Toledo, OH – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Kansas City Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals with a final score of 5-2. The Walleye won the Western Conference Finals and advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals.
How it Happened:
Toledo got off to a firing hot start. Just over a minute and a half into the period, Toledo got the scoring started. Jalen Smereck passed the puck to Matt Anderson and sent him on a breakaway to put the Fish on an early lead.
Exactly three minutes later, Trenton Bliss made it 2-0 with a lucky goal in front of the net. The assists went to Smereck and Brandon Hawkins.
Kansas City made it a one-goal game at 5:28 to make the score 2-1, but Toledo responded right back at 14:03 as Bliss got his second goal of the evening with a tip-in in front of the net on the power play. Assisting the PPG was Brandon Kruse and Brandon Hawkins. With this assist, Hawkins broke the playoff assist record.
Kansas City came out firing in the third, playing desperate and applying heavy pressure. They scored to make it a one-goal game again and continued to sustain pressure.
Toledo earned a massive insurance goal at 12:25 by Anderson as he got his second of the night and gave the Fish a big momentum boost.
As time began to tick down and the Huntington Center began to roar, Hawkins got the empty net goal and the Walleye and fans could finally breathe. The Toledo Walleye got the win with a 5-2 final score and punched their ticket to the Kelly Cup Finals.
Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:
1. TOL – M. Anderson (2G)
2. TOL – T. Bliss (2G)
3. TOL – J. Bednar (23 SVS)
What’s Next:
The Toledo Walleye advance to the Kelly Cup Finals and will play with the Florida Everblades or the Trois-Rivieres Lions. Stay tuned for information on dates of games on the Walleye’s website and social media channels.
