Walleye suffocate Mavericks in game five victory

INDEPENDENCE, MO – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Kansas City Mavericks 3-1 on Saturday night at Cable Dahmer Arena.

What Happened:

Brandon Hawkins, Jacob Graves and Brandon Kruse each landed scores as the Walleye draw the Western Conference Finals to a 3-2 disadvantage.

John Lethemon defended the net for the Walleye. Michael Prapavessis and Grant Gabriele skated the blue line while Sam Craggs, Chase Gresock and Kruse led the Toledo attack.

Cale Morris split the pipes for the host Mavericks. Ryan Jones and Nate Knoepke manned the defense while Bradley Schoonbaert, Jeremy McKenna and Max Andreev filled out the Kansas City front.

The Walleye started the scoring at 9:20 when Hawkins lasered a power play score to give the Fish an early lead. Riley McCourt and Riley Sawchuk each added assists to the icebreaker.

The Mavericks knotted the score at 1-1 when David Cotton hit twine at 15:24. Justin MacPherson and Jones added helpers to the tally.

That wrapped the first frame with the Walleye and the Mavericks tied 1-1. Toledo outshot Kansas City 8-4 in the period.

A back-and-forth second period saw no scores with Toledo outshooting Kansas City 8-7 in the period and 16-11 through two periods.

The Fish came out of the locker room and scored right away to take a 2-1 lead as Graves banked the puck off of a Mavericks’ skate and past Morris at 1:49. Mitchell Lewandowski and Sawchuk picked apples on the game-winner.

Kruse sealed the win with an empty-netter at 19:04. Hawkins and Sawchuk assisted the empty-netter, the assists being the second point for Hawkins and third assist and point for Sawchuk.

That wrapped up a 3-1 Walleye win over the Kansas City Mavericks. Toledo outshot Kansas City 11-5 in the period and 27-16 overall. The Walleye now trail 3-2 in the series.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Jacob Graves (GWG) – TOL
2. Brandon Hawkins (1G, 1A) – TOL
3. Brandon Kruse (1G) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will remain in Independence, MO at Cable Dahmer Arena for game six of the Western Conference Finals against the Kansas City Mavericks on Monday, May 27, 2024, with puck drop coming at 5:05 pm ET.