Strong first period not enough in Walleye loss to Wings

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Toledo Walleye fell to the Kalamazoo Wings 5-4 on Sunday afternoon at the Wings Event Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye went North to finish out the season series against the Kalamazoo Wings.

John Lethemon protected the net for the visiting Walleye. Riley McCourt and Grant Gabriele manned the defense while Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss, and Conlan Keenan led the Toledo raid.

Jonathan Lemieux split the iron for the host Wings. Derek Daschke and Connor Walters staffed the defense while Erik Bradford, Joshua Passolt and Brad Morrison filled out the attack for Kalamazoo.

The action began with Adrien Beraldo and Ayden MacDonald dropping the gloves at 2:24 for Toledo and Kalamazoo respectively. Both players were assessed five-minutes for Fighting.

The Walleye claimed an early 1-0 lead when Michael Prapavessis found the net for the first time this season. Alexandre Doucet and Riley Sawchuk added assists to the icebreaker.

The Fish stretched the lead to 2-0 at 9:32 when Conlan Keenan snapped his scoring drought by binning a rebound. Hawkins and Bliss assisted the tally. The assist by Hawkins marked the 150^th assist of his professional career.

The Wings got their first power play chance at 10:27 when Sawchuk was penalized for Tripping.

The Wings wasted no time converting the power play as Daschke put them on the scoreboard at 10:53. Quinn Preston and Nordqvist assisted the advantage score.

The Walleye added on at 12:41 when Keenan buried his second goal of the afternoon and 20^th of the season to make it 3-1 Walleye. Hawkins and Prapavessis added helpers to give all parties involved their second points of the game.

That marked the end of the line for Lemieux as Hunter Vorva would enter to relieve him between the pipes.

Kalamazoo got their next power play chance at 18:07 when Doucet was sent to the Toledo penalty box for High-Sticking.

The Wings converted the power play at 19:25 when MacDonald hit twine to make it 3-2 Walleye. Bradford and Michael Joyaux added helpers to the power play tally.

That wrapped the first frame with the Walleye leading the Wings 3-2.

The Walleye outshot the Wings 13-11 in the period. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period while Kalamazoo was 2/2 in the period.

The second period action started with two Wings goals in quick succession to give them a 4-3 lead.

First, it was Chaz Reddekopp at :50 from MacDonald and Luke Morgan to tie the game at 3-3.

Then, it was Preston from Collin Adams and Collin Saccoman to give the Wings the aforementioned 4-3 lead.

Kalamazoo added insurance at 5:20 when Adams lit the lamp from Preston and Jordan Seyfert to make it 5-3 Kalamazoo.

That would end the night for Lethemon as Jan Bednar would enter to spell the former in the visiting net.

The Walleye got their first power play chance at 13:46 when the two teams exchanged penalties. Keenan was called for Roughing, while Reddekopp was handed a Double Minor, one for Cross-Checking and one for Roughing. The Wings killed off the power play.

That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye trailing the Wings 5-3.

The Walleye were outshot 9-12 in the period and 22-23 cumulatively. Toledo was 0/1 in the period on the power play while Kalamazoo did not have an opportunity.

The third period action kicked off with the Walleye shortening the deficit to one as Chase Gresock lit the lamp for the second time in as many days. Brandon Kruse added a solo assist to the tally.

The Wings got their next man-advantage at 7:48 when McCourt was penalized for Holding. The Walleye killed off the power play successfully.

The Walleye got their next power play chance at 13:28 when Jack Olmstead was caught Holding. The Wings fended off the power play chance.

The Fish pulled Bednar at 17:58 for an extra skater, but to no avail as the Wings held them off.

At the buzzer, Reddekopp was hit with five minutes for Fighting and a ten-minute Game Misconduct for being an Aggressor.

The horns sounded with the Walleye falling to the Kalamazoo Wings 5-4.

The Walleye outshot the Wings 14-4 in the period and 38-28 overall. Toledo was 0/1 in the period and 0/2 overall on the power play, while Kalamazoo was 0/1 in the period and 2/3 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Quinn Preston (1G, 2A) – KAL
2. Collin Adams (1G, 1A; GWG) – KAL
3. Ayden MacDonald (1G, 1A) – KAL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will head South to continue the road trip, with game two of the six-game trip coming on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, against the South Carolina Stingrays at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, SC with puck drop coming at 7:05 pm ET.