For Immediate Release: February 9, 2018
Game 46 (Home Game 22)
Vs. Tulsa Oilers (20-21-3-6, 49pts)
Friday, February 9, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones earned their third win in a row on Thursday night, defeating the Kansas City Mavericks, 5-2. With the win, Cincinnati is now in a tie for third place in the ECHL’s Central Division with the Kalamazoo Wings. The Cyclones are in the midst of a four-game home stand, and their third stretch of three games in three days.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (25-18-2-0) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Kansas City Mavericks, 5-2, on Thursday night. Defenseman and team captain Eric Knodel led the way with a pair of goals, while defenseman Brycen Martin and forwards Justin Danforth and Brandon McNally added lone tallies for the Cyclones who have won three straight. The Cyclones outshot the Mavericks, 31-25 on the evening, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopping 23 in the win.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (24-18-2-0) picked up a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Mavericks on Saturday night. Forwards Daniel Muzito-Bagenda, Justin Vaive, Winston Day Chief, and defenseman Anthony Florentino netted the goals for the Cyclones, who have won two in a row against the Mavericks. Cincinnati outshot the Mavericks, 38-28, on the evening, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopping 27 in the win.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (23-18-2-0) earned a 5-1 over the Kansas City Mavericks on Friday night. Forward Justin Danforth led the way with a pair of goals, while forwards Alex Kile and Justin Vaive, along with defenseman Jake Flegel, added lone tallies for the Cyclones, who snap their four-game skid. Cincinnati was outshot, 35-27 on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 34 in the win.
Previewing Tulsa: The Oilers enter Friday night having dropped four in a row and are coming off a 9-6 loss at the hands of the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday night. They currently are in fifth in the Mountain Division, four points back of Wichita for the final playoff spot in the division. Offensively, Tulsa is averaging a shade under three goals per game at 2.98, however they are averaging a League-high 37.66 shots per game. They are led by forward Charlie Sampair who has accounted for 21 goals and 18 assists through 49 games this season. He is followed by forwards Adam Pleskach (15g, 20a) and Conner Bleackley (18g, 16a) who round out the top three. In goal, Jake Hildebrand has appeared in 36 games and has posted a record of 12-15-1-6 along with a 3.28 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Friday is the finale of a two-game season series between the Cyclones and Oilers, with Tulsa taking the first meeting, 3-1, back on December 9.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati welcomes in the Wichita Thunder for the first of two games on Saturday night. The ‘Clones have won two of the three all-time meetings.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Picking Up Where He Left Off: In his four games since his first American Hockey League (AHL) call-up, forward Justin Danforth has accounted for four goals and five assists, and is currently on a five-game point streak overall, totaling five goals and seven assists in that time. He netted a goal and dished out a pair of assists in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Kansas City Mavericks, and he leads all ECHL rookies and is second in overall scoring with 53 points (26g, 27a) through 42 games.
Bagging up the Points: Forward Daniel Muzito-Bagenda’s point streak now stands at nine games, following his assist in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Kansas City Mavericks. He now has five goals and 10 assists in that time, and he currently is tied for fifth on the team in scoring with eight goals and 19 assists.
Offensively Defensive: Forward Mike Barrett has spent the last four games roaming the blue line on defense for the Cyclones, and has accounted for a goal and three assists in that time. He had a goal and two assists in 30 games as a forward.
Power Surge: The Cyclones have 12 power play goals in their last seven games (12/32), and have moved into third in the League with a 20.6% power play conversion rate (37/180). Additionally, Cincinnati has the top home power play percentage in the ECHL, having lit the lamp 20 times in 85 tries which is good for 23.5%.
Playing Stingy: Cincinnati is fifth in the League with 2.93 goals allowed per game, and tenth with 30.07 shots allowed. Cincinnati has outscored the opposition 17-8 in the last four games, and have allowed two goals or fewer in three straight games. Additionally, the Cyclones are 22-8-1-0 when allowing three or fewer goals.
Johansson and Stephens Reassigned: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones have reassigned goaltender Jonas Johansson and defenseman Devante Stephens to Cincinnati. Johansson has appeared in 17 games for the Cyclones this season, posting an 8-7-1-0 record along with a 3.33 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Stephens returns from his second AHL call-up having skated a pair of games last week and in six games with the Americans overall this season. Through 31 games for the Cyclones, the White Rock, BC, native has dished out eight assists and has racked up 22 minutes in penalties.
Approaching Milestones: Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz is on the cusp of a pair of major career milestones, as he sits just nine games shy of 900 for his pro career, and seven points back of 800. Schultz currently ranks second on Cyclones in scoring with 47 points (15g, 32a).
Packed Schedule: Cincinnati will have their hands full in the second half of the season, playing their final 27 games over a stretch of 64 days, which averages out to a game every 2.30 days. Additionally, Cincinnati has seven more stretches of three games in three days, two stretches of four games in five days, and one stretch of seven games in nine days.
Finishing What They Started: The Cyclones have a 19-1-0-0 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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