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The Kalamazoo Wings (2-3-0-0) dropped both games of a home at home series against the Toledo Walleye (5-1-0-0) this past weekend.
Two goals by Greg Betzold and three assists from Justin Taylor were not enough firepower as the Toledo Walleye skated away with the 6-4 win in front of a sold-out crowd at Wings Event Center on Friday night.
It was a back and forth affair for most of the game. Toledo struck first, just 21 seconds into the opening frame on a goal by Josh Dickinson, which was the only goal in the first period.
The K-Wings Raymond Brice scored his first goal of the season and his first in the ECHL, midway into the second period as he sent a rebound shot into the net to make it a 1-1 game.
The Walleye responded quickly to quell the cheering K-Wings crowd as Marcus Vela netted a goal to take a 2-1 lead.
Erik Bradford appeared to score a short-handed goal minutes later, but the goal was waived off on an account of a high-stick.
With just under two minutes left in the second period, Greg Betzold scored his first of the season to knot the game at 2-2, but like before, the Walleye didn’t waste a chance to rain on the K-Wings parade. Blake Hillman scored just 31 seconds later for the Walleye to take a 3-2 lead into the third period.
Jake Slaker pulled the K-Wings into a 3-3 tie just a minute into the final period, but the Walleye, once again, scored the go-ahead goal just over a minute later on Dicksons second of the night. The Walleye would take a 5-3 lead just over a minute later on a TJ Hensick goal. Betzold scored his second of the night later in the period, but the Walleye would skate away with the eventual victory.
On Saturday, the Walleye blanked the K-Wing 6-0 at the Huntington Center. Tyler Gorsuch was in net for the loss, stopping 28 of the 34 shots he faced. The K-Wings are off on Friday and host the Indy Fuel on Saturday at 7 pm for Military Appreciation Night.
Submitted by Mark McGlothlen
