Walleye sweep Wings, advance with 4-2 win

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Kalamazoo Wings 4-2 on Friday night at the Wings Event Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye took game four of the Central Division Semifinals against the Kalamazoo Wings to take a 4-0 series sweep and advance to the Central Division Finals.

Jan Bednar split the iron for the Walleye. Jacob Graves and Riley McCourt patrolled the blueline while Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss and Mitch Lewandowski led the Toledo attack.

Hunter Vorva got the call for the host Wings looking to keep their season alive. Chad Nychuk and Jay Keranen manned the defense while David Keefer, Erik Bradford and Josh Passolt filled out the Kalamazoo front.

The Walleye kicked off the scoring at 12:13 when McCourt sniped a shot from the slot to give the Fish an early 1-0 lead. Alexandre Doucet added a solo assist on the icebreaker.

That wrapped a defensive first period with the Walleye leading the Wings 1-0. Toledo was outshot 7-11 by Kalamazoo in the period.

The Fish wasted no time in the second period expanding the lead, as Bliss scored at :18 from Lewandowski and Hawkins, putting the Walleye up 2-0.

Bliss added another score at 11:54 to boost the Toledo lead to 3-0. Doucet and Brendan Michaelian added helpers to the tally. The goal marked Bliss’ second while the assist by Doucet marked his second helper of the night.

The Wings got on the board for the first time at 12:24 when Nychuk lit the lamp. Collin Adams and Jordan Seyfert assisted the first home tally.

Kalamazoo crawled back within one at 19:00 when Luke Morgan hit twine. Ted Nichol and Ayden MacDonald assisted the score.

That wrapped the second frame with the Walleye leading the Wings 3-2. Toledo was outshot by Kalamazoo 10-11 in the period and 17-22 through two periods.

The Walleye restored their two-goal lead at 5:57 when Brandon Kruse lit the lamp, making it 4-2 Fish. Sam Craggs continued his scorching first round with a solo assist.

The horns sounded with the Walleye claiming a 4-2 win over the Kalamazoo Wings, eliminating the Wings from the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs with a 4-0 series sweep. Toledo was outshot 11-15 in the period and 28-37 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Trenton Bliss (2G, GWG) – TOL
2. Brandon Kruse (1G) – TOL
3. Riley McCourt (1G) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will await the end of the series between the Wheeling Nailers and the Indy Fuel to see who they will face in the Central Division Finals. Wheeling currently holds a 3-1 series lead with game five tomorrow night. Game one of the Central Division Finals will be Friday, May 3, 2024, at the Huntington Center with puck drop at 7:15 pm ET regardless of opponent.