Boeing leads comeback charge as Walleye down Nailers, 4-3

WHEELING, W. Va. – The Toledo Walleye entered the third period of Saturday night’s matchup with the Wheeling Nailers trailing by one, but Brett Boeing’s two goal in the final frame helped the Fish come back for a 4-3 road victory.

The Walleye trailed by as many as two goals in the second before scoring the final three goals to end the game. The Walleye have won seven of their last eight games, improving to 47-18-1-2 with the win.

The Walleye fell behind early against the Nailers as Sam Houde found the back of the net for Wheeling at the 7:50 mark. Patrick Watling and Dylan MacPherson assisted as Houde posted his 11th goal of the season.

With 14:27 gone, Matt Berry evened the score with his third goal of the weekend and 23rd of the season. Brent Pedersen, making his Walleye debut, tallied the lone assist as the Fish pulled even, 1-1.

The Nailers outshot the Walleye, 13-9, in a penalty-free period, and the two teams ended the opening frame knotted at one goal apiece.

Wheeling started the second period hot, scoring twice in the first six minutes to build a 3-1 lead over Toledo. Matt Foley, assisted by Tim Doherty, found the back of the net at the 1:34 mark, and Josh Maniscalco added another tally at 5:18 as Alex D’Orio assisted. 

The Walleye and Nailers exchanged power plays throughout the middle frame, with Toledo taking the man advantage three times to Wheeling’s two. The final power play for the Walleye resulted in a goal as Brandon Hawkins scored from the left circle off a pass across from TJ Hensick. The goal brought the Fish within one goal of Wheeling as Hawkins netted his 31st goal of the year. Cam Clarke was credited with the secondary assist.

Toledo looked to put together a comeback run in the third period after trailing, 3-2, to end the second. That comeback began at the 5:53 mark when Brett Boeing snuck the puck into the right side of the net to tie the game at three. Gordi Myer and John Albert assisted on the score.

Less than four minutes later, Boeing struck again from the right circle to give the Fish their first lead of the game. The goal marked his 22nd of the season and second of the period as Cam Clarke and Chris Martenet recorded the assists.

The Nailers received two late power play opportunities at the 13:18 and 15:38 marks, respectively, giving them the chance to tie the game as time ticked away. The Walleye killed off both penalties and forced the Nailers to bring on the extra skater with 55 seconds remaining. Toledo prevented Wheeling from taking another shot to secure the 4-3 win.

The Walleye and Nailers each took 28 shots on goal in the contest, with Toledo outshooting Wheeling, 8-5, in the decisive third period. Each team also had four opportunities with the man advantage, with the Fish scoring the lone power play goal in the second period.

Max Milosek earned his sixth straight win in net for the Walleye, making 25 saves on 28 shots. Alex D’Orio was credited with the loss for Wheeling. He saved 24-of-28 shots in 58:55 of ice time.

What’s Next: 

The Walleye will conclude their season series with the Nailers with a Sunday afternoon matchup in Wheeling. Puck drop from WesBanco arena is set for 4:10 p.m.

Three Stars:

1. Toledo – Brett Boeing (two goals)
2. Toledo – Cam Clarke (two assists)
3. Toledo – Brandon Hawkins (power play goal)