Cyclones Rally Falls Short in Toledo, 5-4

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Cincinnati Cyclones (26-20-1-7) nearly orchestrated another remarkable comeback but ultimately fell to the Toledo Walleye (24-27-2-2) by a 5-4 final score in front of 7,503 at Huntington Center on Sunday afternoon.

Toledo pulled ahead 1-0 at 9:09 of the opening period when Mike Thomas finished off a two-on-one rush into the Cincinnati end by burying his third goal of the year. Cincinnati would respond, though, at 12:20 when Maury Edwards sent a point blast past through Toledo net minder Jordan Pearce (W, 30 saves, 1-1-0) to knot things at one. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the Walleye to pull back ahead; at 12:39 David Toews deflected a shot past Cyclones goalie Brian Foster (L, 13 saves, 11-5-0-1) to give Toledo a 2-1 lead. Then, at 17:50 Harrison Reed found a loose puck in the low slot and lit the lamp to give his team a 3-1 edge at the first intermission.

The Walleye exploded for two more goals to start the middle frame; at 5:33 Todd Griffith potted his 11th of the season to push Toledo ahead 4-1 followed by a tap-in strike by Mike Thomas at 9:49 to make it 5-1. Cincinnati stopped the bleeding at 12:23 when Joe Devin slammed in a rebound for his sixth lamplighter of the year, shrinking the Cyclones deficit to 5-2 after 40 minutes.

In the third period, the Cyclones once again made things interesting by collecting a pair goals; Anthony Luciani sent a laser-accurate wrist shot past Pearce at 3:47 from the right circle. Then, at the 10:11 mark, Garret Wilson earned a wraparound goal to pull Cincinnati within one at 5-4. Unfortunately, though, Taylor Aronson was given a slashing penalty with just over one minute to play, snuffing out the Cyclones comeback bid as the Walleye held on to a 5-4 triumph.

The Cyclones Radio Network Stars of the Game are as follows:

First Star: Mike Thomas (Game-winning goal for Toledo, 2 goals)
Second Star: Todd Griffith (2 goals for Toledo)
Third Star: Andrej Nestrasil (2 assists for Toledo)

The Cyclones will return to U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday, February 28 as they will play host to the Greenville Road Warriors at 7:30pm. It will be another Big Beer Tuesday, with fans 21+ able to purchase 24-ounce beer for only $2! Plus, all fans will be able to enjoy $1 City BBQ sandwiches! Secure your seats now by calling 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here to view tonight's box score.