Wings handed road loss in Toledo

TOLEDO, OH— The Kalamazoo Wings outshot the Toledo Walleye and earned the first goal of the game, but they couldn’t overcome the bunched scoring of Toledo during a 5-2 loss on Saturday at the Huntington Center.

Flying out of the gates at the drop of the puck, the Wings took just 19 seconds of game time to score the first goal of the night. Danny Moynihan carried into the Toledo zone on the left wing and fired a shot from an acute angle that was fumbled by goalie Pat Nagle. The loose puck sat behind Nagle until Lane Scheidl reached out and poked it over the line for his third goal of the season.

The Wings’ lead lasted just over six minutes before Tyler Barnes evened it at one with his third of the year. Barnes drove to the goal and chipped a forehand over the glove of Joel Martin for the equalizer, 6:27 into the first period.

While on a power play later on in the period, the Walleye established a one-goal lead, courtesy of A.J. Jenks. Jenks plucked the puck from a scramble in the high slot and zipped a quick wrist shot which caught Martin off guard and ended up in the back of the goal.

Toledo continued their pressure into the first minutes of the second period and earned a two-goal lead with a breakaway from Christian Hilbrich. After getting tangled up with a Wings defenseman, Hilbrich squirmed free and finished a one-on-one try against Martin.

Three minutes later, the Walleye established a game-high three-goal lead. Toledo raced down the ice to negate an icing, and Jenks was on the receiving end of a generous bounce that left him on the doorstep to deposit his second of the night.

The Wings wouldn’t show any quit in the closing minutes of the second period and sliced the deficit with a late power play marker. A long shot from a faceoff hit a leg of a Toledo defender and slid flat to Tyler Biggs, who dropped to a knee and hammered a one-timer into the top corner of the goal. It cut the score to 4-2 heading into the second intermission.

In the middle stages of the third period, the Walleye cemented their result after cashing in on their fifth goal of the night. Holding the puck in at the line, Ryan Obuchowski flung a shot to the side of the net, which was tipped by Colin Martin to put the game out of reach at 5-3.

Next: Kalamazoo vs. Ft. Wayne Komets, Sunday, November 5, 3:00 p.m., Wings Event Center.

Broadcast information: Sunday’s game will air on AM 1660 The Fan in Kalamazoo or online at www.1660thefan.com/listen-live.

Notes: Toledo’s Barnes was assessed a five minute major and a game misconduct for slashing at the 12:21 mark of the third period…Kalamazoo went 1/5 on the power play and 2/3 on the penalty kill…Kalamazoo outshot Toledo, 35-31…The Wings were handed their first road loss of the season.

Stats: https://www.echl.com/stats/game-center/15023

Single-game tickets are on sale! Tickets start as low as $10 and can be purchased at http://kwings.com/SingleGameTickets or at the Wings Event Center box office.

Wings Event Center, owned and operated by Greenleaf Hospitality Group, is home to the Kalamazoo Wings professional hockey team and a full entertainment venue offering concerts, sporting events, family shows and trade shows. Built in 1974, Wings Event Center values partnerships with the community to bring events and attractions that enrich the lives of residents in the Kalamazoo area.

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