Walleye Win 9th Consecutive Game, 3rd Straight against Cincinnati
ECHL Toledo Walleye

Walleye Win 9th Consecutive Game, 3rd Straight against Cincinnati

Published on January 3, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release


Cincinnati, OH - The Toledo Walleye won their ninth consecutive game with a resounding 7-1 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones at the Heritage Bank Center today. Nate Roy scored twice, Conlan Keenan got credit for the game-winning goal; Jacques Bouquot, Denis Smirnov, and Jordan Ernst each scored; Jed Pietila recorded his second short-handed goal in as many games, Brandon Hawkins recorded three assists, Tanner Kelly recorded two assists, and Matt Jurusik had an assist and stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced.

How it Happened:

Nate Roy scored his 4th goal of the season on a deflection of Jed Pietila's shot at the 4:16 mark of the first period, putting the Walleye up 1-0 early over the Cyclones. Brandon Hawkins got the secondary assist on the goal, extending his point streak to five consecutive games. Conlan Keenan scored two minutes later for his third goal of the season, putting Toledo up 2-0 just 6:38 into the game on the team's second shot. Tanner Kelly and Tanner Palocsik got the assists on the goal.

Jacques Bouqout netted Toledo's third goal of the game on their fourth shot, his second of the season at the 12:08 mark of the first period. Colby Ambrosio and Riley McCourt got the assists on the goal.

Nick Andrews and Justin Vaive took coincidental rouging minors at the 15:15 mark of the first, setting up 2 minutes of 4-on-4 hockey. Toledo took a holding penalty 49 seconds into the 4-on-4 for holding, going 4-on-3 for 1:11 and then playing the rest of the penalty 5-on-4. All penalties were killed off, and Cincinnati outshot Toledo 13-4 as the first period ended, despite Toledo leading the game 3-0 at the period's close.

Cincinnati made a goaltending change at the beginning of the second period, as Tommy Scarfone started the period in place of Kyle McClellan.

Toledo got their first power play chance of the day as Cincinnati took a slashing penalty 8:20 into the second period. Denis Smirnov scored on the power play, his second goal in as many games, his 8th consecutive game with a point, and his 10th goal of the season. Brandon Hawkins got his second assist of the night, and goaltender Matt Jurusik got his first Walleye assist on the goal at the 8:59 mark of the second period.

A scrum between Rhett Parsons (4 mins - roughing) and Conlan Keenan (2 mins - roughing) led to a Toledo power play just after the halfway mark of the game. Cincinnati killed that penalty off and went on a power play of their own soon after, as Toledo took a holding penalty at the 12:45 mark of the second, killed off by Toledo.

Ben King scored Cincinnati's first goal of the weekend after 107:08 of shutout hockey from Toledo's goaltenders. Each team scored a goal in the second, as Toledo outshot Cincinnati 13-10 in the period.

The Walleye wasted no time getting on the board in the third period, as Nate Roy scored his second goal of the night just 17 seconds into the third period, putting Toledo up 5-1. Brandon Hawkins and Sam Craggs were credited with the assists on the goal.

Jordan Ernst scored his first goal in seven games (his 8th of the season) 2:29 into the third period unassisted, adding more insurance to Toledo's 6-1 lead over Cincinnati.

Toledo took their third penalty of the night; a holding call with 4:55 to go in regulation. Jed Pietila scored his 2nd short-handed goal of the weekend and second goal of the season, the team's third consecutive game with a short-handed goal and their 12th of the season. Tanner Kelly got the assist on the short-handed goal with 4:09 to go in the third period.

Toledo's penalty kill finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a short-handed goal on the night, as the power play was 1-for-2. The Walleye were outshot 29-24 in the game but pulled off the 7-1 victory.

Three Stars:

1 - F Jordan Ernst (1 G)

2 - F Denis Smirnov (PPG)

3 - G Matt Jurusik (28 SV, .966 SV%)

What's Next:

The Walleye will return home tomorrow for a matchup against the Bloomington Bison at the Huntington Center to cap off a busy weekend. Toledo currently holds a 1-1-1-0 record against the Bison, taking an overtime loss in the last matchup between the two teams on December 3rd. Puck drop for Sunday's game is set for 5:15 PM.

Check out the Toledo Walleye Statistics

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ECHL Stories from January 3, 2026


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