Walleye pick up one last point in regular season finale

TOLEDO, OH - After a late game-tying goal from Andrew Sturtz that sent Toledo and Fort Wayne into overtime, the Komets put it away just over halfway through the extra period to take the 3-2 win.

What Happened:

The Walleye hosted Fort Wayne for their regular season finale at the Huntington Center. Heading into the game, Toledo held a 4-4-1 record against the Komets over nine games played earlier in the season. It was a slower start tonight with only four shots, one to the Walleye and three to the Komets, in the opening ten minutes. Fort Wayne got on the board first with a goal from Samuel Dove McFalls at the 12:36 mark. Patrick McGrath got the first penalty, a hooking minor at 15:09 with Fort Wayne getting one of their own at 17:39. With 22 seconds gone in the Walleye man advantage, Gordie Green tied it up on a 3-on-2 break alongside Ryan Cox and TJ Hensick. Two more penalties followed in the remainder of the opening period, one to Toledo for tripping and the other to Fort Wayne for holding, but the 1-1 tie stuck after 20 minutes. 

No scoring followed in the middle period. Shawn Boudrias headed to the Fort Wayne box with a cross-checking penalty at 14:55, but the teams remained tied at one after two periods. The Komets led in the shot department by a count of 22-15.

The third period action started with an interference minor going to Toledo's Riley McCourt at the 1:43 mark. Drake Rymsha reclaimed the Fort Wayne lead 24 seconds later. Andrew Sturtz, who has posted game-winning goals twice in his last five games, tied it back up at 9:26 with the assistance of Sam Craggs and Thomas Ebbing. Thanks to Sturtz's marker, the Walleye guaranteed a point for themselves as they headed into overtime. 

With 3:43 gone in the extra period, Jake Johnson secured the season series for the Komets as he finished on Sebastian Cossa. After ten games against Fort Wayne this season, Toledo finished with a record of 4-5-1.

Speed Stats:

• ⁩ After picking up a paid figure of 8,031 for the regular season finale, Toledo ended with 15 consecutive sellouts. This was the 29th sellout of 36 total home games this year.
• Gordie Green extended his point streak to six games with the first Walleye goal tonight. The forward has totaled nine points (2G, 7A) in his last six appearances. 
• TJ Hensick picked up an assist to extend his point streak to five games. In those games, he has totaled two goals and four assists for six points. 

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1) FW - J. Johnson (1G)

2) TOL - A. Sturtz (1G)

3) TOL - G. Green (1G)

Up Next:

With the regular season now wrapped up, the Walleye will kick off round one of the Kelly Cup Playoffs at home against the Indy Fuel on Friday, April 21. Puck drop is set for 7:15 p.m.