Memorable Walleye season comes to an end in game five of Western Conference Finals

TOLEDO, OH - The Walleye saw their unforgettable season come to an end tonight as they fell to Idaho, 5-1, in game five of the Western Conference Finals. 

What Happened:

The Walleye found themselves in a do-or-die situation heading into game five as they trailed Idaho three games to one. The desperation was evident right out of the gate as Thomas Ebbing went bar down on Adam Scheel to put Toledo ahead just 3:02 in. Brett McKenzie and Conlan Keenan grabbed the assists on Ebbing's equal strength tally. Ten minutes later, A.J. White got the Steelheads on the board to tie the game. Idaho defenseman Owen Headrick added another just over five minutes later to send the Steelheads into the second period with a 2-1 lead. 

In the middle frame, the Steelheads added two more goals from Jordan Kawaguchi at the 6:17 mark and Owen Headrick at 10:08. John Lethemon replaced Sebastian Cossa in the Toledo net following the fourth Idaho goal. In the remaining half of the period, Toledo picked up four penalties while Idaho had two, but the Steelheads' 4-1 lead stuck after 40 minutes. 

At 8:33 of the final period, Patrick Kudla added Idaho's fifth and final goal. Brandon Hawkins picked up a tripping penalty at 11:53, but nothing came for the Steelheads on the ensuing power play. After 60 minutes, Idaho came away with the 5-1 victory to punch their ticket to the Kelly Cup Finals. 

Speed Stats:

• Toledo ended their 2023 Kelly Cup Playoff campaign with a record of 9-4-0. This included sweeps over Indy and Cincinnati in the first two rounds.