The Toledo Walleye hosted the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday night. The Walleye wore holiday-themed Peanuts – A Christmas celebration jerseys that were auctioned off at the conclusion of the game. All proceeds from the auction went to the Flag City Honor Flight.
Jan Bednar was between the pipes for Toledo, and for Cincinnati, it was Talyn Boyko. Period One was all Toledo as at 6:47, Toledo’s Brandon Hawkins was able to capitalize on a power play to put the Walleye up 1-0. McCourt and Brandon Kruse picked up an assist on the goal. Ten minutes later, Conlan Keenan found the back of the net at 16:58. Chase Gresock and Adrien Beraldo had the assists. The Walleye would head into the second up 2-0.
The Cyclones got off to a quick start in the second. Nick Isaacson got the puck by Bednar at 2:33 to put Cincinnati within one. Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm had the assist on the goal. Toledo fought back with three unanswered goals. The first by Sam Craggs (3:48), assisted by Kruse and Keenan. Next, Alexandre Doucet found the back of the net at 7:25. Riley Sawchuk and Kirill Tyutyayev had the assists. Toledo’s third goal in the second was scored by Mitchell Lewandowski at 10:02. Hawkins and McCourt assisted Lewandiwski’s goal.
Unable to find the back of the net, the Cyclones found their way into the penalty box. Bjorgvik-Holm was called for high-sticking and received a double minor penalty. Lee Lapid was called for tripping, and Cristiano DiGiancinto for roughing. Late in Period Two, Jalen Smereck was called for a ten-minute misconduct – inciting (abuse of an official) and was sent to the locker room early. The Walleye would head into Period Three with a 5-1 lead.
Shortly into the third, Cincinnati’s Zack Andrusiak engaged in extracurriculars near the Toledo Walleye bench. His actions resulted in Andrusiak needing to be held back by a referee, but did not stop his determination to fight. He was issued a game misconduct for inciting and sent to the locker room for the rest of the period.
The Cyclones were the only team to score in the final period. Cincinnati’s Sahil Panwar scored at 14:27. Lincoln Griffin and Reece Harsch had the assist. After the final horn sounded at the end of regulation, both teams participated in some extracurricular activities. Even the Walleye goalie, Bednar, got in on the action. Cincinnati’s Cole Fraser, former Toledo Walleye, was called for roughing. Toledo would take the victory, 5-2.
In front of 8,300 fans for the tenth sellout of the year, Bednar had 26 saves for the Walleye, and Boyki had 29 for Cincinnati. Toledo will be back in action against the Cyclones on Wednesday, December 27th, at the Huntington Center. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m.
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