For Immediate Release: October 14, 2017
Game 1 (Home Game 1)
Vs. Kalamazoo Wings (0-0-0-0, 0PTS)
Saturday, October 14, 2017 - 7:35pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones open up the 2017-18 season at home against the Kalamazoo Wings. Cincinnati is coming off of a 78-win season, missing the playoffs by just four points in the South Division. 2017-18 will mark the Cyclones’ 11th season since coming back into the ECHL prior to the 2006-07 season.
PRESEASON RECAP:
Sunday Afternoon: The Cincinnati Cyclones wrapped up the preseason with a 5-4 loss to the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday afternoon. Forwards Mike Barrett, Stephen Pietrobon, and Andrew Radjenovic, along with defenseman Jordan Henderson, scored the goals for the Cyclones. The Cyclones were outshot, 37-27 on the night, with netminders Jonas Johansson and Jason Kasdorf combining to stop 32 in the loss. Cincinnati kicks off the regular season on Saturday night against the Kalamazoo Wings. Faceoff is slated for 7:35pm ET.
Last Friday Night: The Cincinnati Cyclones fell in their preseason opener on Friday night, 5-4 in a shootout to the Wheeling Nailers. Defenseman Anthony Florentino tallied a pair of power play goals, while forwards Justin Danforth and Winston Day Chief each netted lone markers for the Cyclones. Cincinnati goaltenders Anthony Peters and Jason Kasdorf split time in this one, combining to stop 32 of Wheeling’s 36 shots in the loss. The two teams will wrap up preseason action on Sunday afternoon in Wheeling. Faceoff is scheduled for 5:05pm ET.
Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings return 16 players from last year’s squad, including standout goaltender Joel Martin, impact forwards Lane Scheidl and Justin Taylor, and defensemen Ben Wilson and Eric Kattelus. The Wings’ top newcomers include forward JT Stenglein and defenseman Mackenzie Stewart.
Inside the Series: Saturday marks the first of seven meetings this season between the Cyclones and Wings, and the first of three at U.S. Bank Arena. The two teams met five times last season, with Cincinnati posting a 3-2-0-0 record in those contests.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones hit the road next Saturday in their lone game of the weekend against the Wheeling Nailers in their home opener. Cincinnati and Wheeling met last weekend in a pair of games, with the Nailers taking both by identical 5-4 scores.
NEED-TO-KNOW
LEADERSHIP GROUP ANNOUNCED: On Friday, The Cyclones announced the leadership group for the 2017-18 season. As decided by a team vote, this season’s captain will be defenseman Eric Knodel, and serving as assistants will be forwards Justin Vaive and Shawn O’Donnell. Knodel was the captain at the University of New Hampshire during his senior year, while O’Donnell previously served as an assistant captain in college at St. Mary’s University in Canada.
WELCOME BACK: The Cyclones season-opening roster includes seven players from the 2016-17 season, including three of their top five and five of their top 10 scorers. This season’s returners include Shane Walsh, who ranked second on last year’s team in scoring, followed by Shawn O’Donnell who was fourth and Brandon McNally in fifth. New captain Eric Knodel placed eighth in team scoring in 2016-17, while forward Dominic Zombo came in 10th and defenseman Arvin Atwal was 13th prior to his season being cut short due to injury. Forward Rob De Fulviis accounted for three points last season, along with accounting for 36 minutes in penalties in 26 games played.
CYCLONES WELCOME LEFEBVRE: In early July, the Cincinnati Cyclones announced Marc LeFebvre as the Cyclones’ new assistant coach. A native of Ottawa, ONT, LeFebvre comes to the Queen City following a successful four-year European coaching career.
LeFebvre has spent the last two seasons serving as head coach of the Dundee Stars of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) where he compiled a 42-45-9-8 record in that time. He led the Stars to the Conference Finals for the first time in team history this past season, with his team ranking third in the League in penalty kill percentage and fifth in power play conversion rate. In 2015-2016, the Stars led the League in goals scored, and LeFebvre was named a finalist for EIHL Coach of the Year. The 2014-15 season saw LeFebvre serve as an assistant coach for the Dab Docler Steel Bulls of the Hungarian Mol Liga, following a 10-month stint as head coach of the EIHL’s Coventry Blaze. His European coaching career started in 2012-13 where he was an assistant coach for the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers.
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.
The march towards 2017 First Face-Off is ON! The Cincinnati Cyclones return to U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, October 14, when they take on the Kalamazoo Wings. In the meantime, we invite you to stay tuned in the coming weeks for information on tickets and promotions for the 2017-18 season, great offseason events like Concrete Clones, player signings, and MORE! Call (513) 421-PUCK for information regarding Cyclones Season and Group Tickets, and you can also get the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
