For Immediate Release: January 12, 2018
Game 34 (Home Game 17)
Vs. Kansas City Mavericks (20-16-0-1, 41 pts)
Friday, January 12, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones picked up their third win in a row and ninth in their last 11 on Saturday night, in a 4-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers. Cincinnati holds down the third spot in a crowded ECHL Central Division, just three points back of Toledo in the top spot, and one point ahead of Kansas City in fourth.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (21-11-1-0) collected a 4-2 Throwback Night win over the Wheeling Nailers, in front of 14,025 fans at U.S. Bank Arena. Forward Justin Danforth tallied a pair of goals, while forwards Shawn O’Donnell and Brandon McNally added lone tallies for the Cyclones. Cincinnati outshot Wheeling, 41-33 on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 31 in the win. Saturday was a penalty-filled affair as well, as the sides combined for 64 minutes in the box.
Last Friday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (20-11-1-0) shutout the Toledo Walleye, 3-0, on Friday night. Forwards Shawn O’Donnell, Justin Vaive, and Winston Day Chief scored the goals for Cincinnati, while goaltender Jason Kasdorf earned his first clean sheet of the season, stopping all 29 shots he faced. Each team recorded 29 shots on goal in this one, while the Cyclones were a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
New Year’s Eve Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (19-11-1-0) closed out 2017 with a 2-1 win over the Brampton Beast. Forwards Justin Danforth and Brandon McNally tallied the goals for Cincinnati. The Cyclones outshot the Beast, 28-24, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf stood stopping 23 of the 24 shots he faced in the win.
Previewing Kansas City: The Mavericks are on a hot streak as of late, winning three in a row, six of their last seven, and seven of their last 10 games. They have been one of the strongest teams in overtime and shootouts, winning seven of their eight overtime or shootout games. Another large piece to their success has been their power play which ranks second in the League with a 21% conversion rate. The Mavericks are averaging 3.05 goals per game, and are led by forward Matt Robertson who has accounted for 14 goals and 12 assist through 21 games, followed by forward Mark Cooper who posted 23 points (10g, 13a) in 33 games. Defenseman Patch Alber rounds out the top three with 22 points (3g, 19a) in 37 games. In goal, Mason McDonald has appeared in 19 games, posting a 10-7-0-1 record along with a 3.08 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Friday will be the first of four meetings this season. Cincinnati and Kansas City met four times last season, with the Mavericks posing a 3-0-0-1 record in those contests.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones head to Toledo on Sunday, in the final game before the League All-Star Break. Cincinnati has won two straight against Toledo, and have not allowed a goal to the Walleye in a little over eight periods.
NEED-TO-KNOW
All-Star Trio: Cincinnati will be represented well at Monday’s CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, as forward Justin Danforth, equipment manager Chris Burke, and broadcaster Everett Fitzhugh will all be attending. Danforth currently leads all ECHL rookies and is second in overall scoring with 20 goals and 20 assists, including a pair of goals in last Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers. For Burke, this will be his second all-star assignment, having served as the equipment manager in 2006 with the Fresno Falcons. The Cincinnati native was also named ECHL Equipment Manager of the Year that season, as well, and is currently in his 12th season with the Cyclones, having managed close to 1,000 games. Fitzhugh is in his third season with the Cyclones, and will be making his first trip to the All-Star Classic. He was awarded the ECHL Award of Excellence in Media Relations at the conclusion of last season.
Shane Walsh Traded: Cyclones forward Shane Walsh has been traded to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, in exchange for future considerations. A native of West Roxbury, MA, Walsh has appeared in 11 games this season, however did not record a point. He split the 2016-17 season between the Cyclones and the Utah Grizzlies, where he accounted for 45 points (19g, 26a) in 71 total games. Following a trade to Cincinnati on November 29, Walsh totaled 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points, and ranked third amongst ECHL rookies in shots with 208.
Cyclones Add Sakellaropoulos: The Cincinnati Cyclones have signed rookie goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos to a Standard Player Contract (SPC). A native of Tinley Park, IL, Sakellaropoulos has appeared in one game with the Quad City Mallards, allowing a pair of goals in a no-decision to the Ft. Wayne Komets; the team that originally added him to their preseason roster last summer. He has also skated in a lone contest with the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). Prior to turning pro, Sakellaropoulos enjoyed a stellar college career with the Union Dutchman, accounting for 40 wins in his four seasons, and helped his squad to an NCAA National Championship during his freshman season of 2013-14. His best season statistically came during his senior year of 2016-17 when he posted a 22-6-2 record along with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. His 22 wins are second-most for a single season in program history, and he also, was also nominated for the Mike Richter Award for the nation’s best collegiate goaltender, as well as the Ken Dryden Award for the best ECAC goaltender.
Johansson Recalled: The Cincinnati Cyclones have announced that goaltender Jonas Johansson has been recalled by the Rochester Americans. A native of Galve, SWE, Johansson has appeared in 11 games for the Cyclones this season, posting a 6-4-0-0 record along with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Johansson made his North American debut last season with Rochester appearing in seven games and posting a 3-3-1 record along with a 2.85 GAA and a .892 SV%.
Shutting the Door: Cyclones goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopped all 29 shots he faced in Friday night’s 3-0 win over the Toledo Walleye for his first shutout as a Cyclone and second of his career. Kasdorf has won three starts in a row, having allowed just two goals in that time.
Another Day, Another Goal: Forward Winston Day Chief continued his penchant for scoring goals with a tally in Friday’s 3-0 win over the Toledo Walleye. He also scored the lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Indy Fuel on December 30, and lit the lamp twice in December 29th’s 5-4 shootout win over the Quad City Mallards. He now has nine goals in his last 11 games, including his first ECHL hat trick in a 6-1 win over the Mallards on December 15th. He currently is tied for second on the Cyclones with 13 goals.
Early and Often: The Cyclones are outscoring the opposition 34-22 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.
Second Line Prowess: The line of Brandon McNally, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda, and Winston Day Chief have led the Cyclones offensively over the last 11 games, totaling 12 goals and 20 assists in that span.
Limited Opportunity: Cincinnati is fifth in the ECHL, averaging 2.70 goals against per game, and have allowed three or fewer goals in 14 of their last 18 games. Additionally, they have given up more than four goals on just six 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.
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