Centazzo calls game in 4-3 thriller over Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, OH – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night at the Heritage Bank Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye headed South for a date with the Cincinnati Cyclones to begin a home-and-home set.

John Lethemon started between the pipes for the Walleye. Matt Anderson and Riley McCourt staffed the defense while Sam Craggs, Conlan Keenan and Brandon Kruse led the Toledo attack.

Olof Lindbom defended the home net for the Cyclones. Landon Cato and Jalen Smereck manned the defense while Zack Andrusiak, Louie Caporusso and Justin Vaive filled out the Cincinnati attack.

The action began with a Walleye power play at 2:25 after Tim Doherty was sent to the Cyclones penalty box for Hooking. The Cyclones killed off the power play.

The Walleye broke the ice at 15:21 when Colin Theisen lit the lamp to put Toledo on top 1-0. Anderson and Brandon Hawkins added assists to the icebreaker.

That wrapped the action from the first frame with the Walleye leading the Cyclones 1-0.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 11-9 in the period. Toledo was 0/1 on the power play while Cincinnati did not have an opportunity.

Cincinnati wasted no time evening up the score in the second period as Andrusiak found the net at :29. Caporusso netted the solo assist on the tally.

The Cyclones took the lead at 6:59 when Lee Lapid found the net unassisted.

Cincinnati stretched the lead to 3-1 at 10:06 when Sahil Panwar put one past Lethemon. Reece Harsch and Lincoln Griffin added assists to the tally.

The Walleye brought it back within one at 14:15 when Riley Sawchuk found paydirt. Chase Gresock had the solo assist on the score.

Cincinnati got their first power play chance at 14:34 when Jake Willets was sent to the Toledo penalty box for High-Sticking. Toledo killed off the penalty.

The period closed in the middle of a Cyclones power play as Sawchuk was sent to the Walleye penalty box at 18:58 for Slashing. There would be 58 seconds left in the power play to begin the third period.

The second period would wrap with Cincinnati leading Toledo 3-2.

The Walleye were outshot by the Cyclones 7-13 in the period and 18-22 cumulatively. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period, while Cincinnati was 0/1 on completed power plays.

The third period action began with the Walleye completing the penalty kill from the second period.

The Walleye got their next power play chance at 5:08 after Caporusso was sent to the Cyclones penalty box for Holding.

The Fish would get their man-advantage extended to five-on-three for 55 seconds at 6:13 when Lapid was sent to the penalty box for Boarding.

After the first penalty was killed off, the Walleye converted the second power play at 7:22 when Hawkins struck twine to tie the game at 3-3. Orrin Centazzo and Kruse added assists to the equalizer.

The Cyclones got their next power play chance at 7:40 after Grant Loven was sent to the Walleye penalty box for Tripping. The Walleye killed off the power play.

That wrapped the action in the third period with the Walleye and the Cyclones tied at 3-3, sending the game to overtime.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 13-3 in the period and 31-25 cumulatively. Toledo was 1/2 on the power play in the period while Cincinnati was 0/1.

Centazzo went with a backhand shot and flipped it past Lindbom to send the Walleye home with a 4-3 overtime win! Keenan and Anderson added assists to the game-winner.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 4-1 in overtime and 35-26 overall. Neither team had a power play in the period, but Toledo finished 1/3 overall, while Cincinnati finished 0/3 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Orrin Centazzo (1G, 1A, GWG) – TOL
2. Brandon Hawkins (1G, 1A) – TOL
3. Zack Andrusiak (1G) – CIN

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will head home to close out their weekend tomorrow, Sunday, January 7, 2024, against the Cincinnati Cyclones at the Huntington Center with puck drop coming at 5:15 pm ET.

Prior to tonight's game, the Toledo Walleye announced today that they have signed defenseman Brendon Michaelian (mick-cal-ee-in).

Michaelian comes to the Walleye from Fayetteville where he was playing with forward Grant Loven who signed with Toledo on Thursday. The 26-year-old has 11 points (2G, 9A) in 22 games this year for the Marksmen, his first professional season. Prior to turning pro, the Wixom, Michigan native spent five seasons in the college, playing three years with Robert Morris and one year each at Ferris State and Mercyhurst. Over 141 college contests, Michaelian posted 11 goals with 38 assists.