Walleye pick up 4th straight victory, win at Indy

11/5/2017
BLADE STAFF

INDIANAPOLIS — Zach Nastasiuk scored the game-winning goal in the third period Sunday as the Toledo Walleye picked up a 3-2 win against the Indy Fuel at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

Toledo (6-2-1) continues to hold the top spot in the Central Division, as it won its fourth consecutive game after starting the season 2-2-1. The Walleye now are 4-2-1 on the road.

Toledo dominated most of the play in the first period and took a 1-0 lead thanks to Charlie O’Connor’s first goal of the season at the 13:47 mark. Darian Dziurzynski and Austen Brassard had the assists.

It stayed that way until the second, when the Fuel’s Ryan Rupert tied the game with a shorthanded goal with 15:27 to go. It was the first shorthanded goal allowed by the Walleye this season.

Christian Hilbrich continued his torrid pace to start the season, as he scored his fourth goal of the year, off an assist from Alden Hirschfeld, with 50 seconds left in the second to give Toledo a 2-1 lead.

Nastasiuk then took a pass from Shane Berschbach and raced up the ice to score his second goal of the season 5:32 into the third for a two-goal Walleye advantage.

Indy’s Michael Neal scored with 5:20 remaining in regulation for the final margin.

Toledo goaltender Pat Nagle stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced to improve to 6-0-1 on the season. Etienne Marcoux had 27 saves for the Fuel.

The Walleye visit Wheeling to start a home-and-home series at 7:05 p.m. Friday. The two teams then play at 7:15 p.m. Saturday at the Huntington Center.

BARNES SUSPENDED: Walleye forward Tyler Barnes was suspended by the ECHL, pending a review, for his actions late in Saturday’s game against Kalamazoo.

Barnes was issued a major penalty and a game misconduct at the 12:22 mark of the third period for a slashing infraction against a Wings player. Kalamazoo had a five-minute power play after the slashing call at the Huntington Center.

Barnes missed Sunday’s game, and any further discipline will be announced by the league later this week. He also was fined an undisclosed amount.