Here at the Union and Blue, we are committed to covering the Columbus Blue Jackets and bringing you the latest news and opinions about the team. The Blue Jackets are not the only hockey team in Ohio and in the Ohio Hockey News Roundup we will provide a quick overview of the latest news in Ohio hockey. The primary focus will be the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, and the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, as well as any interesting news at the NCAA level.
Photo Credit: Robert Huss
Lake Erie Monsters
I was happy to see all of the buzz on Twitter about the Frozen Frontier game, and it appeared that at least for one night, Columbus Blue Jackets fans (at least those outside of Cleveland) took some interest in the Lake Erie Monsters. The fans who tuned in or traveled to Rochester were given a great show, as the game was decided in an exciting shootout. The Monsters jumped ahead to a 3-1 lead, but Rochester was able to get a 4-3 lead after three unanswered goals. Lake Erie tied the game back up in dramatic fashion with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. The officials deemed it a good goal and the game was sent to OT, and eventually the shootout. Rochester ended up winning 5-4. While it was a disappointing end to Lake Erie’s first outdoor game, it was a great effort and an exciting game.
After the excitement of the Frozen Frontier game, the Monsters traveled to Utica to take on the Comets on Sunday. Once again the game was decided in a shootout, and like the Frozen Frontier, the Monsters came out on the losing end (Utica 3, Lake Erie 2).
- Mile High Hockey’s recap of their trip to the Frozen Frontier game [ Mile High Hockey ]
- FanSided’s Sabre Noise recap of the Frozen Frontier game [ Sabre Noise ]
- Cleveland Plain Dealer recap of the loss to Utica [ Cleveland Plain Dealer ]
- Icethetics took a look at Lake Erie’s and Rochester’s throwback jerseys [ Icethetics ]
Toledo Walleye
Last Wednesday, Toledo squared off with the Cincinnati Cyclones in Toledo. Cincinnati ended up winning 3-2, giving the Walleye their sixth consecutive loss. Fortunately for Toledo, they were able to end their losing streak with two wins over the Evansville IceMen at home on December 13th and 14th.
- Recap of Toledo’s 5-3 win over Evansville [ Toledo Walleye ]
- Recap of Toledo’s 5-2 win over Evansville [ Toledo Walleye ]
- Funny Puck Daddy Article detailing “Anger Management Night”, where the Walleye will give away a bobble head depicting Toledo Head Coach Nick Vitucci’s 2012 tirade against a ref . [ Puck Daddy ]
Cincinnati Cyclones
As we already detailed above, the Cyclones took down the Toledo Walleye 3-2 on the road last Wednesday. The Cyclones were then off until Friday, where they traveled to Kalamazoo to take on the Wings. Cincinnati also won that game, this time by the score of 5-2. The Cyclones are back home tonight, as the Wings will repay Friday’s visit.
- Toledo Blade recap of the win over the Walleye [ Toledo Blade ]
- Sturgis Journal recap of the 5-2 win over Kalamazoo [ Sturgis Journal ]