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ECHL Toledo Walleye

Battle Of Netminders; Walleye Fall Short In Last-Second Thriller, 4-3

November 20, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release


Toledo, OH - The Cincinnati Cyclones took a late first period lead, but the story of the game were the goaltenders of the evening. Jordan Pearce made one acrobatic stop after another, but it was Jeremy Smith of the Cyclones who stole the show.

Ryan Del Monte beat Pearce with 1:43 left in the first. The end of the period seemed to slow the visitors' momentum, because the Walleye answered in the second to tie the game. Mike Hedden had a step on his defender and poked a slow dribbling puck past the netminder Smith. Smith turned around to watch the rubber cross the line while Hedden celebrated.

The goal delayed the game as the Inaugural Teddy Bear toss cluttered the ice. The bears were collected and will be given to Lucas County Children Services for area children.

Unfortunately, the Cyclones returned to action with a vengeance as they would go on to score the next three goals, subsequently taking a 4-1 lead. The score did not, however, indicate the kind of night Jordan Pearce was having in net. On the power play in the second period, Cincinnati found a few creases in front and Pearce turned aside an open net shot with a diving kick save. Seconds later, he was forced to dive again and this time knocked away a scoring chance with his stick. Later in the third, an odd-man rush by the Cyclones caught the defense off-guard, but not Pearce. A shot-turned-pass deflected in front made Pearce change directions, but made an incredible glove save. Pearce made 30 saves.

Vying for a comeback, Toledo's Derek Nesbitt scored his first goal as a Walleye, which then trailed 4-2. The end of the period is what made an exciting game even more memorable. On the power play with under 2:00 to play and the goalie pulled, Nesbitt found a loose puck on the right side and buried it for the one goal deficit. With under seconds left, Adam Hobson poke-checked through the pads of Smith, but the play was ruled dead before the puck eventually crossed the line for the tying goal. The Walleye fell just short of forcing overtime and gaining a point in the standings.

The Fish will play their next home game on Sunday, November 22 at 5:30 pm. The Walleye will play eight straight home games at Lucas County Arena between November 20 and December 5! Click to view the November and December schedule pages. Call 419-725-WALL to order your tickets today!

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