Walleye Stay Hot in Round 3, Up 2-0 on Mavericks

The Toledo Walleye continued their dominant playoff run with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Kansas City Mavericks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. With the victory, Toledo now leads the best-of-seven series 2-0, putting them two wins away from a trip to the Kelly Cup Finals.

It didn’t take long for the Walleye to get going. Mitchell Lewandowski opened the scoring just 1:49 into the first period, burying a setup from Nolan Moyle and Carson Bantle. Just over two minutes later, Jalen Smereck doubled the lead with a snipe of his own, with Moyle picking up his second assist of the night.

Kansas City clawed back quickly. Charlie Wright cut the deficit in half at 7:34, and Max Andreev evened things up at 12:15, converting a feed from Cam Morrison and Cade Borchardt. But the Walleye wasted no time responding. Trenton Bliss netted the go-ahead goal less than a minute later off a slick pass from Smereck.

The Mavericks answered again in the second period when Casey Carreau tied it 3-3, capitalizing on more strong play from Morrison and Andreev. But the final blow came in the third, as Colby Ambrosio lit the lamp at 6:12, giving Toledo the 4-3 lead that would hold until the final horn.

With balanced scoring, quick responses, and clutch goaltending, the Walleye are showing why they swept Round 1 and handled a tough Fort Wayne squad in Round 2. Game 3 heads back to Toledo this Tuesday, where the home crowd will look to fuel another Walleye win.