Walleye claim point in overtime loss to Cyclones

CINCINNATI, OH – The Toledo Walleye fell to the Cincinnati Cyclones 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at the Heritage Bank Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye returned to the Heritage Bank Center for a rematch with the Cincinnati Cyclones.

John Lethemon started between the pipes for the Walleye. Matt Anderson and Michael Prapavessis manned the defence while Riley Sawchuk, Orrin Centazzo and Mitch Lewandowski led the Toledo attack.

Talyn Boyko defended the home net for the Cyclones. Jalen Smereck and Josh Burnside staffed the defence while Zack Andrusiak, Patrick Polino and Justin Vaive filled out the attack for Cincinnati.

The Cyclones started the scoring at 3:35 when Lee Lapid found the net with Sahil Panwar adding a solo assist on the icebreaker.

The Walleye got their first power play chance at 5:05 when Panwar was sent to the Cyclones penalty box for Hooking. The Cyclones killed off the power play.

Cincinnati got their first power play chance at 7:44 when Jake Willets was sent to the Toledo penalty box for Tripping. Toledo fended off the power play.

The Fish got their next man-advantage at 12:08 when Vaive was assessed a High-Sticking for the Cyclones. The Cyclones once again killed off the penalty.

The Walleye earned their third power play of the night after Joe Masonius was sent to the Cyclones penalty box for Roughing at 19:56, meaning all but the initial four seconds of the power play would occur in the second period.

That wrapped the first period action with the Walleye trailing the Cyclones 1-0.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 12-5 in the period. Toledo was 0/2 on power plays completed in the period, while Cincinnati was 0/1.

The second period began with the Walleye converting the carried over power play at 1:32 when Riley Sawchuk lit the lamp. Alexandre Doucet and Sam Craggs added assists to the equalizer.

Cincinnati reclaimed the lead at 3:44 when Panwar put one past Lethemon, making it 2-1 Cincinnati. Lapid and Lincoln Griffin assisted the score for the Cyclones.

The Cyclones got their first man-advantage of the period at 8:02 when Anderson was hit with a Holding minor. The Walleye killed off the power play.

The Walleye got their fourth power play chance of the night at 14:16 when the Cyclones were hit with a Delay of Game minor, which Colton Kalezic would serve.

The Fish converted the power play at 15:06 when Trenton Bliss found paydirt to extend his point streak to seven games. Centazzo and Brandon Kruse were the helping-hands on the tally.

That wrapped the second frame with the Walleye and the Cyclones tied 2-2.

The two teams shot even at 12-12 in the period, with the Walleye outshooting the Cyclones 24-17 cumulatively. Toledo was 2/2 on completed power plays in the period, while Cincinnati was 0/1.

The third period action began with a Walleye power play at 11:24 when Burnside was assessed a Holding minor. The Cyclones killed off the power play.

Cincinnati would close regulation on the power play as Kruse was sent to the Toledo penalty box at 19:10 for Tripping. Toledo held off the Cincinnati power play to send the game to overtime.

The two teams closed regulation tied at 2-2. The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 6-5 in the period and 30-22 cumulatively. Neither team completed a power play in the period.

The Cyclones converted the power play at :32 in overtime when Andrusiak to claim a 3-2 overtime victory. Polino and Smereck assisted the game-winner.

The Cyclones had the lone shot in overtime, but the Walleye outshot the Cyclones 30-23 overall. Toledo was 2/5 on the power play while Cincinnati was 1/3.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Zack Andrusiak (1G, GWG) – CIN
2. Sahil Panwar (1G, 1A) – CIN
3. Talyn Boyko (W/OT, 28/30 SV) – CIN

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will return home to the Huntington Center tomorrow, Saturday, January 27, 2024, to become the Toledo Storm and battle the Kalamazoo Wings as the Walleye celebrate the back-to-back Toledo Storm championship teams beginning with a Labatt Hockey Night in Toledo with puck drop at 7:15 pm ET.