Five Fish light the lamp in victory over Cyclones

CINCINNATI, OH – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 5-2 on Wednesday night at the Heritage Bank Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye met the Cincinnati Cyclones for their season series finale in a midweek matchup.

Jan Bednar protected the net for the Walleye coming off of a shutout in his last outing. Matt Anderson and Riley McCourt patrolled the blue line while Riley Sawchuk, Alexandre Doucet and Mitch Lewandowski led the Toledo attack.

Pavel Cajan started between the pipes for the host Cyclones. Josh Burnside and Jalen Smereck manned the defensive zone while Lincoln Griffin, Patrick Polino and Noah Kane filled out the offense in the Cincinnati lineup.

The action kicked off with a Walleye power play at 5:13 after former Fish Cole Fraser was penalized for Tripping.

The Walleye converted the power play at 5:33 when Lewandowski lit the lamp to put the Walleye on top early 1-0. Brandon Hawkins and McCourt added assists on the icebreaker.

The Cyclones got their first man-advantage at 7:36 after Anderson was caught for Hooking. The Walleye killed off the power play.

The Walleye would get their next power play chance at 18:41 when Burnside was sent to the Cincinnati penalty box for Interference. The penalty allowed the Walleye to begin the second period on the power play.

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

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 9-6 in the period. Toledo was 1/1 on power plays completed in the period while Cincinnati was 0/1.

The second period began with the Walleye power play dropping to four-on-four for just six seconds before transitioning into a Cyclones power play due to Orrin Centazzo being penalized for Hooking at :35.

All penalties were killed off.

The Fish added a second score at 5:08 when Conlan Keenan hit twine. McCourt and Brandon Kruse added helpers to make it 2-0 Walleye.

Toledo grew the lead to 3-0 at 6:28 when Doucet buried a shot into the net from Sawchuk.

The Cyclones got on the scoreboard at 13:11 when Nick Isaacson snuck one beyond Bednar. Smereck added a solo assist to the tally.

Centazzo would be awarded a penalty shot after a breakaway that resulted in him being hauled down at 15:20. Centazzo would sneak the puck past Cajan to make it 4-1 Walleye. Centazzo has taken and made both of the Walleye penalty shots this season (other was 11/10 at FW).

The Walleye would add another at 18:32 when Hawkins buried his 37^th goal of the season. McCourt and Trenton Bliss picked apples on the score. The assist for McCourt marked his third assist of the game, while the goal marked Hawkins’ second point.

That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye leading the Cyclones 5-1.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 12-9 in the period and 21-15 through two periods. Toledo and Cincinnati were both 0/1 on power plays completed in the period.

The Cyclones would send Talyn Boyko out to relieve Cajan in net to begin the third period.

The Cyclones got their next power play chance at 4:00 when Sawchuk was sent to the Walleye penalty box for Hooking. The Walleye killed off the penalty.

The Cyclones snagged a goal at 19:01 after a lengthy review as Remy Parker snuck the puck into the net. Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm and Keanan Stewart added assists to the late tally.

The horns sounded with the Toledo Walleye claiming a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones.

The Walleye were outshot 7-10 in the third period, but outshot the Cyclones 28-25 overall. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period, finishing 1/2 overall, while Cincinnati was 0/1 in the period and 0/3 overall on the power play.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Brandon Hawkins (1G, 1A) - TOL
2. Riley McCourt (3A) - TOL
3. Orrin Centazzo (1G/PS) - TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will return home to meet the Fort Wayne Komets in the Huntington Center for Margaritaville Night on Friday, March 22, 2024, with puck drop coming at 7:15 pm ET.