Seven different Toledo Walleye players scored as Toledo routed the Wheeling Nailers 7-1 on Friday night in Wheeling, the team’s highest goal total of the season. Mitch Lewandowski, last week’s ECHL Player of the Week, set up three goals, and the Walleye fired 44 shots on net.
How it happened
Quinn Preston needed only 34 seconds to put Toledo in front, finishing a play from Kyle Gaffney and Lewandowski. The rest of the first period was quiet, with no penalties and eight shots apiece.
The Walleye pulled away in the second. Nick Andrews scored unassisted, and Tag Bertuzzi followed with a goal set up by Jacob Truscott and Tanner Dickinson, sending Toledo to the intermission up 3-0.
Cooper Zech converted on the power play early in the third, with Lewandowski and Nolan Moyle assisting, and Dylan Moulton made it 5-0 off a feed from Nick Nardecchia. Wheeling broke up the shutout bid near the midpoint of the period, but Chris Terry answered with his second ECHL goal, set up by Brandon Hawkins. Hawkins then capped the scoring on a power play, assisted by Lewandowski and Zech.
The final minutes turned chippy, with several penalties at both ends and Wheeling goaltender Nolan Lalonde ejected late in the game. The team’s three stars went to Lewandowski, Zech, and Hawkins.
Up next
Toledo visits the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. and the Indy Fuel on Sunday at 4 p.m., then returns to the Huntington Center for three games against the Rapid City Rush starting Wednesday, Nov. 18.
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