TOLEDO, Ohio – A strong performance from goaltender Rob Madore and a three-point night from Joe Basaraba helped lead the Cincinnati Cyclones (1-0-0-0) past the Toledo Walleye (0-1-0-0) by a 4-1 final score in front of 8,000 at Huntington Center on Saturday night.
The Cyclones got on the board just 1:30 into the opening stanza as Stephan Vigier slammed in his first goal of the season after catching a great feed from Brian Nugent in front of the net. At the other end of the ice, Madore (W, 35 saves, 1-0-0-0) was tested eight times, including a breakaway by Justin Mercier, and held Toledo off the scoreboard to keep his team in the lead after 20 minutes.
The middle period saw the Walleye pump 15 shots on Cincinnati's net, however, Madore stood tall and kept his team ahead by one through two periods. The Cyclones earned a bit of breathing room early into the final frame as Greger Hanson feathered home a deflected puck past Toledo goaltender Jeff Lerg (L, 13 saves, 0-1-0-0) at 1:50 to make it 2-0. The Walleye would answer back, however, with a power play goal by Dane Walters at the 4:19 mark to cut the Cincinnati lead to one. As he had for much of the game, Madore remained poised in net; he ultimately turned aside 13 third period shots. Then, the Cyclones sealed the contest with back-to-back empty net strikes from Joe Basaraba and Wade Megan to finish 4-1 winners in the season opener.
After a week of practice, the Cyclones will return for another season of hockey at U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, October 25 when they play host to the Kalamazoo Wings at 7:30pm. In addition to $1 John Morrell Hot Dogs, Donatos Pizza, and soda, the first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a Cyclones Magnet! Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).
Cyclones Sink Walleye in Season Opener, 4-1
