Sawchuk tallies hat trick as Walleye lose late to Stingrays

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – The Toledo Walleye were defeated by the South Carolina Stingrays 5-4 on Wednesday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.

What Happened:

The Walleye kicked off the Southern part of the six-game road trip by visiting the South Carolina Stingrays.

Jan Bednar covered the crease for the visiting Fish. Matt Anderson and Adrien Beraldo patrolled the blue line while Sam Craggs, Conlan Keenan and Brandon Kruse led the Toledo attack.

Garin Bjorklund defended the home net for the Stingrays. Nick Leivermann and Spencer Meier manned the defense while Ethan Strang, Ryan Leibold and Jackson Leppard staffed the South Carolina offense.

The action started off with a Walleye power play at :11 as Leppard was called for High-Sticking.

The play on the ice was quickly shortened to four-on-four at :48 as Kruse was penalized for Holding the Stick.

Both penalties were killed off to begin the game.

The Stingrays broke out to an early lead with back-to-back unassisted goals off of turnovers.

First, it was Garet Hunt at 7:42 to break the ice and put South Carolina on top.

Then, it was Leibold swiping the puck and lighting the lamp solo at 11:00 to put the Stingrays up 2-0.

The Walleye got into the score column at 15:47 when Riley Sawchuk sniped the back of the net to make it 2-1 Stingrays. Chase Gresock recorded the solo assist for the first helper of the game.

The Fish knotted the score at 2-2 at 18:42 when Alexandre Doucet went top shelf to bury the equalizer. Mitch Lewandowski and Anderson added assists to the score.

That wrapped the first frame with the Walleye and the Stingrays tied at 2-2.

The Walleye outshot the Stingrays 16-7 in the period. Both Toledo and South Carolina were 0/1 on the power play in the period.

The Walleye claimed a 3-2 lead at 5:16 when Sawchuk added his second goal of the night and his 21^st goal of the season. Lewandowski and Riley McCourt picked the apples to take the lead.

The Fish added on at 8:47 when Sawchuk buried his third goal of the night and 22^nd of the season, claiming his first hat trick as a professional. Anderson added his second assist of the night on the solo assist.

That would mark the end of Bjorkland’s night as the Stingrays would deploy Reid Cooper to relieve Bjorkland at 8:47.

That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye leading the Stingrays 4-2.

The Walleye were outshot 10-11 in the period, but outshot the Stingrays 26-18 through two periods. Neither team had a power play in the period.

The Stingrays clawed back within one when Tyson Empey found the net with Jacob Hudson adding a solo helper at 6:06.

South Carolina tied the score at 4-4 as Austin Magera deflected the puck into the net off of the leg of McCourt. Jonny Evans garnered the solo apple to tie it at 4-4.

With the clock winding down, Michael Kim sniped a one-timer from Evans and Magera at 19:54 to claim a comeback 5-4 win for the South Carolina Stingrays over the Toledo Walleye.

The Walleye were outshot 2-13 in the period and 28-31 overall. Neither team had a power play in the period, and both Toledo and South Carolina were 0/1 on the power play.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Michael Kim (1G; GWG) – SC
2. Austin Magera (1G, 1A) – SC
3. Tyson Empey (1G) – SC

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will continue the journey South for a set of two games with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Friday, March 15, 2024, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC with puck drop coming at 7:05 pm ET.