Toledo, OH – The Toledo Walleye advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs with a win over the Bloomington Bison by a score of 6-2 at the Huntington Center tonight. Kyle Gaffney got credit for the game-winning goal, Brandon Hawkins had a goal and an assist, Nick Andrews had two assists, Tanner Dickinson, Mitch Lewandowski, and Michael Milne all scored, and Carter Gylander recorded an assist as well as stopping 17 of 19 shots he saw in the win. 

How it Happened:

Brandon Hawkins kicked off the scoring 4:07 into the first period, getting the Walleye on the board first with his third goal of the playoffs, picking off a pass from Bison goaltender Dryden McKay after he played the puck behind the net. 

Dylan Moulton took a tripping penalty at the 10:29 mark of the first period, originally set to put the Bison on their first power play of the night until Ayden MacDonald earned a roughing minor, leading to two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey.

Neither team scored on the 4-on-4, but Toledo went on the game’s first power play as Brandon Yeamans was called for a high-sticking minor at the 14:39 mark of the first. The Walleye had some good chances to score, but did not convert on the man-advantage. 

Grant Porter got the Bison on the scoreboard, recording his third goal of the playoffs at the 7:53 mark of the second period following some puck battles in the neutral zone. 

Mitch Lewandowski took the lead back for the Walleye, scoring at the 13:03 mark of the second period for his first of the playoffs. Carson Bantle and Nick Andrews got the assists on the goal that put the Walleye up 2-1 over the Bison and the fifth point of the playoffs for Andrews.

Kyle Gaffney put another shot behind Dryden McKay, scoring his second goal of the playoffs at the 16:25 mark of the second period to put the Walleye up 3-1 over Bloomington. Brandon Hawkins and Riley McCourt got the assists on the goal. 

Tanner Dickinson added a third goal in six minutes, scoring his first goal of the playoffs at the 18:12 mark of the second to put Toledo up 4-1 over the Bison. The assists on the goal went to Garrett Van Wyhe and Will MacKinnon. 

Brandon Kruse took a tripping penalty with under a minute to go in the second, putting Bloomington on their first power play of the night. 1:08 remained on the power play as the teams went to the second intermission, Toledo holding the 4-1 lead. 

Bloomington scored with seven seconds left on the power play, as Ayden MacDonald tapped in a shot off the crossbar that fell in the crease, cutting Toledo’s lead down to two just 1:01 into the third period. 

Sam Craggs scored another goal for the Walleye, his second of the playoffs, just barely getting the puck over Dryden McKay’s shoulder at the 8:33 mark of the third period. Brandon Kruse and Cam Hausinger got the assists on the goal to put the Walleye back up by three. 

Bloomington pulled their goaltender with around 4:30 to go in the third period, attempting to extend their season another day. Michael Milne scored on the empty net with 4:20 left in regulation, his fourth of the playoffs, giving the Walleye a 6-2 lead over the Bison. Nick Andrews and Carter Gylander got the assists on the empty-net goal. 

Parker Gavlas and Carson Bantle each got roughing minors with 1:11 to go in regulation, putting each team in a 4-on-4 situation. The 6-2 score held final, with Toledo outshooting Bloomington 32-19, to advance to the second round. 

Local 245 Three Stars:

1 – F Brandon Hawkins, TOL (1 G, 1 A)

2 – F Mitch Lewandowski, TOL (1 G)

3 – F Kyle Gaffney, TOL (GWG)

What’s Next:

The Walleye are set to face off against the Fort Wayne Komets in the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, the eighth consecutive time the Walleye have seen the Komets when reaching the second round. Game One of the series is set for 5:00 PM on Sunday, May 10^th at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.