Kalamazoo wallops Walleye

3/18/2012

Walleye goalie Alec Richards faced a shooting gallery from Kalamazoo and the Wings consistently found the back of the net in a wacky 9-1 win over Toledo on Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Center.

Richards faced 34 shots through two periods and yielded four goals and was pulled from the game for the third period. Kalamazoo then scored on two of its first three shots of the final period on replacement goaltender Dustin Carlson.

The Wings added three more on Richards, who came back into the game. They scored five goals on nine shots in the third period.

Kalamazoo peppered the Walleye net with 45 shots overall before a displeased crowd of 6,277.

Kalamazoo’s Dustin Cloutier had a hat trick and two assists, while Trent Davetilla scored twice for the Wings (35-23-8).

The Walleye (28-32-6) have now lost four of their last six games. The team’s playoff chances got even bleaker with six games left in the regular season.

Something went right for Toledo early the third period as rookie Paul Cianfrini scored his first pro goal.

Richards, who has started seven straight, was in net for the Walleye on Saturday night when Toledo knocked off the Wings 4-3 in a shootout in Kalamazoo.

Next up for the Walleye are two home games next weekend against Elmira. Toledo hosts the Jackals on Friday and Saturday night.