Teddy bears flood the ice for Lucas County kids in need (Photo Angie Marie)
Hosting their North Division rival Cincinnati Cyclones tonight at the Lucas County Arena, the Toledo Walleye fell just short, losing with a score of 4-3. Cincinnati moves just over Toledo in the division, tied at 15 points each.
While the Walleye were unable to pull out the win, they were able to help local children in need. Following their opening goal, hundreds of teddy bears and other stuffed animals were tossed down to the ice. All were collected and will be donated local kids care of Lucas County Children Services.
It took a few minutes for both the teams and the fans to get going in the opening stanza as teams skated for nearly three minutes without a whistle. The Walleye gave fans a wake-up call about five minutes in as they had back-to-back scoring chances, both stopped by Cyclones goaltender Jeremy Smith.
The fans rose to their feet again later in the first as a lengthy fight occurred at the far blue line. Toledo's Malcolm MacMillan traded punches with Dwayne Zinger of the Cyclones, sending each to the box for five-minute majors.
It was Cincinnati however who got the first score of the game, as Ryan Del Monte connected on Toledo's too-many-men penalty to put the Cyclones up 1-0 going into the first intermission.
The Walleye continued to plug along in the second, especially Mike Hedden, fresh off of injured reserve. Hedden notched four shots, the last of which went in the net to tie the game at one all.
Cincinnati regained the lead later in the period, again capitalizing on the power play. After contemplating a pass from the point, Barret Ehgoetz made a quick shot right through the five-hole for the score.
Despite numerous big saves by Walleye netminder Jordan Pearce, the Cyclones closed out the period with yet another power-play goal. Justin Sproat tallied his seventh of the season, tipping in a pass from Del Monte.
The Cincinnati show continued in the third as Del Monte won a faceoff four minutes in, sending the puck to Bryan Leitch, who put it right in the goal.
The Walleye were able to answer back this time, much from the help of Derek Nesbitt, who was playing in his first game in Toledo. Taking a pass from Chris Robertson, he dropped it in the net to make the score 4-2. While teddy bears didn't his the ice after this goal, there was an octopus that made its way to the playing surface.
As time wound down, Toledo looked to get back in the game late in the third following a delay-of-game penalty to the Cyclones. After a timeout and gaining the six-on-four advantage with Pearce on the bench, Nesbit scored once more to put them within one goal with about 80 seconds to play.
The Walleye nearly had it tied up in the final moments, much to the enjoyment of the crowd, but the goal was waived off and Cincinnati earned the win.
Sitting down with head coach Nick Vitucci after the game, he stressed the need to improve a bit on positioning and special teams, especially when dealing with the Cyclones who "frustrate power plays" and are perfectly happy in blocking numerous shots well before they reach the net. He was however fortunate to have the services of Derek Nesbitt, calling him a "hell of a hockey player." Looking forward to Sunday's game, Vitucci plans to start goaltender Billy Sauer, who is highly regarded by the Colorado Avalanche franchise.
Notes: Walleye fans may have noticed a few fresh faces tonight, as there were a handful of roster changes since their last home game. Since their last home game, the Walleye lost Alec Richards, Maxime Tanguay and J.C. Sawyer to the Rockford IceHogs, but gained Derek Nesbitt from Rockford and Sebastien Piche from the Grand Rapids Griffins. Additionally, the team signed goaltender Billy Sauer and released Brandon Naurato and Tommy Lange.
The teams have tomorrow off, then return to the ice on Sunday for a second game at 5:30 p.m. at the Lucas County Arena. Great seats are still available by calling (419) 725-WALL, visiting the arena box office or by ordering online.
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