Walleye stopped by Komets despite 39 shots on goal

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Toledo Walleye picked up 39 shots on goal on Saturday night but had no answer for Samuel Harvey as the Fish dropped their matchup with the Komets, 3-0, at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

Despite collecting 13 more shots than Fort Wayne in each of the final two periods, Toledo had nothing to show for it as they came up scoreless for the first time this season. The loss snaps Toledo’s four-game road winning streak, bringing the Walleye to 5-4 on the young season and 0-2 with 11 games remaining against Fort Wayne in the 13-game season series.

The Komets picked up a goal in each of the three periods. The first score came just past the midway point of the first period, with Josh Owings finding the back of the net on assists from Connor Jones and Anthony Petruzzelli at the 10:49 mark. Fort Wayne picked up two penalties in the period and Toledo added one, but neither team netted the puck with a man advantage over the course of the first 20 minutes. The Komets took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Walleye held the Komets to just six shots on goal over the final two periods, picking up an impressive 32 shots of their own. Fort Wayne converted twice over the remainder of the contest, once in the second period and again early in the third frame, to bring the final score to 3-0.

Fort Wayne’s second period goal came at the 6:48 mark in the frame off the stick of Aaron Huffnagle. Shawn Boudrias and Josh Owings earned the assists on the insurance goal for the Komets. Fort Wayne’s Zach Tolkinen and Toledo’s Brett McKenzie each received two-minute minors in the frame, but neither penalty turned into points, leaving the score at 2-0 in favor of the Komets at the end of period two.

Matt Alvaro scored an unassisted goal for the Komets just 28 seconds into the third period, giving Fort Wayne a comfortable 3-0 lead. Each team received four penalties throughout the remainder of the period, six of which were called with 7:08 gone in the frame. Matt Berry’s night ended for Toledo when he received a double minor for roughing and a ten-minute misconduct for inciting. Matt Alvaro also picked up a four-minute roughing double minor, and Marcus McIvor joined him in the penalty box with a two-minute roughing penalty of his own. The contest remained scoreless through the end of regulation, giving Fort Wayne their fifth straight win.

Neither team converted on their power play opportunities, with the Walleye going 0-for-5 in the category and the Komets netting zero in their three chances. Toledo outshot Fort Wayne by 21 with a 39-18 advantage. Samuel Harvey earned the win in a stellar performance for Fort Wayne, stopping all 39 Walleye shots on goal. Kaden Fulcher took the loss for Toledo, stopping 15 of 18 shots for the Fish.

What’s Next:

The Walleye return to The Pond tomorrow afternoon to face off against the Indy Fuel for the second time this season. Puck drop from the Huntington Center is set for 5:15 p.m.

Three Stars:

1. Fort Wayne – Samuel Harvey (W, 39 saves)
2. Fort Wayne – Josh Owings (game-winning goal, assist)
3. Fort Wayne – Matt Alvaro (goal)