Walleye Fall 2-1 to Komets in Halloween Matinee as Fort Wayne Rivalry Bites Again
Photo: The Walleye in action at the Huntington Center during the 2012-13 home opener vs. Kalamazoo. Archival photo via Wikimedia Commons.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Toledo Walleye’s Halloweekend road swing hit a bump Saturday afternoon, as the rival Fort Wayne Komets edged Toledo 2-1 in a tight Halloween matinee.
Nolan Moyle provided the Fish’s only offense, burying a shorthanded goal in the second period — a one-handed effort that was both his first goal of the season and Toledo’s second shorthanded tally of the young campaign. It’s the kind of highlight-reel moment that usually swings a game. On Saturday, it wasn’t enough.
The Walleye arrived in Fort Wayne coming off an overtime win against the Kalamazoo Wings and got off to a steady start in the afternoon matchup. But the Komets — who have made a habit of ruining Toledo’s fun, including eliminating the Walleye 4-2 in last spring’s Central Division finals — held firm when it mattered.
Trailing late, Toledo pulled its goaltender with 2:15 remaining and sent out the extra attacker, but the equalizer never came. Final score: 2-1, Komets.
The loss stings a little extra given the history. The Walleye-Komets rivalry is one of the ECHL’s nastiest, dating back to the cities’ IHL days. Since the 2015 postseason, the teams have met six times in the playoffs, with Toledo taking four of those series — but Fort Wayne has owned the recent moments that matter most.
It’s also a reminder of how the Fish are built. As the ECHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings (with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the middle of the pipeline), Toledo’s roster blends prospects and veterans, and early-season road tests like this one are where the lineup sorts itself out. A shorthanded goal from a depth forward like Moyle is exactly the kind of contribution that earns bigger minutes down the stretch.
Saturday’s matinee was the middle chapter of the Halloweekend road swing the Walleye opened earlier in the week. One game left to salvage the weekend — and it’s against a familiar foe.
There’s no time to dwell on it. Toledo travels back to Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 4, to take on the Kalamazoo Wings at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the game live on FloHockey or listen on 1230 The Gambler. After the trip, the Fish return home to the Huntington Center — tickets and the full home slate are at toledowalleye.com.
Related coverage: the Walleye opened this Halloweekend road swing earlier in the week — read the preview here: Walleye Set for Halloweekend Road Swing.
Source: Toledo Walleye game story.
