Justin Vaive and Louie Caporusso combined for a pair of career milestones, but the Cyclones fell 4-1 to the Toledo Walleye Friday night at Heritage Bank Center.
The Cyclones are 10-2-2-1, while Toledo improves to 6-8-0-1 on the season.
- For the first time this season, the Cyclones surrendered a goal in the opening minute of a game, as Gordie Green scored his first of two in the first period, going between the legs of Beck Warm 46 seconds into the contest. Green found the back of the net again 6:05 into the period.
- A milestone goal for Justin Vaive cut the deficit in half 10:08 into the first, with the Cyclones captain crashing the net, collecting a pass from Louie Caporusso to shovel a puck by Sebastian Cossa for his eighth goal of the season. The goal marked Vaive's 300th professional point, and the assist gave Caporusso his 400th pro point. Both forwards scored their first ever professional points in the ECHL just over a month apart in 2011.
- Former Cyclone Lukas Craggs spun into a slap shot that got past Warm at the end of the opening frame, giving Toledo a 3-1 lead heading into the second. Craggs found the back of the goal again 1:08 into the middle period, this time on Mark Sinclair, who came in for his first relief appearance as a pro.
- Cincinnati's best chance to erasing the three goal deficit came late in the game, when a pair of penalties to the Walleye allowed for Head Coach Jason Payne to pull his goaltender, giving his team a 6-on-3 advantage. The Cyclones fired 10 shots in the third period, but Cossa turned all of them aside and made 23 saves for the win. Warm took the loss in goal, while Sinclair finished the evening with 21 saves in relief.
- A rematch between the 'Clones and Walleye takes place in Toledo Saturday night.
