Fishers, Indiana - The Toledo Walleye faced off against the Indy Fuel in Fishers, IN for their second game of the regular season, winning 5-2. Tag Bertuzzi scored a pair in the second period, and Brandon Hawkins picked up his first goal of the season.

Toledo opened the game with a power play 3 minutes into the first period, but were unable to capitalize. Both teams followed with a pair of 2 minute minors, with Toledo holding Indy to 3 shots on goal and zero points in the first 10 minutes. Indy scored the first point of the game, punched in by #43 Harrison Israels with 9:52 left to play in the first period.

After a pair of penalties by the Fuel and one for Walleye, #84 Tag Bertuzzi scored the Walleye their first goal of the night on a 4v5, with only :07 remaining in the period. He was assisted by #15 Marcus Crawford and #67 Mitch Lewandowski.

Toledo cruised into the second period, converting a 4 minute double minor into a goal by #16 Brandon Hawkins, tipping the puck in and scoring his first of the season with assists by #67 Mitch Lewandowski and #43 Quinn Preston. The Walleye kept the momentum going with a goal by #24 Nick Nardecchia, making it 3-1 with less than 3 minutes to play in the third period. Assists by #22 Reilly Funk and #15 Marcus Crawford, with Crawford snagging his second assist of the night.

With under a minute to play in the second, #84 Tag Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the game, with assists by #25 Cooper Zech and #16 Brandon Hawkins. This was the fourth straight goal for the Walleye, and their third straight in the second period.

The Walleye found themselves in penalty trouble early into the third period, going down to a 5 on 3 and led to an Indy goal by #14 Jacob Perreault making it 4-2. Still up by 2 goals, the Walleye continued to put pressure on the Fuel as they passed the halfway mark in the third period. #43 Quinn Preston scored the final goal of the night after an empty net call by Indy, sealing the game and bringing the final score to 5-2.

Local 245 Three Stars:
1. TOL - T. Bertuzzi
2. TOL - J. Lemieux
3. IND - H. Israels

The Toledo Walleye head to Wheeling, WV to face off against the Wheeling Nailers tomorrow, Oct 24, at WesBanco Arena.

Toledo Walleye Sign Nick Grabko

On Monday afternoon, the Toledo Walleye signed goaltender Nick Grabko to a contract for the 2026-27 ECHL season, his second as a professional.

The native of Channahon, Illinois, spent the 2025-26 season with Mont-Blanc in France’s second tier league. He went 9-10-0 with a 2.96 GAA and a .908 SV% in 28 appearances. He previously appeared in three professional games upon leaving college during the 2024-25 season, one of which was with the Walleye. On March 23, 2025, Grabko earned a 4-3 victory in overtime against the Bloomington Bison, saving 25 of 28 shots in his lone appearance in the pond. Prior to that, he made one appearance with the Idaho Steelheads (L, 7 GA, 22/29 SV) and another was with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs (2 GA, 17/19 SV).

Prior to turning pro, Grabko played one season at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (5-11-4, 2.74 GAA, .899 SV%, 20 GP) following four years at Bentley University, where he went 19-35-2 with a 3.08 GAA and a .895 SV% in 56 appearances. His collegiate totals sum to a 2.99 GAA and a .896 SV% in 76 games, going 24-46-6. Prior to college, he played one season with Green Bay (USHL) under head coach Pat Mikesch, going 12-11-2 with a 2.58 GAA and a .917 SV% in 27 appearances.