Cossa leads Walleye to 15th straight win

KALAMAZOO, MI - Sebastian Cossa remained hot in Toledo's 15th straight win tonight, saving all but one of Kalamazoo's 37 shots in the 4-1 victory.

What Happened:

The Walleye headed into tonight's road game in Kalamazoo looking to claim their sixth straight win over the Wings. Drew Worrad put Toledo up early, just 13 seconds in, with the assistance of Conlan Keenan and Charlie Curti. Sam Craggs slotted the puck over the shoulder of Wings netminder Pavel Cajan just six minutes later to make it 2-0 for the Walleye. 

The first penalty, a high-sticking minor to Brandon Hawkins late in the ninth minute, put Kalamazoo on the night's first power play. No scoring action followed in the remainder of the opening period which saw Toledo outshoot Kalamazoo by a count of 14-6. 

The only action to follow in the middle period was a second high-sticking penalty to Brandon Hawkins late in the 17th minute. Toledo's 2-0 lead remained after 40 minutes despite being outshot 9-4 in the second. 

The Wings came out hot in the final period, registering 12 straight shots in the first eight minutes, but Sebastian Cossa remained strong in the Toledo net. One minute after Cajan left the Kalamazoo net for the extra man, Walleye defenseman Thomas Farrell made it 3-0 with an unassisted empty-netter from the opposite end of the ice. Kalamazoo responded just over a minute later with a goal from Raymond Brice, but Brandon Hawkins added another empty-netter with 42 seconds remaining in regulation to give Toledo the 4-1 win.

Speed Stats:

• With their 15th straight win tonight, the Walleye are now tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in ECHL history.
• Sebastian Cossa earned his career-best eighth-straight win in the Toledo net with 36 saves. This is the third-highest amount of saves he has made in a game this year with his high being 40 at Fort Wayne on November 11. 
• Thomas Farrell's empty-netter became his first professional goal. He picked up his first pro point with an assist on Wednesday morning in Wheeling. 
• Brandon Hawkins extended his point streak to 12 games with the final Toledo goal of the night. The forward has totaled 19 points (13G, 6A) in his last 12 appearances.

Today's Transactions:

• The Toledo Walleye signed Kolten Olynek to a Standard Player Contract (SPC) earlier today. The forward, who has played in 37 games for Pensacola (SPHL) this season, leads all rookies in scoring with 38 points (18G, 20A). His pro debut came last year as he appeared in 19 games with the Allen Americans, totaling three assists. Olynek played his college career at the University of Western Ontario, totaling 50 points (24G, 26A) and 70 penalty minutes in 86 games. 

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1) TOL - S. Cossa (36 SVS)

2) TOL - D. Worrad (1G, 1A)

3) TOL - S. Craggs (1G)

Up Next:

Toledo and Indy will face off at Indiana Farmers Coliseum for the second time this season tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.