Three Fish find paydirt as Walleye take down Komets

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 3-1 on Friday night at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye opened the weekend by welcoming the Fort Wayne Komets into the Huntington Center on Margaritaville Night.

John Lethemon covered the crease for the Walleye. Jacob Graves and Riley McCourt protected the blue line while Riley Sawchuk, Brandon Kruse and Alexandre Doucet led the Toledo attack.

Brett Brochu started between the pipes for the visiting Komets. Noah Ganske and Cam Supryka manned the defense while Jack Dugan, Ethan Keppen and Carl Berglund filled out the Fort Wayne front.

The Walleye found the board first at 2:01 when Grant Gabriele buried a rebound his first goal of the season in his 100^th ECHL game. Ricky Lyle and Sam Craggs added assists to the icebreaker. The assist marked the first professional point for Lyle.

That wrapped the action in a quick first frame with the Walleye leading the Komets 1-0.

The Walleye outshot the Komets 13-3 in the period. Neither team had a power play chance in the period.

The second period was similar to the first, quick and quiet with the lone action being a Fort Wayne goal at 6:12 by Nolan Volcan to tie the game at 1-1. Dugan added a solo assist on the equalizer.

That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye and the Komets tied 1-1.

The Walleye were outshot 6-13 in the period, but outshot the Komets 19-16 after two periods. Neither team had a power play in the period.

The third period action began with the first power play of the game for the Walleye when Dugan was penalized for Roughing at 4:22. The Komets killed off the power play.

The Walleye got their next power play chance at 10:46 when Xavier Bernard was sent to the Komets penalty box for “Closing his Hand on the Puck.”

The Walleye converted the power play at 12:24 when Matt Anderson lit the lamp to take a 2-1 lead. Michael Prapavessis and Chase Gresock added helpers to the advantage score.

The Walleye got another power play chance at 18:09 when Connor Corcoran was penalized for Slashing.

The Walleye converted the power play to seal the deal with an empty-netter by Conlan Keenan at 19:47. Craggs added a solo assist, his second of the game on the sealer.

The horns sounded with the Toledo Walleye claiming a 3-1 win over the Fort Wayne Komets.

The Walleye outshot the Komets 10-3 in the period and 29-19 overall. Toledo was 0/3 on the power play in the period and 0/3 overall, while Fort Wayne did not have a power play chance in the contest.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Matt Anderson (1G; GWG) – TOL
2. Grant Gabriele (1G) – TOL
3. Nolan Volcan (1G) – FW

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will head to Indianapolis to meet with the Indy Fuel tomorrow, Saturday, March 23, 2024 at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in search of one point to clinch a playoff spot. Puck drop is 7:00 pm ET.