Walleye drop morning game to Komets 4-2

11/7/2012
BLADE STAFF

Toledo played its annual School Appreciation Day game today at the Huntington Center but thousands of kids were not happy with the outcome as the Walleye dropped a 4-2 decision to Fort Wayne.

Forward Byron Froese tallied a go-ahead goal with 12:54 left but the Komets tied it a little more than four minutes later.

The Komets then took a 3-2 lead with 7:36 left as Stephon Thorne scored after Fort Wayne won a faceoff deep in the Walleye end. Thorne skated in alone to tally the game winning goal. The Komets added an empty net goal with 1:02 remaining.

Toledo lost its fourth straight before a crowd of 6,802 that consisted mostly of boisterous school children.

Fort Wayne tied it at two when Josh Brittain scored on a solo breakaway with 8:32 left.

Toledo (4-5-1) fell behind initially but tied the game late in the opening period. Rookie Luke Glendening deflected a shot by Phil Rauch from the point to tie it with 4:35 left in opening period.

Fort Wayne tallied the first goal as Jean-Michel Rizk notched a power play marker. The Komets went up 1-0 with 7:15 left in first. Rizk was left all alone out front after receiving a pass from Daniel Maggio. Rizk beat Toledo goalie Kent Simpson.

Simpson (2-3-1) finished with 21 saves.

Froese now has two goals and has a team-high four assists.

Glendening is now tied for the team lead in goals scored with four. The rookie from the University of Michigan also has two assists for six points in 10 games.

Fort Wayne (6-2-1) also defeated Toledo 4-3 last Friday.

The Walleye are in midst of playing four games in five days. The team plays at Wheeling on Friday before returning home for a rematch against the Nailers on Saturday and then they host South Carolina on Sunday.