The Southern Tier Xpress tried to dig themselves out of a three-goal hole, but the Toledo Cherokee held on for a 3-1 victory.

Toledo made the score 3-0 on a goal by Tristin Snyder at 4:00 in the third period, and Southern Tier got as close as 3-1 when Tobias Gabrielsen scored 9:13 into the third period.

The Cherokee were paced by Cam Schwartz, who tallied one goal. Schwartz scored 4:40 into the second period to make the score 2-0 Toledo. Ted Austin picked up the assist.

Toledo forced the Xpress goalie Brendan Shuck to work between the pipes, taking 31 shots. The Cherokee were forced to rely heavily on their penalty kill unit throughout the game, as they racked up 48 penalty minutes.

Toledo also got a goal from Zach Swanson as well. More assists for Toledo came via Dominic Pisanti, Austin Turner, Brody Duncan, Jimmy Howell, and Cody Estrel, who each chipped in one.

Southern Tier was often in penalty trouble, totaling 10 minors and one major for 65 minutes in penalty time. The Xpress surpassed its season average of 28.0 penalty minutes per game. Southern Tier could not produce up to its normal offensive output. The Xpress average 3.8 goals per game.

In addition, Southern Tier received assists from Brandon Desrosiers and Luke Sunde, who contributed one each.

Glen Bates made 24 saves for Toledo on 25 shots. The Cherokee registered one goal on seven power play opportunities. Shuck recorded 28 saves for Southern Tier. The Xpress registered one goal on five power play opportunities. For Southern Tier, Zach Hand was ejected from the game.