Despite the Cincinnati Cyclones’ playoff chances remaining slim, hanging on by a thread, they pulled off an entertaining 5-4 overtime win over the Toledo Walleye on Saturday. It was likely their final home game of the season at Heritage Bank Center, with their last four games coming on the road — three against Iowa and one in Fort Wayne on Sunday.
First Period
The first period opened with plenty of action, as the Toledo Walleye were handed a huge opportunity early on. Cincinnati’s Justin Portillo received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for elbowing, putting the Cyclones’ penalty kill to the test. Despite the extended power play, Toledo couldn’t break through. The Cyclones’ penalty kill was relentless, playing with high energy to kill off all five minutes and keep the game scoreless.
With just over a minute left in the first period, Cincinnati turned the tables. On the power play, Chas Sharpe stepped up in a big way, ripping a laser of a shot past Toledo goaltender Jan Bednar.
The snipe gave the Cyclones a 1-0 lead and injected a spark into the team as they headed into the first intermission with momentum on their side.
Second Period
The second period began with an immediate response from Toledo. Mitchell Lewandowski capitalized on a power play that carried over from a late first-period holding call on Remy Parker, burying his 25th goal of the season to even the score at 1–1. The goal came right out of the gate and shifted the momentum back in favor of the Walleye.
But Cincinnati wasn’t about to let that momentum stick. Less than a minute after Toledo’s equalizer, Mathieu Gosselin delivered a highlight-reel goal to put the Cyclones back in front. On the breakout, Gosselin expertly deked Bednar, pulling the puck from forehand to backhand before sliding it past the netminder’s left blocker. His smooth finish restored Cincinnati’s lead at 2–1.
Late in the second period, Cincinnati goaltender Vyacheslav Peksa came through with an incredible highlight-reel save. Facing a dangerous two-on-one rush, Peksa read the play perfectly, stretching out in full desperation to shut down the scoring chance.
Cincinnati carried their one-goal advantage into the second intermission.
Third Period
Just over four minutes into the third period, Mitchell Lewandowski struck again for Toledo, burying a rebound in front to even the game at 2–2.
The Cyclones season was hanging in the balance at this point, and they blew it, giving up a crushing 3-2 goal from Brandon Kruse in front.
With 8:16 left in the third frame, Cincinnati’s Elijah Vilio sniped a shot past Jan Bednar to even the game up at 3-3, his second goal of the season.
Cincinnati’s Dante Sheriff and Curtis Hall later broke out on a two-on-one rush, where Sheriff dished a perfect one-time pass to Hall, who tapped it home to regain the lead for the Cyclones at 4–3.
With just 2.5 seconds left on the clock, Toledo’s Brandon Hawkins delivered in the clutch, blasting a perfect one-timer past Vyacheslav Peksa to tie the game and force overtime.
In overtime, both teams battled relentlessly, pushing the pace and trading chances. As overtime wore on, it looked as though the game might head to a shootout. But with less than a minute remaining, Cincinnati’s Dante Sheriff found his moment. Breaking past the Toledo defense, Sheriff charged toward the net, made a slick move to his backhand, and slid the puck past Jan Bednar to seal the Cyclones’ thrilling 5–4 victory.
The Cyclones will travel to Fort Wayne to face off against the Komets on Sunday afternoon at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET
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