Fort Wayne Komets Fall 3-2 in Overtime to Walleye, Series Now Even at 3-1

The Fort Wayne Komets dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Toledo Walleye on Friday night at the Huntington Center, squandering a 3-0 series lead in the Central Division Final. With the loss, the Komets will now look to regroup for Game 5, as the series shifts back to Indiana.

After a tightly contested first period, Toledo struck late when it capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to flip the puck over the shoulder of Komet goaltender Nathan Day with just eight seconds remaining. Day, who finished with 43 saves, was unable to stop the shot as the Walleye took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The second period was defined by a 5-on-3 power play for the Komets after Toledo was assessed two penalties in a span of 90 seconds. Despite holding the advantage for over two minutes, Fort Wayne failed to score, allowing Toledo to maintain its 1-0 edge heading into the third.

Toledo extended its lead midway through the third when Austin Magera was called for high-sticking, giving the Walleye a fresh power play. They converted at 6:32, making it 2-0. The Komets, however, refused to go quietly. Magera, after being penalized, found the back of the net on the man-advantage to cut the deficit in half. Just over a minute later, Josh Bloom scored to tie the game at two apiece and force overtime.

In the extra session, Fort Wayne started with a power play but failed to capitalize. Toledo took advantage at 4:41, netting the game-winner to send the series back to Indiana with a 3-2 lead. Day, who made 43 saves in the loss, was victimized once again on the night.

The loss drops Fort Wayne to 1-1 in the series and 3-2 overall in the post-season. Toledo improves to 3-1 and will look to close out the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Saturday. The Komets will need to regroup quickly after a tough road loss.

Game 5 is set for Saturday night at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. The winner will advance to the Kelly Cup Finals.