A suffocating defense and stellar goaltending propelled Fort Wayne to an early lead, but Toledo’s resilient counter-attack forced a gritty showdown for the Central Division crown.
The Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye had a hard fought battle of back and forth uncertainty who would come up on top in the Central Division Finals. Ultimately it would be Fort Wayne that came up on top. Take a look at how it happened:
Game 1: Fort Wayne 4, Toledo 1
Game 1 set the tone for the series as Fort Wayne opened with an impressive 4-1 victory on home ice. The Komets struck first through Josh Bloom before Austin Magera added another late in the opening period to give Fort Wayne full control. Toledo struggled to generate sustained pressure against Samuel Jonsson, while the Komets capitalized on transition opportunities and disciplined defensive-zone play. The win immediately flipped home-ice pressure onto the Walleye and reinforced Fort Wayne’s confidence entering the road portion of the series.
Game 2: Fort Wayne 3, Toledo 0
Fort Wayne stunned the Huntington Center crowd early with goals from William Dufour and Kirill Tyutyayev within the opening minutes before locking the game down defensively in a 3-0 shutout victory. Jonsson again stood tall in net, and Toledo’s normally dangerous power play never found rhythm. Through two games, the Walleye had managed just one total goal, while Fort Wayne’s physical forecheck and defensive layers continually forced turnovers and limited quality scoring chances. Toledo suddenly faced a massive uphill climb trailing the series 2-0.
Game 3: Toledo 4, Fort Wayne 2
Back in Fort Wayne for Game 3, Toledo showed more life offensively, but the Komets still controlled the key moments in a 4-2 win. Brandon Kruse gave the Walleye an early lead, but Alex Aleardi responded later in the first period before Fort Wayne gradually took over. The Komets’ depth again proved decisive, as timely scoring and steady goaltending allowed them to pull away in the third period. Toledo created more pressure than in the opening two games, yet Fort Wayne consistently answered every push while continuing to dominate the pace at even strength.
Game 4: Toledo 3, Fort Wayne 2 (OT)
Game 4 finally gave Toledo the response it desperately needed. Facing the possibility of a being swept, the Walleye delivered one of their strongest efforts of the postseason on home ice. Garrett Van Wyhe opened the scoring early, and Toledo played with noticeably more urgency and physicality throughout the night. While Fort Wayne remained structured defensively, the Walleye generated more sustained offensive-zone pressure and finally began finding cracks in the Komets’ defense.
Game 5: Toledo 4, Fort Wayne 1
The Toledo Walleye took control early and never looked back in a 4-1 win. The Walleye struck three times in the opening period, with goals from Kyle Gaffney, Jalen Truscott, and Brandon Kruse building a commanding lead before the first intermission. The Walleye added another in the second when Trenton Dickinson scored just over four minutes into the frame, extending the advantage to 4-0. Fort Wayne finally broke through late in the second period on a goal by Hugo Rees, assisted by Justin Smereck and Matt Brown, but that was as close as the Komets would get. Toledo goaltender Carter Gylander turned aside 27 of 28 shots in a stellar performance, earning first-star honors.
Game 6: Fort Wayne 5, Toledo 3
The battle was on in game 6 as Toledo would attempt to force a game 7 but would come out unsuccessful. The Walleye struck early again in Game 6, scoring just 90 seconds into the first period, but William Dufour answered with an unassisted goal at 7:19 to even the score 1-1 after one. Fort Wayne took control in the second, scoring four times as Kirill Tyutyayev, Anthony Petruzzelli, and rookie Matt Copponi with two goals pushed the Komets ahead 5-1. Toledo’s Reilly Funk scored late to make it 5-2 heading into the third. Sam Jonsson stopped 17 shots in the final period as the Komets held off Toledo’s comeback attempt for a 5-3 win, clinching the series 4-2.
On to the Next One
The Western Conference Finals are now set to be Kansas City vs. Fort Wayne. The series kicks off Friday May 22nd at 7:05 PM CDT in Kansas City.