Walleye open season with 4-3 win at Fort Wayne

Carruth makes 32 stops in professional debut

10/20/2013

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Toledo Walleye won their season opener on Saturday with a 4-3 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets in a game that went to the shootout.

The contest was tied at 3 after three periods and neither team scored in overtime.

Daniel Koger scored first for the Walleye in the shootout and Scott Arnold had the game winner.

Toledo rookie goalie Mac Carruth earned the victory in his professional debut, finishing with 32 saves in regulation.

Carruth stopped four Fort Wayne skaters in the shootout.

Arnold, Travis Novak, and Trevor Parkes scored in regulation for the Walleye.

“The first game of the season is always special,” Walleye coach Nick Vitucci.

“We knew they would come out swarming early and we were able to get through that.”

Toledo was outshot 35-22 but Carruth, who played for a major-junior team Portland in the Western Hockey League the last four seasons, made 11 saves in the first period, nine in the second, and 11 in the third. He followed that up with one stop in overtime.

Parkes, who had 30 points in 19 games for Toledo last season, had a goal and an assist.

Fort Wayne struck first when Mickey Lang scored just 1:29 into the game.

Toledo evened it on Arnold's power play goal on assists from Aaron Bogosian and Bobby Shea midway through the first.

Parkes gave Toledo a 2-1 lead on an unassisted goal early in the second period.

After Fort Wayne scored a shorthanded goal late in the second, Novak scored 2:52 into the third period.

However, the Komets tied it up at 3 with 4:30 left in regulation.

Koger was Toledo's first skater in the shootout and beat Fort Wayne goalie John Muse (18 saves). Muse stopped the next three Toledo skaters before Arnold won the game.

Toledo has a second road game on Thursday at Cincinnati and the team's home opener is next Saturday against Wheeling.