Fort Wayne, IN - The Toledo Walleye won their fifth straight game, beating the Fort Wayne Komets 4-2 in a penalty ridden slugfest. Nick Andrews scored an incredible last second buzzer beater, and Marcus Crawford scored 2 goals of his own.
Here's how it happened:
The first period began with 3 penalties in the first 10 minutes, one for Toledo and a pair for Fort Wayne. Both team's defenses held and the game remained scoreless as they entered the second half of the period. Toledo picked up another pair of penalties which were both shot down, and yet again, both teams picked up another penalty each with under 2:00 to play.
On a 4 on 4 with less than a minute remaining, #15 Marcus Crawford, assisted by #12 Dickinson and #20 Truscott, snuck the puck past Fort Wayne's goalie and extended their streak of opening goals to 3.
The second period began much like the first, a power play slugfest between both teams. Toledo capitalized on the Komets penalty troubles with their second goal of the game scored by #51 Garrett Van Wyhe, his first of the season. The Komets fought back, scoring their first goal on a shorthand breakaway.
Toledo continued their streak of penalties which resulted in a 3 on 5 in favor of Fort Wayne, but the defense held and kept Fort Wayne at 1. In the final minute of the period, #5 Nick Andrews snagged the puck and soared down the rink to score an unassisted goal with 0.01 left on the clock, extending the lead to 3-1.
Both teams completed the penalty trifecta, opening the second period with a penalty a piece within the first 2 minutes of play. Things continued on as the Komets picked up another penalty, but scored their second shorthand goal of the game, bringing them within 1.
Just like Andrews at the end of the second period, Marcus Crawford scored his second goal of the game on an empty net with only :01 left on the clock, bring the score to 4-2. This is the 5th straight win for Toledo, and their second win of the season against rival Fort Wayne.
Local 245 Three Stars:
1. TOL - N. Andrews
2. TOL - J. Truscott
3. FW - N. Day
Toledo will complete their three game series in Fishers, IN to play against the Indy Fuel at 4:00pm ET. You can catch the game LIVE on FloHockey or listen at 1230 The Gambler.
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