The Mayor and his panel shore Mariners in 5-3 win

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Maine Mariners 5-3 on Friday night at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye welcomed the Maine Mariners into the Huntington Center for the first time ever to begin a three-game weekend.

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

Kyle Keyser started between the pipes for the visiting Mariners. Zach Malatesta and Ryan Mast staffed the defence while Jimmy Lambert, Alex Kile and Chase Zieky filled out the Maine attack.

The Fish started the scoring when Thomas Farrell lit the lamp for his second goal of the season at 4:45. Mitch Lewandowski and Riley Sawchuk added assists to the icebreaker.

The first penalties of the game were exchanged between the two teams at 14:47, resulting in four-on-four hockey. Sam Craggs and Connor Doherty exchanged Roughing penalties for the Walleye and Mariners respectively.

The Walleye added on at 18:33 when Alexandre Doucet deflected the puck beyond Keyser. Sawchuk and Lewandowski each added their second assists of the night on the tally.

That wrapped the first period with the Walleye leading the Mariners 2-0.

The Walleye were outshot by the Mariners 10-12 in the period. Neither team had a power play chance in the period.

The second period action began with a Maine power play after Toledo was caught with Too Many Men on the ice. Hawkins would serve the team penalty. Toledo successfully killed off the first power play of the game.

The Walleye added another when Hawkins found paydirt at 17:12 to extend the lead to 3-0. Centazzo and Grant Gabriele were the helping-hands on the score.

The Mariners got their next man-advantage at 17:42 when Sawchuk was penalized for High-Sticking. The Walleye killed off the penalty.

That wrapped the second frame with the Walleye leading the Mariners 3-0.

The Walleye outshot the Mariners 15-7 in the period and 25-19 cumulatively. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period while Maine was 0/2.

The third period kicked off with the first Walleye power play of the evening when Wyllum Deveaux was penalized for Interference. The Mariners killed off the penalty.

The Mariners found the score column at 9:03 when Zieky flipped the puck past Lethemon. Lambert and Kile assisted the score.

The Walleye got their next man-advantage at 9:20 when William Provost was penalized for High-Sticking.

The Mariners brought it within one at 3-2 at 10:12 when Lambert scored shorthanded from Kile and Fedor Gordeev.

The Fish moved the gap back to two at 11:36 when Sawchuk lit the lamp, making it 4-2. Michaelian and Doucet tallied the apples on the score.

The Mariners pulled their goaltender in an effort to make the game close, and they succeeded. The Mariners added a score to make it 4-3 when Tyler Drevitch found the net. Mast and Lambert added assists to the score at 18:04.

The Walleye sealed the deal with an empty-netter by Hawkins at 18:45. Centazzo and Bliss added assists to the empty net score.

The horns sounded with the Walleye claiming a 5-3 victory over the Maine Mariners.

The Walleye were outshot 10-13 in the third period, but outshot the Mariners 35-32 overall. Toledo was 0/2 on the power play in the period and overall, while Maine did not have a power play chance in the period, and finished 0/2 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Riley Sawchuk (1G, 2A; GWG) - TOL
2. Brandon Hawkins (2G) - TOL
3. Jimmy Lambert (1G, 2A) – MNE

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye remain at home for a rematch with the Maine Mariners tomorrow, Saturday, February 24, 2024 at the Huntington Center for Labatt Hockey Night in Toledo with puck drop coming at 7:15 pm ET