Toledo gives up 1-goal lead twice in loss to Kalamazoo

Toledo's Phil Rauch, right, lands a punch on Kalamazoo's Tyler Shelast during a fight in the second.

The Blade/Andy Morrison
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The Walleye's Ben Youds looks to shoot on Kalamazoo goaltender Joel Martin in the first period. Martin made 30 saves to help beat Toledo.

The Walleye earned a point on Saturday night but it felt like an empty one after Toledo twice gave up one-goal leads to Kalamazoo.

The Walleye lost 4-3 in a game that went to the shootout before a crowd of 7,276 at the Huntington Center.

Brent Raedeke, who was playing in his second game with Toledo, tied it at 3 with 11:10 left in regulation.

But in the shootout two Wings skaters scored and none of the four Walleye shooters could beat Kalamazoo goalie Joel Martin. Nick Sirota scored the game winner on Walleye goalie Kent Simpson (17 saves).

Toledo rookie Terry Broadhurst scored two goals, while Adam Hobson had two assists for Toledo (17-13-2).

“It's a bitter pill to swallow,” Broadhurst said. “It was good that we battled back and tied it up but the second period was a little iffy. We have to play a full 60 minutes.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Toledo Walleye vs. Kalamazoo Wings

The teams combined for three goals in a span of 1:34 in the second period. Kalamazoo tallied goals just 55 seconds apart to take a 3-2 lead.

Walleye coach Nick Vitucci said he'd like to see more grit from his team, which outshot the Wings 33-21.

“We had opportunities … but we need more tenacity,” he said.

The Walleye scored just 1:37 into the game as Broadhurst beat Martin on assists from Hobson and Andrej Nestrasil.

But the Wings tied it at 1 early in the second period.

Broadhurst scored his second of the night to give Toledo a 2-1 lead. Broadhurst collected a rebound off of his own shot and beat Martin (30 saves) for a power play goal with 8:38 left in the second period.

Just 39 seconds later, Kalamazoo tied it back up as Kory Karlander scored his seventh of the season on a perfect pass from behind the net from Aaron Clarke.

Less than a minute later, Kalamazoo seized a 3-2 lead on a soft goal given up by Simpson.

But Raedeke tied it on a backhander midway through the third.

The Walleye led 32-20 in shots in regulation but the game went to overtime. The Walleye also had a power play in OT but could not score.

“It's mixed emotions,” Vitucci said. “We came back and got the point and we're happy about that. But overall we left a lot on the table tonight.”

Nestrasil, who was recently called up to the American Hockey League, extended his ECHL point streak to 10 games. Nestrasil has a goal and six assists in six games against the Wings.

Simpson made a nice glove save to protect a one-goal lead early in the second. He also had key saves in the waning moments of regulation.

In the shootout, Kalamazoo's Martin stopped Joey Martin, Raedeke, Nestrasil, and Coetzee. Sirota and Karlander were able to beat Simpson.

Toledo's Phil Rauch, right, lands a punch on Kalamazoo's Tyler Shelast during a fight in the second.

The North Division rivals will meet three times in a span of nine days. The Walleye are 3-2-1 against the Wings. Toledo is 10-9-1 against division foes and 9-6-1 at home.

Kalamazoo (12-15-3) had lost five in row while the Walleye were coming off a 5-3 home loss to first-place Cincinnati.

“We have to get points against divisional opponents,” said Broadhurst, who now has 10 goals.

Toledo plays at Fort Wayne on Dec. 31 at 7:30. The Walleye then travel to Kalamazoo next Friday before returning home for games on Saturday (Orlando) and Sunday (Kalamazoo).

“You try to take a positive,” Broadhurst said. “It's good we're getting a lot of shots. But we need to make it tougher on the goalie. We need to forget about it and get back after it on Monday because we play another divisional opponent.”

HOCKEYFEST: The second day of the Walleye's fourth annual Holiday HockeyFest was held and $5 from each ticket went to support former Clay player Kyle Cannon, who was paralyzed after being hit in a game in 2008 as a freshman.

The event featured local youth and high school hockey teams

Lake beat Springfield 15-9, while Perrysburg defeated Eastwood 3-1. Also the club teams from the University of Toledo and Eastern Michigan then play. The Rockets lost 4-2.

FISH TALES: Walleye D Phil Rauch got into a brief fight with Tyler Shelast. After both removed their own helmets, Rauch landed a big punch. …. Toledo has had 30 or more shots on goal in 13 of the last 14 games. … Former Walleye D Kyle Page, who played at Bowling Green State University, was a scratch for Kalamazoo on Saturday. … Karlander leads Kalamazoo against the Walleye with seven points (4 goal and 3 assists). Karlander, who is the oldest player in the ECHL at age 40, is older than his coach Nick Bootland. He ranks second on his team in scoring.