biloxi, Mississippi
and playing in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum
. The Sea Wolves were members of the ECHL
.
The Sea Wolves were founded in 1996 and enjoyed considerable success over their 10 seasons in the ECHL. They reached the playoffs in five of their first seven years, and celebrated a league championship in 1999, when they defeated the Richmond Renegades
in a best of seven series to claim the Kelly Cup
.
Damages from Hurricane Katrina
to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum forced the team to suspend operations for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons under the ECHL's hardship provisions caused by Hurricane Katrina. A second team, the Texas Wildcatters
, was also granted a hardship provision because of Hurricane Rita for one year, and resumed play in 2006–07.
Hurricane Katrina resulted in extensive damage to the team’s home arena, including flood damage to team offices and locker rooms as well as the ice-making equipment and two Zambonis.
During the 2006–07 ECHL All-Star Game, the league officially welcomed back the Sea Wolves at the Board of Governors Meeting held during the festivities.
“The ECHL is delighted to officially welcome back the Sea Wolves for their belated 10th year in the ‘Den’. While much works remains to be done, there has been significant progress since Dec. 1, 2006 and we expect that momentum will continue throughout the spring and summer months,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “The ownership group is unanimously behind the team and now we need fans and sponsors to lend their support to ensure a successful return.”
On March 30, 2009, the Sea Wolves announced that the organization would be suspending operations again for the 2009–10 season but a little more than a month later the team's management announced that pro hockey would continue to be played on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the form of the Mississippi Surge
in the Southern Professional Hockey League
. The team's management was able to keep the tradition going. The Surge will play at the Coast Coliseum beginning with the 2009–10 season.
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
and playing in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Mississippi Coast Coliseum
The Mississippi Coast Coliseum is a 11,500 reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted WCW Beach Blast 1993 and the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament in 1992 and 1993...
. The Sea Wolves were members of the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
.
The Sea Wolves were founded in 1996 and enjoyed considerable success over their 10 seasons in the ECHL. They reached the playoffs in five of their first seven years, and celebrated a league championship in 1999, when they defeated the Richmond Renegades
Richmond Renegades (ECHL)
The Richmond Renegades were an ECHL ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia that played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1990 until 2003. The Renegades played at the Richmond Coliseum, which they marketed in later years as the Freezer....
in a best of seven series to claim the Kelly Cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...
.
Damages from Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum forced the team to suspend operations for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons under the ECHL's hardship provisions caused by Hurricane Katrina. A second team, the Texas Wildcatters
Texas Wildcatters
The Texas Wildcatters, who took their name from Texas wildcatters, were an ECHL team based in Beaumont, Texas. They played their home games at the Ford Arena. They were the affiliate of the Florida Panthers in 2004–2005. The team played in Huntington, West Virginia and were known as the Huntington...
, was also granted a hardship provision because of Hurricane Rita for one year, and resumed play in 2006–07.
Hurricane Katrina resulted in extensive damage to the team’s home arena, including flood damage to team offices and locker rooms as well as the ice-making equipment and two Zambonis.
During the 2006–07 ECHL All-Star Game, the league officially welcomed back the Sea Wolves at the Board of Governors Meeting held during the festivities.
“The ECHL is delighted to officially welcome back the Sea Wolves for their belated 10th year in the ‘Den’. While much works remains to be done, there has been significant progress since Dec. 1, 2006 and we expect that momentum will continue throughout the spring and summer months,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “The ownership group is unanimously behind the team and now we need fans and sponsors to lend their support to ensure a successful return.”
On March 30, 2009, the Sea Wolves announced that the organization would be suspending operations again for the 2009–10 season but a little more than a month later the team's management announced that pro hockey would continue to be played on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the form of the Mississippi Surge
Mississippi Surge
The Mississippi Surge is a professional team in the Southern Professional Hockey League that began play in the 2009-10 season. Based in Biloxi, home games are played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum also known as "The Power Plant".-History:...
in the Southern Professional Hockey League
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :...
. The team's management was able to keep the tradition going. The Surge will play at the Coast Coliseum beginning with the 2009–10 season.
History
| League Champions | Division Champions | Playoff Berth |
| Season | Division | Regular season | Statistics | Postseason results | Coach | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | OTL | SOL | Points | Pct. | Goals For | Goals Against | Penalty Mins | ||||
| Mississippi Sea Wolves | |||||||||||||
| 1996–97 1996–97 ECHL season The 1996-97 ECHL season was the ninth season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, two franchises relocated, one was renamed, and two expansion franchises were founded... |
South | 34 | 26 | 10 | -- | -- | 78 | .557 | 241 | 245 | 2082 | Lost First Round (0-3) | Bruce Boudreau |
| 1997–98 1997–98 ECHL season The 1997-98 ECHL season was the tenth season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the league saw the Knoxville Cherokees move to Florence, SC and welcomed expansion teams in New Orleans, LA and Upper Marlboro, MD... |
Southwest | 34 | 27 | 9 | -- | -- | 77 | .550 | 225 | 224 | 1909 | -- | Bruce Boudreau |
| 1998–99 1998–99 ECHL season The 1998-99 ECHL season was the 11th season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the league saw the Louisville River Frogs move to Miami, FL and the Raleigh Icecaps move to Augusta, GA as well as welcoming two new franchises in Estero, FL and Greenville, SC... |
Southwest | 41 | 22 | 7 | -- | -- | 89 | .636 | 251 | 215 | 1357 | Kelly Cup Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning... Champions (14-4) |
Bruce Boudreau |
| 1999–00 1999–2000 ECHL season The 1999-2000 ECHL season was the 12th season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the Miami Matadors and Columbus Chill suspended operations, the Chesapeake Icebreakers, who originally suspended operations, moved to Jackson, MS... |
Southwest | 35 | 27 | 8 | -- | -- | 78 | .557 | 241 | 221 | 1773 | Lost Quarterfinals (3-4) | Marc Potvin |
| 2000–01 2000–01 ECHL season The 2000-01 ECHL season was the 13th season of the ECHL. Before the season, the league lost three members as the Huntington Blizzard and the Jacksonville Lizard Kings ceased operations and the powerhouse Hampton Roads Admirals moved up to the American Hockey League as the Norfolk Admirals, the... |
Southwest | 34 | 33 | 5 | -- | -- | 73 | .507 | 221 | 218 | 1310 | -- | Al Pedersen |
| 2001–02 2001–02 ECHL season The 2001-02 ECHL season was the 14th season of the East Coast Hockey League. Before the start of the season, the league saw one expansion franchise and five relocations, three of which were through the buying of the franchise rights of former clubs that had ceased operations... |
Southwest | 41 | 26 | 5 | -- | -- | 87 | .604 | 251 | 232 | 1706 | -- | Bob Woods |
| 2002–03 | Southwest | 44 | 24 | 4 | -- | -- | 92 | .639 | 250 | 211 | 2159 | Lost Division Finals (3-3) | Bob Woods |
| 2003–04 | Central | 45 | 20 | 7 | -- | -- | 97 | .674 | 256 | 200 | 1632 | Lost Division Semifinals (2-3) | Bob Woods |
| 2004–05 | South | 39 | 24 | 9 | -- | -- | 87 | .604 | 223 | 215 | 1372 | Lost Conference Quarterfinals (1-3) | Bob Woods |
| 2005–06 | Inactive due to arena damages from Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall... |
||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | |||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | South | 29 | 40 | -- | 1 | 2 | 61 | .424 | 204 | 262 | 1462 | Lost First Round (1-3) | Steffon Walby |
| 2008–09 2008–09 ECHL season The 2008-09 ECHL season was the 21st of the ECHL. The league welcomed one new franchise, the Ontario Reign, which will relocate from Beaumont, Texas and will play at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. Two teams, the Columbia Inferno and the Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz, will voluntary... |
South | 21 | 25 | -- | 6 | 0 | 48 | .459 | 154 | 196 | 992 | TBD Stats compiled as of 2/19/09 |
Steffon Walby |
| All-Time Totals | 397 | 294 | 64 | 7 | 2 | 867 | .567 | 2517 | 2439 | 17754 | Kelly Cup Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning... Champion 24-23 postseason record |
||
Current roster
As of March 30, 2009. Data taken from ECHL website.http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/roster.php?step=&sub=&season_id=9&team_id=28| # | Player | Catches | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Ryan Munce | L | April 16, 1985 | Mississauga, ON, Canada |
| 31 |  |
John Murray | L | July 4, 1987 | Lancaster, PA, USA |
| # | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | |
Chris Zarb | R | January 11, 1985 | Waterford, MI, USA |
| 5 | |
Kyle Peto | L | September 10, 1982 | Lethbridge, AB, Canada |
| 7 | |
Mike Nesdill | R | February 7, 1984 | Phoenix, AZ, USA |
| 15 | |
Pat Oliveto | R | June 9, 1984 | Rochester, NY, USA |
| 17 | |
Bill LeClerc | R | April 26, 1984 | Acton, MA, USA |
| 22 | |
Martin Frechette | R | July 11, 1986 | Sherbrooke, QC, Canada |
| 27 | |
Matt Deschamps | R | April 23, 1980 | Poughkeepsie, NY, USA |
| # | Player | Position | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | |
Jason Tejchma | F | L | May 13, 1983 | Muskegon, MI, USA |
| 9 | |
Mark Rooneem | F | L | January 9, 1983 | Grande Cache, AB, Canada |
| 10 | |
Mike Berry | RW | L | June 28, 1983 | Kanata, ON, Canada |
| 14 | |
Jeremy Hall | LW | L | May 3, 1983 | Mays Landing, NJ, USA |
| 16 | |
Ryan Cruthers | F | R | July 4, 1984 | Farmingdale, NY, USA |
| 19 | |
Jeff Kyrzakos | C | R | February 6, 1985 | Mississauga, ON, Canada |
| 23 | |
Ryan Menei | RW | R | July 31, 1986 | Winnipeg, MB, Canada |
| 26 | |
Evan Kotsopoulos | LW | L | March 24, 1984 | Unionville, ON, Canada |
| 33 | |
Kyle McAllister | C | L | April 7, 1981 | Cornwall, ON, Canada |
| 71 | |
Alexandre Parent | C | L | October 4, 1984 | Boisbriand, QC, Canada |
| 91 | |
Mathieu Melanson | RW | L | August 31, 1985 | Shediac, NB, Canada |
| Title | Staff member |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Steffon Walby |
| Assistant coach | Stephane Neron |
| Athletic trainer | B.J. Leyser |
| Equipment manager | Donny White |
| Broadcaster | Leif Skodnick |