Hawkins nets 20th goal in loss to Kalamazoo

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye fell to the Kalamazoo Wings 2-1 on Saturday night at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye welcomed the Kalamazoo Wings into the Huntington Center for Labatt Hockey Night in Toledo for the third game of the week.

John Lethemon defended the home net for the Walleye. Matt Anderson and Michael Prapavessis manned the defence while Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss and Orrin Centazzo led the Toledo attack.

Pavel Cajan started between the pipes for the Wings. Michael Joyaux and Chad Nychuk staffed the defence while Davd Keefer, Luke Morgan and Collin Adams filled out the Kalamazoo attack.

Kalamazoo found the scoreboard first at 6:28 when Keefer slipped one past Lethemon. Adams and Morgan added assists to the icebreaker.

The Wings got their first power play chance at 16:19 when Alexandre Doucet was sent to the Walleye penalty box for High-Sticking.

The Wings saw their power play get extended to five-on-three for 1:03 when Conlan Keenan was sent to join Doucet in the box for Hooking at 17:17. The Walleye successfully killed off both penalties.

That wrapped the first period action with the Wings leading the Walleye 1-0.

The Walleye were outshot by the Wings 5-14 in the period. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period while Kalamazoo was 0/2.

The second period action began with a Kalamazoo power play at 5:39 when Hawkins was sent to the Toledo penalty box for Hooking. Toledo killed off the power play.

The Fish knotted the score at 1-1 when Hawkins hit twine at 11:56 for his 20^th goal of the season, re-tying Sam Craggs for the team lead. Bliss and Jake Willets assisted the equalizer for the Fish.

The Wings reclaimed the lead at 18:59 when Adams lit the lamp unassisted to make it 2-1 Wings.

That wrapped the second period with the Wings leading the Walleye 2-1.

The Walleye outshot the Wings 13-11 in the period, but were still outshot cumulatively 18-25. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period, while Kalamazoo was 0/1.

The third period action began with a Kalamazoo power play at :24 after Centazzo was sent to the Toledo penalty box for Tripping. Toledo killed off the power play.

The Wings got their next man-advantage at 7:00 after Brandon Kruse was sent to the Walleye penalty box for Slashing.

The Walleye got their first power play chance of the game at 9:59 when Jordan Seyfert was sent to the Wings penalty box for Interference. The Wings killed off the power play.

Kalamazoo got their next man-advantage at 16:06 when Hawkins was assessed a Tripping minor. The man-advantage stretched to a five-on-three after a Bench minor for Unsportsmanlike Conduct was assessed, which was served by Bliss. Toledo killed off both penalties successfully.

The Wings got their eighth power play chance at 18:23 when the Walleye were penalized for Too Many Men, which was served by Bliss.

The horns sounded with the Walleye taking a 2-1 loss at the hand of the Kalamazoo Wings.

The Walleye outshot the Wings 9-7 in the period, but were outshot 27-29 overall. Toledo was 0/1 on the power play in the period and overall. Kalamazoo was 0/5 in the period and 0/8 overall on the power play.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Collin Adams (1G, 1A) – KAL
2. David Keefer (1G) – KAL
3. Brandon Hawkins (1G) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will remain at home to welcome the Indy Fuel into the Huntington Center tomorrow, Sunday, January 14, 2024, with puck drop coming at 5:15 pm ET.