Walleye defeat Cyclones, 5-2, behind Hawkins’ two goals

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Brandon Hawkins scored two third period goals, propelling the Toledo Walleye to a 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones Saturday night.

Toledo and Cincinnati played most of the middle frame in a tie before Ian Parker scored the game-winning goal late in the period. Hawkins’ two goals extended the lead as the Walleye earned their 28th victory of the season, including their fourth straight road win.

The Walleye took an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Keeghan Howdeshell, his eighth score of the year. Brady Tomlak and Butrus Ghafari assisted on the goal, which found the back of the net 4:43 into the game. Both Tomlak and Ghafari tallied their tenth assists of the season with the helpers.

At 7:17, Jesse Schultz evened the score on an equal strength goal for the Cyclones. The goal, assisted by Zack Andrusiak and Nick Boka, brought the score to 1-1, but the lead would not last long. Cincinnati soon found themselves down two skaters when two Cyclones entered the penalty box over a 29 second span, and Mitchell Heard took advantage with a power play goal at the 10:15 mark. Heard increased his goal total to seven goals with the tally to follow up two goals last night against Iowa. Brandon Hawkins and Brett Boeing assisted to help the Fish take the lead.

The Walleye maintained their lead until the final seconds of the first period as Cincinnati’s Louie Caporusso, assisted by Lincoln Griffin, netted a power play goal with 11 seconds on the clock. The opportunity came off a Brandon Schultz interference penalty at 19:24, giving the Cyclones the man advantage and the game-tying goal. 

The Walleye scored the lone goal in a second period that also featured seven penalties. Four of those penalties went to Cincinnati while the Walleye picked up three. None of those penalties resulted in goals, but Ian Parker found the back of the net for an equal strength goal 15:13 into the period to break the tie. The score was Parker’s second in a Walleye uniform and eighth of the season. Cole Fraser earned the primary assist, while Brady Tomlak’s secondary assist was his second helper of the game.

The Fish entered the final period looking to maintain their 3-2 lead, and they ended up extending the lead 5:40 into the frame on Brandon Hawkins’ first goal of the game. The goal came on the power play after Nick Boka was called for hooking at 5:05. Hawkins was assisted by Randy Gazzola and Josh Dickinson, who picked up their 18th and 19th assists of the year, respectively.

Hawkins sealed the game for Toledo late in the period, finding the empty net with 1:13 to go to put the Walleye up by three goals. Brandon Schultz passed the puck to Hawkins, who sent the puck toward the empty net from the other end of the ice for his second goal of the game and 12th of the season. The goal gave the Walleye the 5-2 lead and extended Toledo’s road win streak to four games.

Toledo edged Cincinnati in shots on goal, 30-28, as well as power play opportunities, 6-5. The Walleye scored twice with the man advantage while the Cyclones converted once.

Kaden Fulcher picked up his second straight victory, making 26 saves on 28 shots for Toledo. Angus Redmond took the loss for Cincinnati, saving 25-of-29 shots in the effort.

What’s Next:

The Walleye return home tomorrow evening to face the Indy Fuel for the fourth time in ten days. Puck drop from the Huntington Center is set for 5:15 p.m.

Three Stars:

1. Toledo – Brandon Hawkins (power play goal, empty net goal, assist)
2. Toledo – Ian Parker (game-winning goal)
3. Cincinnati – Louie Caporusso (power play goal)