Cincinnati, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the division leading Toledo Walleye, 2-1, in a tightly-contested battle at Heritage Bank Center on Monday afternoon. Highlighted by the first two-goal performance of Marko Sikic’s career, the Cyclones kickstarted their long homestand with an important victory in front of their home crowd.
- The Cyclones got the offense started right out of the gate. Despite an early push from Toledo, Cincinnati would strike on their first shot on goal. Mathieu Gosselin extended the play to Chris Dodero who entered the zone and centered a pass to Sikic. Sikic found the back of the net for his third of the season to make it 1-0, Cyclones.
- With his goal, Sikic now has points in three of his last four games. Additionally, Gosselin has found the scoresheet in the same amount of games with his 15th helper of the 2024-25 regular season.
- The Cyclones would carry the lead into the first intermission. Pavel Cajan denied all nine shots he faced in the opening period, including an excellent paddle save late in the first period.
- Cincinnati would be much more aggressive in the second period, outshooting Toledo 14-6 in the second period. The Cyclones doubled their lead to 2-0 with Dodero and Sikic connecting once again. Sikic scored on his own rebound to record his fourth of the season.
- Sikic now has four points (3g, 1a) in his last four games. Meanwhile, Dodero picked up his third multi-point performance of the season and has points in six of his last eight appearances. Additionally, Dodero has assists in four of his last five games played.
- Cincinnati slammed the door to lock a 2-0 lead into the third and final period. Trenton Bliss would score on the power play to cut the lead in half with his 13th goal of the season.
- Pavel Cajan would stand tall the rest of the way, making 23 saves en route to recording his eighth victory of the season between the pipes for the Cyclones. Cajan (3), Dodero (2), and Sikic (1) would each be awarded with Stars of the Game honors.
- With the win, the Cyclones picked up yet another win when leading after two periods, going 14-1-0-0 when holding onto the advantage after 40 minutes of action.
Cincinnati returns to Heritage Bank Center on Friday night when the Cyclones host the Iowa Heartlanders at 7:35 p.m. ET. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a Hawaiian Shirt giveaway. Those not in attendance can watch the game on FloHockey and listen via the Cyclones Radio Network.
Call (513) 421-PUCK for tickets and more information and stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com.
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