Toledo, OH – The Toledo Walleye took down the Wheeling Nailers to finish out the regular season, winning by a score of 5-2 at the Huntington Center tonight. Dylan Moulton, Brandon Hawkins, and Garrett Van Wyhe each had a goal and an assist, Tanner Kelly had two assists, and Carter Gylander stopped 36 of the 38 shots he saw in his 20^th win of the season. 

How it Happened:

Dylan Moulton wasted no time getting the Walleye on the scoreboard, scoring just 1:05 into the first period for his fifth goal of the season. Garrett Van Wyhe and Tanner Kelly got the assists on the goal to put the Walleye up 1-0 over the Nailers. 

Wheeling got the goal back at the 8:36 mark of the first, as Mike Posma scored his 12^th goal of the season to tie the game up at one goal each. 

Ryan McAllister was called for a hooking minor at the 14:25 mark of the first, putting Toledo on the game’s first power play, which was killed off by Wheeling. The period ended in a 1-1 tie, with Toledo outshooting Wheeling 12-11.

Colin Swoyer took Toledo’s first penalty of the game at the 8:11 mark of the second, taking a hooking minor to put Wheeling on the power play. The Walleye killed it off and went on another power play of their own soon after as a result of a Tiernan Shoudy high-sticking minor at the 12:00 mark of the second.

Carson Bantle pulled the Walleye back in the lead with a goal on the power play, his second in the ECHL this season at the 13:52 mark of the second period. Brandon Kruse and Sam Craggs each got the assists on the goal to put the Walleye up 2-1.

Reilly Funk extended Toledo’s lead at the 5:55 mark of the third period, scoring his third goal of the season. Tanner Kelly and Dylan Moulton each got their second points of the night with the goal, putting Toledo up by two. 

Brandon Hawkins added onto the lead two minutes later, scoring his 35^th goal of the season at the 7:34 mark of the third. Kyle Gaffney got his second pro assist on the goal, and Jacob Truscott had the secondary assist. 

Brayden Edwards knocked in a loose puck in front of the crease, cutting Toledo’s lead to two goals at the 14:36 mark of the third period with his 13^th of the season. Wheeling pulled goaltender Taylor Gauthier in favor of the extra attacker with around 2:30 to go in the third, looking to pull ahead. 

Garrett Van Wyhe scored on the empty net, his 17^th of the season on the empty net, securing the 5-2 win for the Walleye with just over a minute left. Brandon Hawkins got his second point of the night with an assist, and Will MacKinnon recorded an assist.

Three Stars:

1 – D Dylan Moulton, TOL (1 G, 1 A)

2 – F Tanner Kelly, TOL (2 A)

3 – G Carter Gylander (36 SVS, .947 SV%)

What’s Next: 

The Walleye await their opponent for the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, which will begin on April 23^rd at the Huntington Center with a 7:15 PM puck drop. Potential opponents for round one, which will likely be known after Sunday’s games, include Bloomington, who Toledo holds a 5-2-2 record over, Indy (4-0-2), or Kalamazoo (5-2-1).