The Toledo Walleye scored three straight goals in the second period to take the lead, but the Fort Wayne Komets answered with three of their own and won the ECHL season opener 6-3 on Saturday night before 9,296 fans at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tanner Dickinson scored twice for Toledo, which is 0-1-0-0. The game opened the Komets’ 75th season.
How the goals came
Fort Wayne built a 2-0 lead in the first period on Hunter Johannes’ unassisted goal at 8:30 and Jonny Tychonick’s power-play goal at 17:32. Toledo then scored three times in 5:17 early in the second. Sam Craggs got the Walleye’s first goal of the season at 4:39, from Mitch Lewandowski and Cooper Zech, and Dickinson tied it at 6:54, with Craggs and Brandon Kruse assisting. Dickinson put Toledo ahead 3-2 on a 5-on-3 power play at 9:56, from Kaden Bohlsen and Lewandowski.
The Komets tied it on a Johannes power-play goal at 18:03 of the second and went ahead 41 seconds later when Drake Rymsha scored from Noah Carroll and Cody Morgan. Rymsha added his second at 9:56 of the third, and Jack Gorniak scored into an empty net at 18:07. Morgan, a rookie, had three assists.
In goal and on special teams
Carter Gylander, under contract with the Red Wings, made 27 saves on 32 shots for Toledo. Nathan Day stopped 27 of 30 for Fort Wayne, which outshot the Walleye 33-30. Toledo went 1-for-6 on the power play, and the Komets were 2-for-5. Craggs and Lewandowski each finished with two points.
What’s next
The Walleye play at Indy on Friday, Oct. 23, and at Wheeling on Saturday, Oct. 24. Their home opener at the Huntington Center is Nov. 7 against Fort Wayne at 7:15 p.m.
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