Walleye win 5-4 over Cincy
2/26/2012The Walleye salvaged two points from a three-game homestand with a 5-4 win over Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.
Todd Griffith and Mike Thomas each scored two goals for Toledo, while Andrej Nestrasil had two assists.
The Walleye opened up a 3-1 lead after one period and expanded that to a 5-1 edge midway through the second period before 7,503 spectators at the Huntington Center.
But the Cyclones rallied with three unanswered goals and made it 5-4 with just under 10 minutes left in the game.
Toledo hung on, however, behind goalie Jordan Pearce who finished with 30 saves. Pearce made his best save with eight minutes left to maintain the one-goal lead.
Assistant coach Dan Watson assumed the head coaching duties after Nick Vitucci was suspended one game for his actions in Saturday night’s game.
Toledo (24-27-4) had lost three straight, including two in a row at home on Friday and Saturday. But with the win the Walleye pulled within eight points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the ECHL Eastern Conference.
The Cyclones (26-20-8) fell out of a tie for that eighth spot with the loss. Joe Devin had a goal and an assist for the Cyclones.
Toledo travels to play Chicago on Wednesday night before returning home for a game against Wheeling on Friday night. The Walleye then play at Chicago on Saturday before hosting Cincinnati once again on Sunday.