For Immediate Release: January 20, 2018
Game 37 (Road Game 19)
Vs. Indy Fuel (15-17-2-1, 33 pts)
Saturday, January 20, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
Indiana Farmers Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
Overview: The Cyclones fell at home on Friday night in their first game back from the all-star break. Cincinnati is in the midst of a stretch of three games in three days, and 12 straight against divisional opponents. The Clones now sit in a three-way tie for third place in the ECHL’s Central Division, five points back of the Ft. Wayne Komets in second.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (21-14-1-0) dropped a 6-2 decision to the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Forwards Rob De Fulviis and Justin Vaive scored the goals for Cincinnati. The Komets outshot Cincinnati, 39-31, with netminder Jonas Johansson stopping 33 in the loss.
Sunday Evening Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (21-13-1-0) fell just short Sunday night against the Toledo Walleye, 2-1, despite an action-filled game from the start. Forward Justin Danforth scored Cincinnati’s lone-goal. Toledo outshot the Cyclones, 37-25, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 35 in the loss.
Last Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (21-12-1-0) fell to the Kansas City Mavericks, 3-2, on Friday night. Forwards Jesse Schultz and Shawn O’Donnell tallied the goals for the Cyclones. The Cyclones outshot the Mavericks, 25-22, including 10-1 in the third, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopping 19 in the loss.
Previewing Indy: The Fuel have been climbing the standings in recent games, winning two straight, three of their last four, and seven of their last 10 games. They are coming off a 6-3 win over the Allen Americans on Friday night, and have scored four or more goals in four of their last five games. The Fuel currently boast one of the top special teams units in the League, currently ranking fourth in penalty kill at 85.8% (121/141), and fifth on the power play with a 20.3% conversion rate (27/133). They are led by a pair of 24-point scorers in forwards Michael Neal (11g, 13a) and Cam Reid (8g, 16a), followed by forward Ryan Rupert (5g, 15a) who rounds out the top three. In goal, Etienne Marcoux has posted a 10-7-1-0 record with a 2.72 goals-against average, and he is tied for third with a .928 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Saturday will be the fourth of 10 matchups on the season, with Cincinnati looking for their first win over Indy. They will meet six more times in 2017-18, with four of those final six coming at U.S. Bank Arena.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones wrap up their three-in-three on Sunday afternoon in Moline against the Quad City Mallards. Cincinnati is a perfect 5-0-0-0 against the Mallards this season, having outscored them 26-13 in those contests.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Packed Schedule: Cincinnati will have their hands full in the second half of the season, playing their final 36 games over a stretch of 79 days, which averages out to a game every 2.19 days. Additionally, Cincinnati has nine stretches of three games in three days, two stretches of four games in five days, and one stretch of seven games in nine days.
Familiar Foes: Cincinnati is in the midst of a stretch of 12 straight against divisional opponents. Cincinnati is 12-8-1-0 against the Central Division this season, and will play 26 of their final 36 games within the division.
All-Star Success: Cyclones forward Justin Danforth left his mark on this year’s CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic in Indianapolis this past Monday. He scored a goal in Team Central’s 5-2 loss Team Mountain, and set a new ECHL All-Star Skills Competition record in the Fastest Skater event with 12.75 seconds. The Oshawa, ON, native leads all ECHL rookies and is third in overall League scoring with 41 points (21g, 20a) through the first 36 games of the season.
Cyclones Duo Called Up: The Cincinnati Cyclones, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres and American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rochester Americans, have announced that defenseman and team captain Eric Knodel has been recalled by the Americans, while forward Shawn O’Donnell has been signed to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO) by the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. This is the second call up of the season for Knodel, who is tied for sixth amongst League defenseman with nine goals and 17 assists. He appeared in a pair of games for the Americans earlier this season, however did not record a point. O’Donnell currently ranks third on the Cyclones, and is tied for eighth in League scoring with 36 points (13g, 23a) through 28 games. He is currently riding a four-game point streak, accounting for three goals and two assists in that time, and recently saw an 11-game point streak come to an end where he totaled four goals and 17 assists in that time.
Home Power Surge: The Cyclones have the League’s top power play at home, converting on 21.9% of their man advantage opportunities (15/70) at U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati has power play tallies in three of their last five home games, lighting the lamp seven times on 22 chances.
Early and Often: The Cyclones are outscoring the opposition 36-27 in the first period this season, and are 12-5-0-0 when leading after 20 minutes. Additionally, Cincinnati is 15-4-0-0 when scoring first, and 11-1-0-0 when scoring the first two goals of the game.
Limited Opportunity: Cincinnati is tied for fifth in the ECHL, averaging 2.78 goals against per game, and have allowed three or fewer goals in 15 of their last 20 games. Additionally, they have given up more than four goals on just seven occasions.
Finishing What They Started: The Cyclones have a 16-1-0-0 record when leading through two periods this season. This is a continuing trend from last season, when the Cyclones were 23-1-3-1 when leading after one, and 26-1-2-0 when leading after 40 minutes.
New Affiliation: This offseason, the Cyclones, in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres, announced a new affiliation agreement. For Cincinnati, the move comes following a 10-year partnership with the Nashville Predators, while the Sabres recently concluded a two-year relationship with the now-defunct Elmira Jackals. This affiliation will be a reunion of sorts for the cities of Cincinnati and Buffalo, as the Sabres’ American Hockey League (AHL) Affiliate from 1971-1974 was the Cincinnati Swords. The Rochester Americans will serve as Cincinnati’s new AHL affiliate, and have been the AHL affiliate of the Sabres since 2011. This is not the first time Cincinnati and Rochester have been affiliated, as the two clubs teamed up in 2010-11 when the Americans were affiliated with the Florida Panthers.
Stay Connected!: Follow the latest news on Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more! Also, for all of the latest news and notes, head over to www.cycloneshockey.com.
The 2017-18 season is underway, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride! Call (513) 421-PUCK for information regarding Cyclones single game tickets, ticket packages, and Season and Group Tickets! Also, stay on top of the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
