Nagle denies Walleye an early finish to ECHL set

Pat Nagle reappeared in the Fort Wayne Komets crease on Friday (May 5, 2017) and delivered a series saving 34-save effort as the host Komets downed the Toledo Walleye 4-1 to stay alive in its Best of Seven East Coast Hockey League Central Division final series.

Jamie Schaafsma also played a big part for the home team scoring both the first and final goals as the Komets picked up its first win in four tries against the Walleye.

His first goal came 3:13 into the contest and Gabriel Desjardins followed it up with his fifth of the post season to help the home team build a 2-0 cushion before Evan Rankin fired his seventh of the playoffs late in the opening period to get the Walleye on the board.

Both teams were held off the board in the middle period and teams were halfway through the third before Shawn Szydlowski added some insurance for the Komets.

Schaafsma’s second of the night clinched the win for the Komets and included an assist for Nagle – just a little icing on a near perfect night for the Komets’ keeper.

Jeff Lerg handled 28 of 32 in goal for the Walleye, who will take another stab at wrapping up the series when it returns to the Huntington Center in Toledo on Saturday (May 6).