Cincinnati, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the Toledo Walleye, 5-3, in a game that saw four players record multi-point performances for Cincinnati. Highlighted by a four-goal third period, the Cyclones prevailed over Toledo on Friday night at Heritage Bank Center.
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Marko Sikic would score first for the Cyclones nearly five minutes into the game. Toledo goaltender Carter Gylander turned over the puck to forward Chris Dodero and the Chicago native was able to find Sikic, giving the Cyclones an early 1-0 lead. The goal from Sikic would be his ninth of the season and his second in back-to-back games. Dodero recorded his 16th assist of the season on the Sikic opening tally.
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The Walleye would respond quickly a couple minutes later on their first power play opportunity. Forward Carson Bantle charged towards Cyclones goalie Vyacheslav Peksa with the puck and forced it in for a goal, tying the contest at 1-1.
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The Walleye took the 2-1 lead on a goal from forward Mitchell Lewandowski with 9:32 left to go in the second period. Defenseman Jalen Smereck passed the puck to Lewandowski, who scored on the backdoor feed. Toledo would take their 2-1 lead into the final period.
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Forward Curtis Hall scored the equalizer for the Cyclones on a power play goal just over three minutes into the third period. Hall got control of the puck and backhanded the puck to the top left corner of the goal. Forward Lincoln Griffin and defenseman Elijah Vilio assisted on Hall’s first goal as a Cyclone.
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41 seconds later, the Cyclones took the lead off a Kyle Bollers rebound goal. Curtis Hall’s initial shot was blocked, but the puck found Bollers to give him his eighth goal of the season. Hall earned his second point of the game and defenseman Rhett Parsons earned one as well to record a three-game point streak for the Alberta native..
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Bantle would then capitalize on another power play, scoring at the 11:41 mark of the third period and tying the game at 3-3. Strong puck movement from forward Brandon Kruse and Mitchell Lewandowski helped Bantle score on another backdoor feed for the Walleye.
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For the third time, the Cyclones took the lead thanks to Chris Dodero scoring with 6:48 remaining in the third period. Kyle Bollers took a wrist shot and Dodero was in the right place for a rebound goal giving the Cyclones a 4-3 lead. Lincoln Griffin earned his second assist of the game as well on the Dodero goal.
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Defenseman Chas Sharpe scored a 200-foot empty net goal to give the Cyclones the insurance goal needed to close out the win. With the win, tonight marks Cincinnati’s first victory of the season when trailing after two periods.
The Cyclones will travel to Toledo tomorrow to play the Walleye and close out the home-and-home series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET and can be streamed on FloHockey and 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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