Jackson Free Press

In a state like Mississippi with short winters and long, humid summers, baseball reigns, football is cherished, and the kid down the road practices endlessly to be the next Michael Jordan. With the exception of the Winter Olympics, Mississippians often don't take notice of ice hockey. That might change now that the Gulf Coast is home to one of the premier teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League: the Mississippi Surge.

Based in Biloxi, the team plays at the former home of the Mississippi Sea Wolves: the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. On March 25, 2010, the Surge captured the William B. Coffey Trophy as the SPHL's Regular Season Champions in its first season, with little fanfare. After only nine months, the Surge has grabbed attention for better reasons than its insensitive name and amateurish logos.

The franchise's first season began inauspiciously. Through the first 32 pages, the Surge went 15-17. The team then went 14-2, closing the gap with the league's best teams. In the playoffs, the Surge beat the Columbus, Ga., Cottonmouths in a 3-2 series.

A few weeks later, the team lost the championship series to the Huntsville, Ala., Havoc. The Havoc swept the Surge in three games, a come-from-behind 3-2 victory in Game 2 and a one-point victory in Game 3. The Surge's inability to convert on power plays doomed the team.

The team's long-term viability, though, will depend on securing a larger fan base. With an average of 2,250 tickets sold per game and 74,223 for the entire season, attendance for the Surge has been disappointing. Despite being the regular season champions, the team ranked next to last in league attendance.

During the 2009-2010 season, the league champion Havoc averaged 1,200 more tickets per game and 24,000 tickets per season. The league average was 3,041 per game, almost 800 more than the Surge sold. Those numbers are skewed by the fact that Biloxi has only a third of the population of Lafayette, Augusta, Huntsville and three other SPHL cities. Compounding the problem is the area's unfamiliarity with the new franchise.

Professional hockey in the state dates back to the first match by the Sea Wolves 13 years ago, so there is optimism for the Biloxi franchise's long-term success. The team is still building a relationship with the community, regularly holding charity fundraisers and team introductory sessions on the Gulf Coast. As an example of the Surge's inventive community building, the team wore pink game jerseys during a game in late February to raise awareness for breast cancer. The jerseys were then auctioned off, with proceeds going to Gulfport's Memorial Hospital.

Few in the organization can claim as much responsibility for the Surge's early success as Steffon Walby. Walby is part owner, general manager and head coach of the Surge. Before joining the Surge, he was a fixture on the Sea Wolves team and, after retiring as a player, its coaching staff. As an 11-year veteran player for the Sea Wolves, he played on five All-Star teams and scored 687 points. Today, his goal is to make the Mississippi Surge a successful franchise and keep it from suffering the same fate as the Sea Wolves.

Walby notes: "Attendance is building, and hockey is very popular on the Gulf Coast. After Katrina, people had to adjust, but attendance is improving." Walby describes the Surge as "fun, affordable, family entertainment and heavily involved in the community."

After the sweep by the Huntsville Havoc, the Surge fell short of clinching the SPHL President's Cup, but many members of the team earned individual honors. Defenseman Steve Weidlich and goaltender Bill Zaniboni made it to the All-SPHL First Team, and forwards Matt Zultek and Mike Richard are on the All-SPHL Second Team.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Weidlich has had an especially stellar record this year. Beating all defensemen in the league with 42 points, 36 assists and 26 power-play assists, Weidlich also earned the league's Defenseman of the Year award.

Similarly, Goaltender Zaniboni, a three-year veteran from Plymouth, Mass., was named the league's Goaltender of the Year, after acquiring four shutouts, a 2.48 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Individual honors did not end with the players, however, when Coach Walby received the 2010 SPHL Coach of the Year award.

As for next year, Walby says that the goals are simple: "To continue what we accomplished this year, get the core group of guys to come back and win the championship."