Walleye humiliate Komets with 11-goal beatdown

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Walleye were in cruise control from start to finish in a dominant 11-0 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday before a sold-out crowd of 8,305 at the Huntington Center.

Pat Nagle stopped all 34 shots he faced to earn his third shutout of the campaign as he improved to 12-3-2 on home ice and 18-10-3 overall. With two goals and a pair of assists, Dylan Sadowy was among eight Walleye (32-15-5-3) skaters to record multiple points, while Greg Wolfe notched two goals and a helper to garner first-star accolades.

Toledo began its offensive clinic in the opening period by scoring twice in a 46-second span. Shane Berschbach sent a pass from the left goal line across to Wolfe at the right circle for a shot into the top right corner at the 6:23 mark. After Bryan Moore was brought down by Craig Cescon in front of the Fort Wayne (26-19-3-6) net, Brenden Kotyk’s slapshot from the line was blocked by the right pad of Zachary Fucale, but Sadowy was in prime position to tuck the rebound into an open cage to give the Walleye a 2-0 edge.

The hosts potted a third goal with 6:34 left in the first frame, as Jordan Topping gained the zone and split the Komets’ defense before placing a shot inside the right post. Fucale, who went the distance in Fort Wayne’s 7-5 win at Kalamazoo the previous night, was replaced by Eric Levine to begin the second period.

The onslaught continued as the Walleye set a franchise record with a six-spot in the middle period. Wolfe pounced on a loose puck in the high slot and lifted a wrister into the top right corner at 1:05 for his second goal of the night and 18th of the campaign. Ben Storm finished off a shorthanded 2-on-1 at the 4:48 mark, using Tyler Spezia as a decoy before beating Levine to the short side with a shot from the right circle.

Fort Wayne’s nightmare continued to worsen, with Toledo adding two more goals by the halfway point of the second stanza. Justin Kea and Topping combined to set up Sadowy’s second tally of the night, a backhanded effort in close that ended up in the roof of Levine’s net at 6:37. Moments later, Ryan Obuchowski had plenty of time to load up a wrist shot from the high slot, which he dispatched inside the left post at the 9:18 mark to lift the Walleye to an insurmountable 7-0 advantage.

The Walleye built on their touchdown-sized lead later in the frame with a pair of goals 43 seconds apart. Kea was denied on his initial attempt in tight, but deftly poked the rebound through the five-hole at 14:49, before A.J. Jenks fired a sharp-angle shot from near the right goal line for his second power play goal in as many nights. 

Spezia’s goal with 6:35 remaining put the Walleye in double-figures for the first time since a 10-0 win versus Indy on April 8, 2017. Despite fanning on a one-timer from the right circle, Spezia snapped an 11-game goal drought when his shot floated helplessly past Levine’s right pad. Matt Register added another cherry on top when he corralled a loose puck at the right circle and concluded the goal-scoring barrage with 55 seconds to play.

Toledo finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while Fort Wayne failed to connect on five opportunities. Fucale blocked 10-of-13 shots in defeat before Levine turned aside 18-of-26 over the last two periods.

What’s Next:The Walleye wrap up a stretch of three home games in three days on Sunday, as they welcome the Indy Fuel to the Huntington Center for a 5:15 p.m. puck drop.

Three Stars:1. Toledo – Greg Wolfe (two goals, assist)2. Toledo – Dylan Sadowy (two goals, two assists)3. Toledo – Pat Nagle (SO, 34 saves)

Fish Tales:The Walleye scored 10 or more goals for the third time in franchise history, previously hitting double-digits in a 12-0 win versus Gwinnett on Feb. 22, 2015 along with the aforementioned 10-0 win over Indy on April 8, 2017.