On Monday afternoon, the Cincinnati Cyclones faced off against the Central Division leading Toledo Walleye in a special MLK Day matinee matchup. The Cyclones were looking to bounce back after a tough 4-3 overtime loss to the Indy Fuel just two nights prior. Over the previous week, they managed a record of 2-1-1, losing to Atlanta on two Sundays ago but picking up victories against Utah and Maine on Wednesday and Friday, then falling on Saturday to Indy.
Starting between the pipes for Toledo was Carter Gylander, while Pavel Cajan took to the crease yet again for the Cyclones.
First Period:
The Cyclones kicked off the first period with a bang, as Marko Sikic netted a goal just over two minutes in, chipping the puck past Carter Gylander to give Cincinnati an early 1-0 lead.
However, the Cyclones found themselves in trouble when they were called for three penalties in the first, including a four-minute minor for high-sticking assessed to Ryan McCleary with three minutes left. But just when it seemed like Toledo could capitalize, goaltender Pavel Cajan made an incredible stick save while the team was shorthanded, holding the Cyclones one-goal edge heading into the first intermission.
Second Period:
Fast forward to the second period, and Sikic struck again, scoring his second of the night (and fourth of the season) at 12:56 to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 2-0.
The Cyclones broke out on several odd-man rushes towards the end of the middle frame but couldn’t find the back of the net to extend to a three-goal lead. Despite outshooting Toledo 14-6 in that period, they couldn’t widen the gap, as Gylander kept the Walleye in it, heading into the second intermission with Cincinnati still ahead 2-0.
Third Period:
The third period brought a moment of hope for Toledo, who finally got on the board at 6:04 with a goal from Trenton Bliss, making it a one-score game. But despite outshooting the Cyclones in the final period, Toledo couldn’t find the equalizer. Cincinnati’s solid defensive play and Cajan’s outstanding goaltending were huge down the stretch. The Cyclones limited the Walleye’s chances when it came down to the wire, holding their lead by keeping the puck in the neutral zone and dumping it deep, forcing the Walleye to wait until just 20 seconds left to pull Gylander.
With this victory, the Cyclones improved to 14-20-5 on the season, trailing behind the Fuel and Bison by four points in the Central Division standings—although the Fuel have three games in hand, and the Bison have two. What stood out to me was Cincinnati’s defensive effort, limiting Toledo to just 24 shots, which is quite low for a team with such a high-powered offense, especially with the ECHL leading scorer Brandon Hawkins on board. They kept the Walleye away from high-danger areas most of the game, keeping most of their shots to the perimeter that Cajan could handle easily. The huge save of the game was certainly Cajan’s remarkable stick save right before the first intermission, which was crucial in keeping the Cyclones ahead and one that will likely be the ECHL save of the week.
On the special teams front, while Cincinnati took four penalties (not ideal), they managed to kill off three of four power plays against them. Moving forward, discipline will be key for the Cyclones, something I am sure Jason Payne is preaching to the team.
Offensively, the Cyclones had a solid performance overall, totaling 27 shots, with both goals coming from Sikic. In the third, they shifted to a more defensively sound approach, only firing seven shots on Gylander as they focused on icing the game for the two points in the final minutes.
The Cyclones will next play on Friday night against the Iowa Heatlanders at 7:35 PM EST and will then host the Bloomington (who they are chasing) on Saturday at 4:00 PM EST.
Three Stars of the Game:
1) Marko Sikic – Two Goals
2) Chris Dodero – Two Assists
3) Pavel Cajan – 23/24 Saves
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