ECHL: Toledo Walleye Streak Continues As They Head Home with 2-0 Series Lead

The Toledo Walleye have now won six straight Kelly Cup Playoffs as they beat the Cincinnati Cyclones 5-2 on Saturday Night. For the second night in a row, the Walleye would get off to an early lead as Thomas Ebbing scored from the circle on their first shot of the game. It would be Gordie Green who would score on the Walleye’s second shot of the game as he now has three goals and an assist in the first two games of the series as the Walleye had a two-goal lead just 5:13 into the game, and Toledo would own the opening period outshooting the Cyclones 16-7. Cincinnati would find a glimmer of life early in the second period as Jalen Smerek had a break-away and beat John Lethemon to get the Cyclones on the board. However, any momentum the Cyclones gained from the goal would quickly be washed away as Drew Warrad scored just 51 seconds later to regain the Walleye’s two-goal lead; Warrad would finish with three points on the night. The Cyclones would dominate the final two periods as they would outshoot the Walleye 31-12 in the final 40 minutes of the game. Andrew Nielsen would get the Cyclones back within one with a blast from the point on the power-play, but that would be as close as they would come as once again, the Walleye had a quick response for the Cyclones as TJ Hensick scored 1:31 after the Cyclones goal, and Brandon Hawkins would add an empty netter. John Lethemon made 36 saves in the win as he hasn’t lost a game since New Year’s Eve when he lost to the Cyclones in OT on a night he’d give up four goals on 39 shots.