MOLINE, Ill. — Editor's note: The above video aired on Friday, Apr. 22.
The puck drops for the fourth season of Quad City Storm hockey tomorrow from Vibrant Arena at The MARK against the defending SPHL champions, Peoria Rivermen.
The battle between the Storm and Riverman has been dubbed the "cold war on 74," to commemorate the interstate which connects the western Illinois metropolitans.
This is the fourth season of play for the Storm since their inception. After failing to qualify for the playoffs in their first two seasons, the Storm advanced to the semi-finals of the 2022 SPHL playoffs in April, before losing a tight 2-1 series against the eventual champions, the Peoria Riverman. They finished the regular season in fifth place with a record of 32-15-9.
Last week, the Storm announced that they hired former Quad City Mallard's defenseman, Drew Otten, as an assistant coach for the 2022-23 season. Otten played three seasons for the Mallards from 2003-2006, logging 18 goals, 30 assists and 200 penalty minutes in 138 games.
“I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to be part of pro hockey in the Quad Cities again,” Otten said. “I loved playing here in front of these great fans and am looking forward to being on the bench trying to bring another championship to the Quad Cities.”
The puck drops on Friday October 21 at 7:10 p.m.
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