The Fish Douse The Komets

There are hundreds of fish tales out there about those who battled fish and came away unscathed. There are some stories of the sea that have been written into books such as Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Melville's Moby Dick that describe a harrowing battle between men and aquatic beasts intent on defeating the protagonists in those stories. However, one story came to an end last night as the Fish were successful in defeating the heroes of our tale. This is the story of the brave Fort Wayne Komets and their battle with the mighty Toledo Walleye in an effort to win the ECHL's Central Division and a berth in the Western Conference Final in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Komets and Walleye have a fierce rivalry, and this series was about both sides looking to build on solid regular season campaigns. It took Fort Wayne seven games to get past Iowa, but they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to advance to play Toledo. The Walleye, meanwhile, had their way with the Indy Fuel in a four-game sweep as they awaited the winner of the Komets and Heartlanders. Once the Komets secured victory in Game Seven, it was time for another chapter to be written into this tale of two cities and two combatitive rivals.

Historically, Toledo had defeated Komets 4-3 in the 2015 North Division Semifinals, 4-1 in the 2017 Central Division Finals, and 4-2 in the 2019 Central Division Semifinals while Fort Wayne boasted a 4-2 series win over the Walleye in the 2018 Central Division Finals. Toledo has won five of eight regular-season contests between the clubs, so it seems that both recent and older history favoured the Walleye.

Game One went Toledo's way as they won by a 5-4 score. Two goals in the final 2:14 of the second period, including the game-winner off the stick of Matt Anderson with 16 seconds to play in the frame, put the Fish up 1-0 in the series as neither side could dent twine in the third period. Alex Aleardi had two goals and a helper for the Komets, but it wasn't enough to overcome the effort by Toledo.

The Komets bounced back in a big way in Game Two as they laid a hammering on the Walleye to the tune of a 6-1 decision. Ethan Keppen paced th Komets with two goals and an assist while Kyle Mayhew had three helpers as the Komets would return home for three games after splitting the games on the road. Could they keep their winning ways going back on home ice in Indiana?

That answer was a "yes" for Game Three as Kyle Mayhew scored in the first period, Darren Brady scored with 5:02 to play, and Brett Brochu stopped 32 of 33 shots to help the Komets take a 2-1 series lead with a 2-1 win! It should be noted that the Komets had shut down ECHL leading scorer Brandon Hawkins in these first three games, limiting him to just two assists in the Game One Toledo win. The Komets' strategy for limiting the chances given to the Walleye's best player was working nicely as they took the lead in the series.

Game Four saw the Komets rally from a 2-0 deficit with 2:32 to play. James Stefan made it a 2-1 game at the 17:28 mark of the third period before Jack Dugan scored on a penalty shot with 65 seconds to play to tie the game at 2-2! We'd need five periods to decide a winner on this night, but the Walleye would emerge victorious after Brandon Hawkins set up Tyler Spezia for the game-winner just 26 seconds into double overtime. The Walleye's 3-2 double-overtime win evened the series at 2-2, guaranteeing another trip to Toledo.

Game Five saw all the scoring in the final frame as the Komets took a lead off Anthony Petruzzelli's goal 4:10 into the period, but Tyler Spezia at 8:31 tied the game before Colin Swoyer netted the game-winning goal with 24 seconds remaining as Toledo downed Fort Wayne by a 2-1 score. There had to be some frustration for the Komets after this one as they held the Walleye to just 12 shots in the game, but two of six shots in the third period found the back of the net, giving the Walleye a 3-2 series lead as Game Six would be played in Ohio.

That led to last night where the intensity was racheted up as the Komets faced elimination for the third time in this postseason. After a scoreless first period marked by multiple minor penalties to both sides, things started as soon as the puck hit the ice in the second period as James Stefan netted a puck just 35 seconds into the frame as the Komets jumped out in front. Toledo would respond 6:33 later when Dylan Moulton found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. 16 seconds later, it was 2-1 for the Komets as Jack Dugan dented twine. Tyler Spezia would tie the game with his goal at 11:04, and Toledo would take their first lead when Dylan Moulton scored for the second time with 54 seconds remaining for a 3-2 Toledo lead heading into the third period in a game Fort Wayne had to win.

Tyler Spezia and Matt Anderson would book-end a Josh Groll goal as the Walleye outscored Fort Wayne in the final frame for the 5-3 victory, and that would give Toledo the 4-2 series win over their nemeses from Fort Wayne. Not to rub a little salt in the wound, but Brandon Hawkins had four assists in the clinching game, giving him seven points in the series. He did not score a goal, but the seven helpers certainly helped his team to the Western Conference Final.

"If we get through a series without [Hawkins] scoring goals, then I like where we're going moving forward," Toledo head coach Pat Mikesch said of his scoring depth to James Krause of The Journal Gazette.

Komets head coach Jesse Kallechy gave credit to the Walleye's big scorers who found goals when Toledo needed them most.

"The X-factor was Spezia," Kallechy said. "He was out a long time, and I think people take [him] for granted. Hawkins and Bliss are elite already, and then you add another guy who's probably a top 10 player in the league. You're talking three guys that are, I'm saying this conservatively, all top 15 or 20 players in the league on one line."

The victory by Toledo send them to the Western Conference Final where they'll meet the the Kansas City Mavericks who swept the Tahoe Knight Monsters in their series. Game One is set to start in Kansas City on Thursday, May 15 at 7:05pm CT, and that should be a solid series between the top-two teams in the Western Conference. Kansas City finished four points better than Toledo in the standings with 103 points, but these two teams haven't seen one another since last year's playoffs where the Mavericks beat the Walleye 4-2 in the Western Conference Final. Clearly, Toledo wants to change that story.

For the Komets, their return to the Kelly Cup Playoffs was filled with thrills, excitement, goals, saves, and, ultimately, heartbreak as the season comes to a close far too early for their fans. They'll go back to the drawing board, see if they can keep their stars, and sign some additional talent while aiming to go farther next season. After a campaign that saw ups and downs, wins and losses, and an exciting playoff run, Komets fans should be excited for next year already!

2024-25 didn't end with a parade, but the Komets had a heckuva year. Having been to a game this season, I know how much this team means to Fort Wayne and I've witnessed the passion that the community has for its team. The Kelly Cup didn't come home to Fort Wayne this season, but it's hard not to be optimistic for the Komets as they look forward to next season. A Kelly Cup may not be far off!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!