ECHL Game Recap: Cincinnati Cyclones vs Toledo Walleye l 11/02/2024

The Cincinnati Cyclones faced off against the Toledo Walleye on the road Saturday night at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.The Cyclones entered this game without a win, holding a record of 0-3-2, while the Toledo Walleye came in with a record of 4-1-1. On Friday night, the Cyclones suffered another close loss, falling to the Bloomington Bison by a score of 3-2 after a late surge from the Cyclones. This was the first meeting between these Central Division rivals this season, and they are scheduled to face each other many more times soon.

First Period:

Walleye Goal (0:46): Scored by Sam Craggs, assisted by Jalen Smereck and Brandon Hawkins
Cyclones Goal (8:15): Matthew Boudens (unassisted)

The Walleye got off to a hot start 46 seconds into the game, as Sam Craggs lit the lamp, giving the Walleye a 1-0 lead. The Cyclones responded with a shorthanded goal, scored by #28 Matthew Boudens at 8:15 to tie the game at one goal apiece heading into the second period.

Second Period:

Walleye Goal (0:59): Scored by Tyler Spezia, assisted by Brandon Kruse and Brendon Michaelian
Walleye Goal (1:49): Scored by Conlan Keenan, assisted by Grant Gabriele and Colin Swoyer
Cyclones Goal (3:26): Scored by Kyle Bollers, assisted by Chas Sharpe
Cyclones Goal (5:40): Scored by Ty Voit, assisted by Tristan Ashbrook
Walleye Goal (12:59): Scored by Mitchell Lewandowski, assisted by Brandon Hawkins and Jalen Smereck
Cyclones Goal (13:50): Scored by Chas Sharpe, assisted by Josh Burnside

A back-and-forth period overall, the Walleye jumped out to a 3-1 lead after goals from Tyler Spezia and Conlan Keenan, all within the first two minutes of the period. The Cyclones later responded with two goals of their own, scored by Kyle Bollers and Ty Voit, to even the game at 3-3. Once again, the Walleye answered back with a goal from Mitchell Lewandowski, to give them a 4-3 lead, which did not hold for long. Chas Sharpe of the Cyclones answered back with a goal, to even the game at 4-4 heading into the final period.

Third Period:

Walleye Goal (6:51): Scored by Grant Gabriele, assisted by Tyler Spezia and Mitchell Lewandowski

In contrast to the action-packed second period, this one featured only a single goal, scored by Grant Gabriele of the Walleye, which ultimately became the winning goal. The Cyclones struggled in the final minutes of the game as they pulled goaltender Pavel Cajan in a desperate attempt to even the game, but they fell short once again.

Final Score: 5-4 Walleye

With this loss, the Cyclones remain winless this season, bringing their record to 0-4-2, which is not ideal. They will host the Wheeling Nailers on Wednesday, November 6th at Heritage Bank Center. Meanwhile, the Walleye improved to 5-1-1 and hope to maintain their strong start to the season and will host the Fort Wayne Komets next Friday for Military Appreciation night.

Three Stars of the Game:
1) Grant Gabriele
2) Tyler Spezia
3) Mitchell Lewandowski

Note: I will go in-depth in another article on what has led to this abysmal start from the Cyclones later this week, so make sure to check it out.