How it happened:
Colby Ambrosio quickly kicked off the scoring for the Walleye, scoring the first goal of the game and his second of the year just 1:44 into the first period. Chad Hillebrand and Tanner Dickinson get the assists on goal with the first shot of the match. However, Toledo took the first penalty of the game with a holding call at 5:44 in the first and killed the penalty. Cincinnati had the highest power play unit in the ECHL entering today’s game. Nolan Lalonde made two fantastic saves on good Cincinnati scoring opportunities to keep a 1-0 Toledo lead in more than seven minutes without a whistle.
The Walleye would come back on a power play at 16:27 when Maple Leafs prospect Braeden Kressler took a tripping penalty. Tanner Kelly scored his second goal of the season on the power play with 1:41 left in the first period, while Chad Hillebrand recorded his second assist of the night and Nick Andrews added his 7e assist of the season. The Walleye ended the period leading Cincinnati in shots on goal, 8-5, and had a 2-0 lead over the Cyclones.
Toledo took a cross-checking penalty at 1:12 of the second period, setting up Cincinnati’s second power play of the day. Cincinnati shot just over Lalonde’s left shoulder to get on the board just after their power play ended to make it a 2-1 game.
Cincinnati tied the game at 2-2 with 7:21 left in the second period with a goal from Braeden Kressler. Toledo headed on the penalty kill shortly afterward due to a puck over the glass, which was quickly negated when Cincinnati took a penalty 50 seconds into the game.
Riley McCourt scored his second goal in as many games, extending his point streak to six straight games with a goal to put the Walleye up 3-2 a second before the power play expired. Brandon Hawkins had an assist on the goal and Tanner Dickinson recorded his second assist of the day. Cincinnati led Toledo in shots 18-14 at the end of the second period, but Toledo had a 3-2 lead entering the third.
Cincinnati ran a power play with 12:22 to go in regulation after a trip call by Toledo, who was killed for the fourth time by the Walleye. The Fish ran a power play with 2:48 left in the third period and then took a penalty of their own with 2:08 left. The Cyclones pulled their goaltender in the middle of 4-on-4 hockey and played with an extra attacker for the remainder of the 4-on-4 and 40 seconds of a power play.
The Walleye held on for the win as Nolan Lalonde kept the Cyclones off the board in a crucial third period. Toledo’s special teams were nearly perfect, going 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 2-for-3 on the power play. Cincinnati defeated Toledo 31-17, but the Walleye held on for the 3-2 victory.
Local 245 Three stars:
1 – D Riley McCourt, TOL (GWG)
2 – F Chad Hillebrand, TOL (2 A)
3 – F Colby Ambrosio (1 G)
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