Sawchuk, Fish score six goals for 20th win

FORT WAYNE, IN – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 6-4 on Sunday night at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye set westward to do battle with the Fort Wayne Komets on New Year’s Eve.

John Lethemon started between the pipes for the Walleye. Riley McCourt and Matt Anderson manned the defence while Sam Craggs, Brandon Kruse and Carson Denomie led the Toledo attack.

Brett Brochu defended the home net for the Komets. Jake Johnson and Jack Van Boekel staffed the defence while Jack Dugan, Ethan Keppen and Ture Linden went on the attack for Fort Wayne.

The Fish got the festivities underway at 8:30 when Craggs lit the lamp for the second time in as many games to put the Walleye on top 1-0. Thomas Farrell and Denomie added assists to the icebreaker.

The Komets got their first power play of the night at 11:01 when Riley Sawchuk was sent to the Walleye penalty box for Slashing.

Fort Wayne converted the power play at 12:52 when Xavier Cormier found the net to even the score. Noah Ganske and Johnson assisted the equalizer.

The Walleye took the lead right back at 14:18 when Sawchuk found paydirt, making it 2-1 Walleye. Michael Prapavessis and Chase Gresock were the helping-hands on tally.

Toledo came right down and scored again at 17:40, this time Trenton Bliss finding the twine to make it 3-1 Walleye. Prapavessis and Denomie each added their second assists of the game on the score.

That wrapped the action in the first period with the Walleye leading the Komets 3-1.

The Walleye were outshot by the Komets 15-16 in the period. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period while Fort Wayne was 1/1.

The second period action began with the Walleye getting their first power play after Nolan Volcan was sent to the Komets penalty box at 2:43.

The Walleye converted the power play at 3:28 when Brandon Hawkins found the twine to make it 4-1 Walleye. Bliss and McCourt collected assists on the tally.

The Fish came back down and scored again as Sawchuk put another one past Brochu at 4:25. Kruse landed the solo assist.

The fifth Toledo goal spelled the end of the night for Brochu as Fort Wayne brought Tyler Parks onto the ice to relieve Brochu in the goal.

Fort Wayne got their next power play chance at 7:32 when Darian Pilon was sent to the Toledo penalty box for Tripping. Toledo fended off the power play.

The Komets got back in the board at 14:03 when Linden found the net from Keppen and Dugan to shorten the gap to 5-2 Walleye.

The Komets had another man-advantage at 16:48 when Adrien Beraldo was sent away for Holding. The Walleye killed off the penalty.

Rather than the Komets converting the power play, the Walleye found the net shorthanded at 18:26 for the second night in a row. Anderson buried the shortie, his second shorthanded goal of the season. Sawchuk and Mitch Lewandowski added assists to the score.

That finished the second period action with the Walleye leading the Komets 6-2.

The two teams shot even in the period, but the Walleye were outshot cumulatively 26-25. Toledo was 1/1 on the power play in the period, while Fort Wayne was 0/2.

Fort Wayne started the third period action with a goal to make it 6-3 Walleye. This time it was Jack Gorniak that found the net for Fort Wayne. Alexis D’Aoust and Carl Berglund added assists to the tally.

The Walleye got their next power play chance at 3:32 when Linden was sent to the Komets box for Tripping. The Komets killed off the penalty.

Kruse picked up two major penalties at 10:14, as he was assessed for Charging and Slew-Footing, resulting in his ejection.

The Komets got their next man-advantage at 14:30 when Lewandowski was sent to the Walleye penalty box for Roughing.

It dropped down to four-on-three hockey briefly as the two teams exchanged penalties at 15:57.. McCourt was assessed a Roughing minor for Toledo, while Gorniak was assessed a Slashing minor for Fort Wayne.

The Komets went back on the power play as there were an additional :12 left of four-on-four when Pilon went back to the Walleye penalty box for Tripping at 17:45.

Fort Wayne would eventually convert the power play at 18:38 when Keppen lit the lamp from Dugan and Berglund to make it 6-4 Fish.

The horns sounded, signaling a 6-4 Walleye win over the Komets.

The Walleye were outshot 5-12 in the period and 30-38 overall. Toledo was 0/1 on the power play in the period and 1/2 overall, while Fort Wayne was 1/3 in the period and 2/6 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Riley Sawchuk (2G, 1A) – TOL
2. Trenton Bliss (1G, 1A) – TOL
3. Ethan Keppen (1G, 1A) - FTW

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will open the new year at home against the same Fort Wayne Komets on Friday, January 5, 2024, at the Huntington Center with puck drop coming at 7:15 pm ET.