Fort Wayne, IN - The Toledo Walleye defeated the Fort Wayne Komets in Game 4 of the Central Division Finals in double overtime with a final score of 3-2.
In an absolute barn-burner of a game, Toledo dealt with all you could imagine in a 3 ½ hour playoff game, but the Walleye were able to finish it out with some much needed momentum.
How it Happened:
Toledo got off to a strong start, as they dominated the first period and looked to set the tone for the game. It paid off at 13:34 as Colin Swoyer got his third goal of the playoffs from the blue-line to put the Walleye ahead 1-0. The assists of the even-strength goal went to Nolan Moyle and Mitch Lewandowski.
Similar to last night, this one was low-scoring and remained 1-0 throughout the entirety of the second period. The Walleye killed off three Komet power plays to hold their lead heading into the final frame.
It wasn’t until the third period when another goal was scored. At 8:47, Colby Ambrosio scored his second goal in two nights. The strong effort from every Walleye on the ice played into this one as Moyle set it up in front of the net and Ambrosio finished it off.
Within the final five minutes, the Komets began to attack and played desperately. James Stefan made it a one-goal game with the empty net at 17:28 of the period. After an in-front-of-net attack, Fort Wayne earned a penalty shot as the Toledo defender gloved the puck to keep it out of the goal
Fort Wayne sent their captain, Jack Dugan to go one-on-one with Carter Gylander and tied it up and sent the game into Overtime.
Overtime was back-and-forth, both teams getting some quality chances and both goaltenders played hot. But as classic playoff hockey works between division rivals, this one headed into double overtime.
It only took 26 seconds of the double overtime to finish this game. An opposing team’s biggest fear came true when Tyler Spezia went to the net alone and was Toledo’s hero as he gave the Walleye the hard-fought, gritty and well-deserved win.
With this win, the Walleye tied up the series and are guaranteed to head back home to Toledo.
Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:
1. TOL - T. Spezia (GWG)
2. TOL - N. Moyle (2A)
3. TOL - C. Ambrosio (1G)
What’s Next:
The Walleye will look to continue this momentum into Game 5 tomorrow evening and the final game in Fort Wayne. Puck drop is set for 7:35 p.m. before they head back to T-Town for Game 6 at the Huntington Center. We need you, Toledo and we need everyone backing up the Fish, buy tickets here.
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