The Toledo Walleye secured the Central Division title with a dominant 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Mavericks on Saturday night at the Huntington Center.
In a game that had major playoff implications, the Toledo Walleye put on a clinic in front of their home crowd, dismantling the Kansas City Mavericks 5-2 to clinch the Central Division title on Saturday night at the Huntington Center.
The Walleye got on the board early, with captain T.J. Hensick scoring just 3:27 into the game. The Mavericks tied it up midway through the period, but the Walleye regained the lead on a goal by Shane Bersch at the 16:47 mark.
Toledo extended its lead to 3-1 in the second period on a goal by Zach Gallant, and they never looked back. The Mavericks pulled within one goal early in the third period, but the Walleye responded with two more goals from Bersch and Hensick to seal the victory.
The win gives the Walleye a total of 94 points, which is four points ahead of the second-place Cincinnati Cyclones. With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Walleye have clinched the Central Division title and home-ice advantage throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs.
"This is a huge accomplishment for our team," said Hensick after the game. "We've worked hard all season long, and it's great to see it pay off like this. We're excited to get to the playoffs and make a run."
The Walleye will wrap up their regular season with a three-game road trip next weekend, beginning with a game on Friday night in Fort Wayne. They will then travel to Cincinnati on Saturday and Grand Rapids on Sunday.
The playoffs begin on April 21st, with the Walleye hosting the first two games of their first-round series. Their opponent will be determined once the regular season concludes.
