Walleye rock Cyclones in electric 4-3 comeback win

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 4-3 on Friday night at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye welcomed the Cincinnati Cyclones into the Huntington Center for the last time during the 2023-24 regular season.

John Lethemon defended the home net for the Walleye on his bobblehead night. Brendon Michaelian and Michael Prapavessis manned the defense while Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss and Conlan Keenan led the Toledo attack.

Rylan Parenteau started between the pipes for the visiting Cyclones. Jalen Smereck and Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm staffed the defense while Zack Andrusiak, Patrick Polino and Sahil Panwar filled out the attack for Cincinnati.

The action began with a long Cyclones power play at 6:44 when Alexandre Doucet was called for a Double Minor, both for High-Sticking.

The Cyclones converted the first half of the power play at 8:00 when Remy Parker buried his first professional goal to give the Cyclones the early lead. Noah Kane and Panwar added assists to the score, with Kane’s assist being the first point of his professional career.

Cincinnati then converted the second half of the power play at 8:34 when Nick Isaacson lit the lamp, making it 2-0 Cincinnati. Polino and Smereck added helpers on the score.

The Walleye got their first man-advantage at 17:13 when Josh Burnside was penalized for Interference for the Cyclones. The Cyclones killed off the power play.

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

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 16-12 in the period. Toledo was 0/1 on the power play in the period while Cincinnati was 2/2.

The second period began with a Toledo power play at 3:27 as Steven MacLean was penalized for High-Sticking. Cincinnati killed off the power play.

The next Walleye power play came at 12:02 when Sean Allen was caught Slashing.

The two teams exchanged Roughing penalties, but play remained five-on-four at 12:25 as Bliss and Burnside each headed to their respective penalty boxes.

The Walleye found the scoreboard at 15:53 when Hawkins kicked down the front door to shorten the deficit to 2-1. Mitch Lewandowski and Brandon Kruse picked apples on the initial Walleye score.

The Cyclones got their next man-advantage at 16:24 when Kruse was penalized for Holding the Stick. The Walleye killed off the power play.

The Fish knotted the score at 2-2 when Riley Sawchuk struck twine at 18:34. Bliss and Matt Anderson added assists to the equalizer.

That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye and the Cyclones tied 2-2.

The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 13-8 in the period and 29-20 cumulatively. Toledo was 0/2 on the power play in the period while Cincinnati was 0/1.

The third period kicked off with Sam Craggs giving the Walleye a 3-2 lead at 7:50. Kruse added a solo assist to the score.

The Walleye got their next power play chance at 8:34 when Panwar was penalized for Hooking.

The Fish converted the power play at 10:01 when Hawkins sniped another score, his second of the game and 35^th of the season, tying his 2021-22 season total for third-most in a single season in Walleye history. Prapavessis and Sawchuk did the dishes on the insurance tally at 4-2.

The Cyclones pulled Parenteau for an extra skater, scoring a goal at 19:42 to bring it to 4-3 Fish. Lincoln Griffin scored the late tally with helpers from Smereck and Polino.

The horns sounded with the Walleye claiming a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones. The Walleye outshot the Cyclones 12-7 in the third period and 41-27 overall. Toledo was 1/1 on the power play in the period and 1/4 overall, while Cincinnati did not have a power play chance in the period and finished 2/3 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Brandon Hawkins (2G, GWG; 150^th Pro Goal) – TOL
2. Riley Sawchuk (1G, 1A) – TOL
3. Sam Craggs (1G) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will close their eight-game homestand by welcoming the Kalamazoo Wings into the Bank Tank for the final time during the 2023-24 regular season tomorrow, Saturday, March 9, 2024, with puck drop coming at 7:15 pm ET for Labatt Hockey Night in Toledo.