ECHL: Walleye Back with a Splash during Opening Weekend

In front of two sellout crowds, the Toledo Walleye went 2-0 during their home opening weekend. The Walleye beat the Reading Royals on Friday, 5-2, and outscored the Indy Fuel 5-3 on Saturday.

On Friday, despite the Walleye finding the back of the net four times in Period 1, the Royals struck first. The Royals’ Ryan Chyzowski scored right out of the face-off at a time of 0:27. His goal was assisted by Matt Brown. The Walleye came surging back with goals by Chase Gresock (8:04), assisted by Alexandre Doucet and Kirill Tyutyayev (17:54), assisted by Colin Theisen and Riley McCourt. Brandon Hawkins netted two back-to-back goals for the Walleye at a time of 12:48 and 15:40. Orrin Centazzo and Trenton Bliss assisted both goals. Period one was also packed with penalties. The Royals had two penalties (boarding and cross-checking), while the Walleye had five (hooking, bench – too many men on the ice, roughing, and high-sticking). All penalties were minor in severity. 

In Period Two, the Royals’ Alec Butcher was the only player to find the back of the net at a time of 0:28. His goal was assisted by Brown and Adam Brubacher. Each team was assessed one penalty: Royals for holding and Walleye for tripping. Period three was similar, however, it was the Walleye with a goal by Brandon Kruse (14:53) assisted by Mitchell Lewandowski and Sam Craggs. Nolan Maier was in net for the Royals with 31 saves, and for the Walleye, John Lethemon with 12 saves. Toledo’s scoring spree in Period one was able to fuel them to victory.

The Walleye hosted the Indy Fuel on Saturday. In net for the Walleye was Jan Bednar, and for the Fuel, Mitchell Weeks. The Walleye found themselves behind in Period one after a goal by the Fuel’s Andrew Bellant (11:34). His goal was assisted by Darby Llewellyn. A no-call for an elbow to the face on Toledo’s Adrien Beraldo caused him to drop the gloves and take matters into his own hands. He received a five-minute major for fighting. The crowd’s cheers and chants powered the Walleye to a penalty kill to end Period 1. 

In Period two, both teams had a pair of goals. The first goal to tie the game came from Toledo’s Hawkins (3:01), assisted by Centazzo and Tyutyayev. The next two goals were off the sticks of the Fuel. Jon Martin found the back of the net at a time of 12:15. His goal was assisted by Kyle Maksimovich and Cameron Hillis. Shortly after, at 13:19, Kirill Chaika got the puck by Bednar. His goal was assisted by Seamus Malone and Christopher Cameron. A goal by the Walleye’s Darian Pilon (15:54) wrapped up Period two. His goal was assisted by Craggs and Lewandowski. The Fuel ended the period with six penalty minutes, while the Walleye had zero.

The Walleye took over in Period three, scoring three unanswered goals. The first was by Conlan Keenan (2:08), assisted by Will Cullen and Pilon. The second came from Craggs (13:,35), assisted by Gresock and Brandon Kruse. Gresock hit an empty netter (19:42) to seal the win for the Walleye. The Fuel had 23 shots on goal, while the Walleye had 32. Weeks made 27 saves, and Bednar made 20.

Surrounded by over 8,000 of the best fans in the ECHL, the Walleye were able to show their tenacity and how tough of a team they can be this season. The Walleye will be back at the Huntington Center next weekend for a homestand against the Fort Wayne Komets. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, for Military Appreciation Night and 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, November 12, for Non-Profit Night.