Cyclones Drop 4-3 Decision in 13-round Shootout

Cyclones Drop 4-3 Decision in 13-round Shootout

TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo's Joel Chouinard netted the game-ending goal in the 13th round of the shootout to give the Toledo Walleye (6-2-0-0) a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones (4-2-0-1) in front of 4,088 at the Huntington Center on Sunday night. It was the longest shootout in club history for both the Cyclones and the Walleye.

The Walleye jumped out in front halfway through the opening period when defenseman Cody Lamp's shot from the right circle beat Rob Madore (SOL, 28 saves, 2-1-0-1) through a screen to make it 1-0. Just 2:03 later, though, Cincinnati answer back when Josh Shalla finished off an odd man rush with his third goal of the season, sending a shot past Jared Coreau (W, 24 saves, 3-1-0-0) to even the score and send the teams into the dressing room all square.

The early portion of the middle frame saw a flurry of offense for both sides. Cincinnati captured its first lead of the night just 1:02 in when Shalla sniped a laser past Coreau for his second lamplighter of the contest, becoming the first Cyclone this season to notch a multi-goal game. The Walleye would respond quickly as Tyler Barnes buried a rebound left in front by Madore to again even things on the scoreboard, this time at two. However, a costly Toledo turnover set up Brian Nugent in the low slot to tuck in his first goal of the season at 2:38 to give his team a 3-2 cushion after 40 minutes.

Both teams battled hard in the final period of regulation, with Cincinnati still clinging to the one-goal lead until the final minutes. Unfortunately, Alden Hirschfeld found his way to the slot and beat Madore with a low wrist shot to tie the game at 17:32. Neither team found the net the rest of the frame nor in the five-minute overtime period so the game was to be decided in what turned out to be a record-setting shootout.

After Stephan Vigier netted a shootout goal in the 3rd round, Troy Schwab was forced to score to keep the game alive in the 5th; he did, and the contest needed extra shooters. Each time Cincinnati would score, the Walleye would answer; in the 9th round, Shayne Taker lit the lamp, but Kyle Rogers followed to extend the session. Then, in the 12th round, Kevin Sullivan put the Cyclones briefly ahead before Shane Sims answered with a goal of his own. But in the 13th round, Coreau denied Andrew Blazek before Joel Chouinard slid home the game-ending strike to give Toledo a 4-3 shootout win.

The Cyclones will be back on the ice at U.S. Bank Arena on Thursday, November 13 when they play host to the Orlando Solar Bears at 7:30pm! It will be the first Thirsty Thursday featuring $1 beers, plus, we'll pay homage to the cult classic movie "Dumb and Dumber." Call 513.421.PUCK to secure your seats and for more details. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram!

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