Cincinnati, OH – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones by a score of 6-3 at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati this afternoon. Tanner Kelly recorded his 12^th and 13^th goals of the season (both on the power play), Denis Smirnov, Tanner Dickinson, and Riley McCourt each had two assists, Brandon Hawkins had a goal and an assist on the day, and Will Hillman and Mitch Lewandowski each scored in the contest.

How it Happened:

Toledo took the game’s first penalty just 2:18 into regulation, giving Cincinnati’s 3^rd-ranked power play an early opportunity with a high-sticking call on Will Hillman. Toledo’s penalty kill continued their hot stretch and killed off that chance. Jacob Truscott found the puck on a shot rebound and fired it past Ken Appleby to get the Walleye on the board first for his third goal of the season. Jacques Bouquot got the lone assist on the goal 8:15 into the first period, giving the Walleye a 1-0 lead in the first. 

Cincinnati got on the board at the 18:32 mark of the first, tying the game 1-1 on a goal by Zach Trott late in the period. However, Toledo went on a power play with 15 seconds to go in the first, their first power play on the night as a result of an interference call against Cincinnati. 1:45 of the power play carried over into the second period as the game remained a 1-1 tie. 

Ken Appleby stole a goal away from Tanner Dickinson, but Tanner Kelly was there to knock in the rebound to put Toledo ahead 2-1 on the power play. The goal was Kelly’s third in three games and 12^th of the season, assisted by Dickinson and Brandon Hawkins on the power play just 1:10 into the second period. 

Lincoln Griffin was called for a trip a few minutes later, putting the Walleye on the power play again. Brandon Hawkins added onto the scoring with his 23^rd goal of the season on the power play, putting the Walleye up by two. Riley McCourt and Denis Smirnov got the assists on the goal 6:28 into the second.

Offensive pressure on each end continued for a while until Mitch Lewandowski added another goal for the Walleye, his 5^th goal of the season 15:39 into the second period. Tanner Dickinson got his second point of the afternoon with a primary assist on the goal, and Will MacKinnon got a secondary assist on the goal. 

Cincinnati got one goal back as Jordan Kaplan broke free and put a shot past Matt Jurusik, bringing the Cyclones within two at the 17:46 mark of the second period. Toledo still held a 4-2 lead at the end of the second, looking to hold onto it as they moved into the third period. 

The Cyclones kicked off the third period by taking a high-sticking penalty, setting Toledo up for their 3^rd power play (standing at 2-for-2 on the day) 43 seconds into the third period. Tanner Kelly made it 3-for-3 with his second goal of the day and 13^th of the season, putting Toledo up 5-2 1:33 into the third period. Riley McCourt and Denis Smirnov each got assists on the goal, the second of the day for both. Cincinnati came right back though, as Ben King intercepted a pass and wrapped it around into the Toledo goal, making it a 5-3 game. 

Will Hillman was called for a hooking penalty 4:46 into the period, putting Cincinnati on their second power play of the day, not finding success on their first. Hillman came out of the box after his penalty expired, took a feed from Nate Roy 30 seconds later, skated past two Cyclones defenders, and scored to put the Walleye up 6-3. Nick Andrews was also credited with an assist on the goal. 

Nate Roy took a boarding penalty with 2:24 to go in regulation with the Walleye up by three, giving Cincinnati their third chance at the power play on the day. Cincinnati had a fantastic scoring chance, but Matt Jurusik made a huge save with his pad as he was stretched across the crease. Roy’s penalty expired, but Cincinnati had a delayed penalty for a brief second before time expired. It wasn’t enough time to get anything done as Toledo held on for the 6-3 win. Toledo’s special teams were perfect on the day, with the power-play 3-for-3 and the penalty kill 3-for-3. Toledo finished the contest outshooting the Cyclones 24-18.

Three Stars:

1 – F Brandon Hawkins, TOL (1 G, 1 A)

2 – F Tanner Kelly, TOL (2 G)

3 – F Ben King, CIN (1 G, 1 A)

What’s Next:

The Walleye will face off against the Cincinnati Cyclones again at the Huntington Center in what’s set to be the 100^th consecutive sellout for the Walleye, looking to build on the team’s 7-0-1-0 record against the Cyclones this season. Puck drop for the home contest on Friday, February 6^th is set for 7:15 PM.