KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Six different Walleye earned their first goals of the preseason in tonight's 6-2 win over Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo opened the scoring early in the first with an equal-strength goal by Olivier LeBlanc. Just two minutes later, Cole Fraser was sent to the box on a hooking penalty. Shortly after returning to full strength, Toledo's Doug Blaisdell and Kalamazoo's Anthony Collins both wound up with five-minute majors following a bout on the ice.
In the 16th minute, Toledo native Joey Sofo got the equalizer with assists from Kurt Gosselin and Jordan Martin. The score remained tied at the end of the first with Kalamazoo leading at eight shots to Toledo's seven.
The Walleye entered the second period looking to gain a lead on the Wings. At the 8:27 mark, Brett McKenzie did just that on an equal-strength goal from Gordie Green and Trenton Bliss. In the 16th minute, Kalamazoo's Justin Murray headed to the box for interference.
Just 13 seconds into the Walleye's second power play of the game, 22-year-old Kirill Tyutyayev found the back of the net to make the score 3-1. Despite both teams having ten shots on goal throughout the second period, Toledo capitalized and made it a two-goal game after 40 minutes of play.
The third period saw the most scoring action of the game. Sam Craggs, the younger of the two brothers on the team, made it a 4-1 game just 2:41 in. Just seven seconds later, Kurt Gosselin snuck one past Trevor Gorsuch off an assist from Lukas Craggs.
Kalamazoo's Mason McCarty found a chance on their second power play of the game at 10:45 to make the score 5-2. 20 seconds later, Gordie Green sealed the deal for the Walleye with an equal-strength goal from Trenton Bliss and Kurt Gosselin.
The Walleye made the most of their chances tonight, finishing six of their 34 shots while the Wings only secured two of their 31. Kurt Gosselin and Gordie Green earned three points each with a goal and two assists. Sebastian Cossa saved all but two shots in a 29-save win for the Walleye.
Up Next:
The Walleye will face off against Kalamazoo at the Huntington Center on Saturday, October 15. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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