TOLEDO, Ohio – Jason Lepine netted a pair of goals and Zach Torquato added three assists as the Toledo Walleye (18-18-2-1) picked up a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones (17-17-5-2) at Huntington Center on Sunday afternoon.
Toledo’s Jason Lepine was the only source of offense in the opening period; the first goal came at 8:54 when his wrist shot eluded Cyclones netminder Chet Pickard (L, 19 saves, 5-9-2-0) during a Walleye power play for a 1-0 lead. Not even three minutes later, Lepine gathered his own rebound in the corner and tucked in his second of the night at 11:35 to give Toledo a 2-0 cushion at the first intermission.
The Cyclones pulled within a goal at the 16:12 mark of period two when Chase Watson netted his first goal of the season by burying a loose puck past Toledo backstop Jimmy Spratt (W, 36 saves, 2-0-0-0). Unfortunately, though, the Walleye answered back with less than two minutes left in the frame as Simon Danis-Papin’s point blast beat Pickard through a screen to regain Toledo’s two-goal advantage through 40 minutes.
Early in the third, Toledo extended their lead to 4-1 when Tyler Doig potted his 10th goal of the year at the 4:33 mark, making Cincinnati’s comeback hopes a tough task. Although Chris Clackson tallied a late goal at 19:20, there was simply not enough time for the Cyclones to rally, as they fell by the 4-2 score.
The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:
1. Jason Lepine (2 goals for Toledo)
2. Zach Torquato (3 assists for Toledo)
3. Jimmy Spratt (Winning goaltender, 36 saves)
The defending Kelly Cup Champions will return to U.S. Bank Arena this Friday, January 28 when they play host to the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:30pm for the annual Military Appreciation Night presented by The Y. The Cyclones will wear special-edition camouflage jerseys that fans will have an opportunity to purchase at auction after the game. In addition, the first 3,000 fans ages 21 and over will receive a reusable tote bag from Coors. Discounted ticket packages and single game tickets for the 2010-2011 season are available now. For more information, call 513.421.PUCK (7825) or visit CyclonesHockey.com.
Click here for tonight’s box score.
Cyclones Sunk by Toledo, 4-2
