Walleye storm the net for nine goals in 9-1 win

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 9-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye welcomed the Cincinnati Cyclones into the Huntington Center to wrap Toledo Storm Weekend.

John Lethemon defended the home net for the Walleye. Matt Anderson and Michael Prapavessis manned the defence while Sam Craggs, Conlan Keenan and Brandon Kruse led the Toledo attack.

Talyn Boyko started between the pipes for the Cyclones. Jalen Smereck and Josh Burnside staffed the defence while Patrick Polino, Justin Vaive, and Sahil Panwar filled out the attack for Cincinnati.

The Fish got the fun started at :42 when Riley Sawchuk found the net to put the Walleye on the board first. Mitch Lewandowski and Alexandre Doucet assisted the icebreaker.

The Walleye lit the lamp again at 1:28 when Riley McCourt sniped one past Boyko. Orrin Centazzo and Trenton Bliss added assists to the tally.

The Cyclones got their first power play chance at 7:43 when Adrien Beraldo was sent to the Walleye penalty box for Tripping. The Walleye killed off the penalty.

That wrapped the first period action with the Walleye leading the Cyclones 2-0.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 8-6 in the period. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period, while Cincinnati was 0/1.

Just like in the first period, the Walleye rattled off two goals in quick succession to get the period started.

First, it was Brandon Hawkins on the backside to make it 3-0 at 4:36. Centazzo and Bliss added their second assists of the night to allow Hawkins to churn the butter.

Then, it was Keenan hitting twine at 4:49 from Kruse and Craggs to stretch it to 4-0 Walleye.

The Walleye got their first power play chance at 8:40 after Panwar was assessed a Cross-Checking for the Cyclones.

The Walleye converted the power play at 10:08 when Hawkins slipped another one behind Boyko. McCourt and Centazzo tallied assists for their second and third point of the night respectively.

Cincinnati got their next man-advantage at 12:28 after Hawkins was hit with an Interference minor. Toledo killed off the penalty.

The Fish added on another at 16:47 when Chase Gresock lit the lamp for the second time in as many days, making it 6-0 Walleye.

The Walleye got their second power play chance of the evening at 18:09 when Cole Fraser was assessed a Delay of Game minor. The power play would carry over into the first nine seconds of the third period.

That wrapped the second period action with the Walleye leading the Cyclones 6-0.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 18-6 in the period and 26-12 cumulatively. Toledo was 1/1 on power plays completed in the period, while Cincinnati was 0/1.

Olof Lindbom replaced Boyko in the net to begin the third period for the Cyclones.

The third period action started with the Cyclones killing off the remainder of the Walleye power play.

Cincinnati got their next power play at :20 when Craggs was sent to the Toledo penalty box for Holding.

The Walleye struck again at 1:31 as Lewandowski found the net shorthanded and unassisted.

The Cyclones ruined the clean sheet at 2:31 when Brandon Puricelli found the backside of the net. Nick Isaacson and Burnside assisted the score.

The Fish tacked on another at 5:15 as Keenan buried his second goal of the game. Prapavessis and Kruse were the helping-hands on the tally.

Keenan sent hats flying at 8:45 to stretch the Walleye lead to 9-0. Gresock and Kruse added their second and third assists respectively.

The Cyclones got their next power play chance at 18:14 when the Walleye were caught with Too Many Men on the ice. Centazzo served the penalty for the Fish. 

Smereck also received a ten-minute Misconduct at 18:14, ending his night.

The horns sounded with the Walleye claiming a commanding 9-1 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones.

The Walleye were outshot 8-9 in the period, but outshot the Cyclones 34-21 overall. Toledo was 0/1 on power plays completed in the period and 1/2 overall, while Cincinnati was 0/2 in the period and 0/4 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Conlan Keenan (3G) – TOL
2. Brandon Hawkins (2G) – TOL
3. Orrin Centazzo (3A) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will remain home to welcome the Norfolk Admirals into the Huntington Center for a three-game weekend series. The weekend kicks off on Friday, February 2, 2024 with puck drop at 7:15 pm ET.