The Toledo Walleye answered almost as soon as they were caught on Wednesday night, beating the Kalamazoo Wings 3-2 on November 4 at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Quinn Preston scored the winner at 8:09 of the third period, just 81 seconds after Kalamazoo had tied the game, and Toledo held off a late 6-on-4 push to close out the first game of a two-game set between the ECHL Central Division rivals.
Kalamazoo struck first midway through the opening period. Dylan Wendt scored on the power play at 13:45, with assists from Ryan St. Louis and Konstantin Khremin, according to the Kalamazoo Wings’ game release. Toledo needed little time to respond. Kyle Gaffney tied the game at 16:21 with his first goal of the season, assisted by Preston and Mitch Lewandowski, and the Walleye killed off a late first-period penalty to keep the score level heading into the second.
Toledo took its first lead in the second period, again on the power play. Brandon Hawkins scored at 10:03, putting home a ricochet with help from Brandon Kruse and Marcus Crawford, according to the Toledo Walleye’s game report. A scrum followed the goal and produced penalties for both teams, but neither side scored again, and the Walleye carried a 2-1 lead into the third.
Kalamazoo found its equalizer early in the final period. Brandon Buhr scored at 6:48, blasting a shot from the right circle for his first professional goal, with assists from Noah Ellis and St. Louis, the Kalamazoo Wings reported. The tie lasted only 81 seconds. Preston put Toledo back in front at 8:09, scoring behind the back, according to the Toledo Walleye’s game report, with assists from Gaffney and Lewandowski. Kalamazoo pulled its goaltender after a late Toledo penalty for a 6-on-4 advantage in the final minute, but the Walleye held on.
The numbers matched the finish. Toledo outshot Kalamazoo 37-22, and Kalamazoo goaltender Aku Koskenvuo finished with 34 saves. Preston was named the game’s first star and Gaffney the second, with Buhr third. The win improved Toledo to 4-2-0-0, while Kalamazoo fell to 2-2-2-0, according to both teams’ game reports.
The result continued a familiar pattern. In its weekly release issued November 2, the Toledo Walleye noted the team had built a 3-2-0-0 record without scoring first in a game, tying for the ECHL lead in wins when conceding the first goal. Wednesday followed the same script — fall behind, answer quickly, find a late winner — and it was Toledo’s second 3-2 win in Kalamazoo in less than a week, following a 3-2 overtime victory there on October 30.
The two teams run it back quickly. Toledo and Kalamazoo meet again on Friday, November 6, at 7 p.m. at Wings Event Center for Kalamazoo’s Military Appreciation Night, on 1230 Fox Sports Radio and FloHockey. The Walleye then finally come home, opening their home schedule at the Huntington Center in downtown Toledo on Saturday, November 7, against the Fort Wayne Komets at 7:15 p.m.
Photo: Joel Washing, CC BY