Walleye come from behind to beat Wheeling, 5-2!
2/22/2013 - (Toledo, OH)-Kyle Rogers scored twice for the Walleye tonight as they came from behind to defeat the Wheeling Nailers 5-2 in front of 5,462 fans at the Huntington Center on Saturday night. Toledo is 30-18-2-4 overall and are 15-7-1-3 at home.
Wheeling would get on the board first at 7:06 of the first period when former Walleye player Zack Torquato was awarded a goal. The Nailers went up 2-0 after Matt Germain got a puck behind Walleye goaltender Jordan Pearce 8:46 into the opening period.
Toledo cut Wheeling’s lead in half when Nino Musitelli capitalized on his own shot, putting the rebound past Peter Delmas at 16:38 of the first period. Musitelli got the goal while he was on the ice after Pat Knowlton got the puck to the net. Tyler Brenner assisted on Musitelli’s fourth goal of the year.
No goals were scored in the second period, keeping the score 2-1 in favor of the Nailers.
Captain Kyle Rogers brought the Huntington Center to life, tying the game up at two goals a piece after he ripped a shot into the top corner of the net over Delmas’ blocker. Willie Coetzee had the lone assist on the goal that came 2:37 into the final period.
Rogers would strike again just 27 seconds later when he slammed home a rebound, giving Toledo their first lead of the game, 3-2. Coetzee and Joey Martin recorded the assists after they got the puck to the front of the goal.
Coetzee sent a shot into the empty Wheeling net, extending the Walleye lead to 4-2 at 19:18 of the third period.
Byron Froese fired a shot behind Delmas with two seconds remaining in regulation, lifting the Toledo Walleye to a 5-2 victory over the Wheeling Nailers. Stephon Thorne and Travis Novak collected the assists on the final goal.
Walleye Wrap-Up:
-Goaltender Jordan Pearce stopped 19 shots on goal and is 14-7-1-1 on the season.
-Willie Coetzee leads the way for Toledo with 44 points (21g, 23a).
-Byron Froese is currently on a four game point streak.
-The Walleye are currently on a five game unbeaten streak.
The Walleye return home tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. when they take on the Fort Wayne Komets. Join us for NASCAR Night, brought to you by Nationwide Insurance and Alan K Fuhrhop, with the AOK Agency. Tickets are on sale at 419-725-9255, at the Huntington Center box office and online at www.toledowalleye.com.
Game Story By: Samantha Hoot
