Toledo, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones fell to the Toledo Walleye 4-3 on Saturday night at the Huntington Center. Despite a late push from Cincinnati, Toledo would hold on to take the two points from the Cyclones in the tenth matchup of the season between the two clubs.
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Forward Lincoln Griffin struck first for Cincinnati. After Mathieu Gosselin would gain control of the puck in the slot and take a shot that was saved by the Walleye goaltender Jan Bednar. Griffin, staying in position, retrieved a rebound and took a shot that went through the five hole of Bednar for a goal. Griffin scored his 21st goal of the season and his impressive point streak extended to seven.
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A late power play in the first period led to a goal from captain Brandon Hawkins. His team leading 33rd goal of the season made it 1-1 heading into the second period.
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The Cyclones would capitalize on their second power play chance of the night, taking a 2-1 lead just over two minutes into the second period. After a nifty move on one knee by Gosselin got him past a Walleye defenseman, he fed the puck to Bollers who took the shot and beat Bednar. Bollers recorded his ninth of the season with the tally.
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With the secondary assist, defenseman Elijah Vilio contributed on Boller’s ninth goal of the season. Vilio has points in five of his last six games with six total assists during that stretch.
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Brandon Hawkins would respond and tie the game for the Walleye a second time on another power play goal at the 14:07 mark in the second period. An unfortunate hop in the Cincinnati zone led to Hawkins with the puck and with space in the slot to tie it at 2-2.
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The Walleye would take their first lead of the game with 5:47 remaining in the second period. Forward Mitchell Lewandowski had command of the puck behind the net. He centered a pass to defenseman Bobby Russell who shot and scored. Toledo would take their 3-2 lead into the third period.
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The Walleye would pick up an insurance goal with 11:48 left to play. Forward Darian Pilon scored his fourth goal of the season off a rebound goal after a shot by Sam Craggs was denied by Cyclone goalie Vyacheslav Peksa. His goal made it 4-2.
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With 27 seconds left, Cyclones defenseman Josh Burnside made it a one goal game with his first goal of the season on a six-on-five man advantage. Burnside’s quick wrist shot found the back of the net for his first of the season. The Walleye were able to hold off another late goal attempt by the Cyclones and win the contest 4-3.
The Cyclones will look for revenge against the Toledo Walleye on Friday night at Heritage Bank Center on Bobblehead Giveaway night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 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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