Walleye comeback halted in loss to Komets

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye fell to the Fort Wayne Komets 3-2 on Sunday evening at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye welcomed the rival Fort Wayne Komets back into the Huntington Center for the first time since January 5^th to close out the weekend.

John Lethemon defended the home net for the Walleye. Riley McCourt and Grant Gabriele manned the defence while Riley Sawchuk, Alexandre Doucet and Mitch Lewandowski led the Toledo attack.

Ryan Fanti started between the pipes for the visiting Komets. Taylor Brierley and Noah Ganske staffed the defence while Ethan De Jong, Nolan Volcan and Jake Chiasson filled out the Fort Wayne front.

The lone action in a quick-and-quiet first period was a Walleye power play after former Fish Dajon Mingo was caught Tripping at 15:58. The Komets killed off the power play.

The first period wrapped with the Walleye and the Komets in a scoreless tie.

The Walleye outshot the Komets 9-5 in the period. Toledo was 0/1 on the power play while Fort Wayne did not have an opportunity.

Fort Wayne came out flying to begin the second period, finding the scoreboard first at :55. Xavier Cormier put the puck to the back post to claim a 1-0 lead. Jack Dugan and Shawn Szydlowski added assists to the icebreaker.

The Komets added on at 15:13 when Griffen Fox found the net for his first professional goal and point. Alexis D’Aoust and Xavier Bernard added assists to the score, making it 2-0.

The Walleye found the scoreboard at 16:03 after Fanti came too far out of the net, allowing Brandon Hawkins to find Matt Anderson for a score.

The Fish knotted the score at 2-2 when McCourt sniped a shot off of the head of Brierley and into the net.

That wrapped the second period with the Walleye and the Komets tied 2-2.

The Walleye outshot the Komets 15-4 in the period and 24-9 cumulatively. Neither team had a power play chance in the period.

The third period action began with a Komets goal at 5:18 by Volcan to reclaim the lead at 3-2. Chiasson and Cam Supryka assisted the go-ahead goal.

The Komets got their first power play chance of the game at 12:03 when Brendon Michaelian was caught Hooking. The Walleye killed off the power play.

The Walleye got their next man-advantage at 17:24 when Jack Gorniak was sent to the Fort Wayne penalty box for High-Sticking.

The Walleye rally was effectively halted at 19:39 when Sawchuk was penalized for Tripping, putting Fort Wayne on the power play for the remainder of regulation. The Walleye killed off the penalty.

The horns sounded with the Walleye falling to the Fort Wayne Komets 3-2.

The Walleye were outshot 6-9 in the third period, but outshot the Komets 30-18 overall. Toledo was 0/1 on the power play in the period and 0/2 overall, while Fort Wayne was 0/2 in the period and overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Nolan Volcan (1G; GWG) – FW
2. Xavier Cormier (1G) – FW
3. Riley McCourt (1G) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will remain at home for another weekend of three home games, starting on Friday, March 1, 2024, when the Fort Wayne Komets return to the Huntington Center for a rematch with puck drop at 7:15 pm ET.