TOLEDO, Ohio — The Walleye scored early and often in a 5-1 victory in game one of their second-round playoff series with Wheeling.
The Walleye would strike first in front of another sellout crowd of 8,008 fans. Just over a minute in, Brandon Hawkins would score his seventh goal of the playoffs.
Wheeling would come right back on the power play less than three minutes later to even the game.
Toledo would answer back with two more goals in the first period. First, it was former Boston University captain Patrick Curry with his second goal of the playoffs.
And just before the end of the period, Sylvania native Gordi Myer would go coast-to-coast and tuck it short side for a 3-1 lead after one period.
In the second period, the Walleye would add to their lead just two minutes in. Curry would net his second of the night to make it 4-1. After that goal, Wheeling would pull their starting goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon.
In the third, defenseman Chris Martenet would score on a blast from the point to make it 5-1 Toledo.
Goaltender Billy Christopoulos backstopped the team with 23 saves.
Three Walleye had a multi-point game, with Matt Berry (three assists,) Mitchell Heard (two assists) and Curry (two goals, one assist) getting their names on the score sheet.
The Walleye take a 1-0 series lead in the Central Division Finals. Game two is Saturday night at the Huntington Center.
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