ECHL Game Recap: Toledo Walleye vs Cincinnati Cyclones l 03/14/2025

The Toledo Walleye secured a stunning overtime victory against the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday night, with Sam Craggs delivering the winning goal through a clever five-hole move on Vyacheslav Peksa. The game stretched over 2 hours and 32 minutes, as both teams battled hard in this competitive Central Division matchup.

Special teams played a crucial role throughout the night. Toledo couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities, going 0-for-5 on the power play while also giving Cincinnati seven chances with the man advantage due to penalty trouble. The Cyclones, however, continued to struggle with converting their opportunities, managing just one power-play goal despite multiple chances. Still, they recorded a five-on-three shorthanded goal in the first period, courtesy of Remy Parker’s backhand finish on a two-on-one break, giving them two special teams goals compared to Toledo’s zero. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, that edge wasn’t enough to shift the momentum.

First Period:

Toledo struck first with a goal from Brendon Michaelian, who found the net from the slot. Former Miami University RedHawk Colby Ambrosio recorded his first professional point on the play. Ambrosio, who spent his final NCAA season at Miami, signed a professional contract with the Toledo Walleye earlier this week, alongside fellow RedHawk Dylan Moulton.

Toledo’s Mitchell Lewandowski later extended the lead, firing a wrister home off a rebound in front of Cincinnati goaltender Vyacheslav Peksa, his 20th goal of the season.

After taking two minor penalties making it five-on-three in favor of Toledo, Remy Parker and Josh Burnside broke out on a two-on-one breakaway, where Remy Parker tapped it home on the backhand, trimming the deficit to 2-1.

Second and Third Periods:

After a sluggish second period filled with penalties on both sides, Cincinnati’s Dante Sheriff tied the game early in the third with a close-range shot in front of Gylander. The goal marked Sheriff’s 10th of the season. Elijah Vilio, who picked up the lone assist, has now recorded points in six of his last seven games following his helper on the equalizer.

Toledo’s newly acquired Colby Ambrosio later re-gained the lead with just under four minutes to go in the third, scoring his first professional goal, and big one on that note.

Toledo’s Brendon Michaelian was later assessed a double-minor for high-sticking, and Chris Dodero made the Walleye pay, capitalizing on a rebound in front of netminder Carter Gylander to tie the game and send it to overtime. With an assist on the goal, Lincoln Griffin extended his point streak to eight games.

Overtime:

Sam Craggs would score a filthy “Kucherov” goal to defeat Cincinnati and give Toledo the extra point, for a final score of 4-3.

Three Stars of the Game:

1) Sam Craggs – 1 G (GWG), 1 A
2) Colby Ambrosio – 1 G, 1 A
3) Chris Dodero – 1 G

The Cyclones’ overtime struggles continued Friday night as they suffered their 10th extra-time loss of the season, dropping their record to 22-26-10. The defeat keeps Cincinnati in sixth place in the Central Division, leaving them with plenty of work to do to climb the standings.

There won’t be much time to dwell on the loss, as the Cyclones remain at Heritage Bank Center to host the Indy Fuel on Saturday evening during the Cyclones Fight Cancer Matinee. With puck drop set for 7:35 p.m. ET, it’s a prime opportunity for Cincinnati to bounce back in front of their home crowd.