Kalamazoo, MI – The Toledo Walleye returned to action after a 10-day hiatus and defeated the Kalamazoo Wings by a score of 5-3 at the Wings Event Center tonight. Mitch Lewandowski scored twice, Conlan Keenan had two assists, Denis Smirnov and Nick Andrews each scored, and Carter Gylander stopped 27 of 30 shots he faced.

How it Happened:

Kalamazoo got the scoring started with a goal from former Walleye Derek Daschke at the 3:52mark of the first period, putting the K-Wings up 1-0 early.

Toledo would get the first power play chance of the night, as Kalamazoo was called for a roughing penalty in their defensive end at the 13:23 mark of the first, got a few shots, and converted with one second to go as Nick Andrews tied the game with his second goal of the year at the 15:22 mark of the first. Conlan Keenan got the lone assist on the power-play goal. 

The first period came to a close as Toledo outshot Kalamazoo 18-8, a season high in first-period shots for Toledo, maintaining a 1-1 tie after Kalamazoo’s early goal and Toledo’s power-play equalizer.

Toledo took the first penalty of the second period on a slash, giving Kalamazoo their first power play chance of the night, which they scored on at the 5:33 mark of the second.

Kalamazoo took a penalty at the 8:44 mark of the second on a cross-checking call, resulting in Toledo’s second power play chance of the night, which was killed off by Kalamazoo. Toledo took a hooking call of their own at the 11:11 mark of the second for Kalamazoo’s second power-play chance of the night. 

Mitch Lewandowski buried Toledo’s 10^th short-handed goal of the season, as Will Hillman got an assist to extend his league-lead in short-handed points (7). The goal at the 12:18 mark of the second period tied a Walleye record for short-handed goals in a single season. 

Toledo took a high-sticking call with 3:14 left in the second period, the third power-play chance of the night for the K-Wings. Kalamazoo took a hooking penalty with 42 seconds remaining in their power-play, negating their opportunity and giving Toledo 1:18 on the power play at the conclusion of 4-on-4 play.

Toledo had four seconds remaining on their power play heading into the third period, tied with Kalamazoo 2-2, outshooting the K-Wings 28-20 (although the Walleye were outshot in the second period 12-10)

Kalamazoo took a tripping call at the 3:42 mark of the third period, Toledo’s third power play chance of the night. Denis Smirnov scored his 8th goal of the season on the power play to give the Walleye their first lead of the night, leading Kalamazoo 3-2. Brandon Hawkins and Riley McCourt got the assists on the goal at the 4:32 mark of the third period, with put McCourt atop the team’s points leaderboard by a defenseman (101 points, passing Simon Denis).

Colin Swoyer and Quinn Preston dropped the gloves after a hit, each earning five-minute fighting majors at the 7:26 mark of the third period.

Tanner Dickinson extended Toledo’s lead to 4-2 at the 12:42 mark of the third period with his 10^th goal of the season, with assists from Conlan Keenan (his second of the night) and Dylan Moulton.

Toledo took a slashing penalty at the 13:11 mark of the third period, giving Kalamazoo their fourth power play chance of the day, which Toledo killed off. They took another tripping call with 3:19 to go in the third. Kalamazoo pulled their goalie with 2:20 to go in the period, just before Toledo’s penalty expired.

Nolan Walker scored for Kalamazoo with the extra attacker with 2:02 to go in the regulation, bringing the K-Wings within one. Toledo got the goal right back on a 2-on-1 breakaway, as Mitch Lewandowski scored his second goal of the night on a pass from Tanner Kelly with 1:00 left on the clock, putting Toledo up 5-3.

Toledo held on for the 5-3 win, outshooting Kalamazoo 34-30. Toledo’s power play was 2-for-4 on the night, and the penalty kill was 3-for-5 with a short-handed goal. 

Three Stars:

1 – F Mitch Lewandowski, TOL (2 G, +2)

2 – F Nolan Walker, KAL (2 G)

3 – F Conlan Keenan, TOL (2 A)

What’s Next:

The Walleye will stay on the road, heading to Cincinnati for the first game of a two-game weekend set against the Cyclones at the Heritage Bank Center on Friday. The Walleye currently have a 3-0-1record against Cincinnati this season while the power play is converting at a 45.5% rate against the Cyclones (Toledo’s highest percentage against any opponent this season). Puck drop for the contest is set for 7:35 PM.