For Immediate Release: December 29, 2018
Game 31 (Road Game 16)
Vs. Ft. Wayne Komets (15-12-0-1, 31 pts)
Saturday, December 29, 2018 - 7:30pm ET
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, IN
Overview: The Cyclones wrap up their tour of Indiana with a matchup against the Ft. Wayne Komets on Saturday night Cincinnati saw their 10-game point streak come to an end on Friday night, in a 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel, and now stit one point back of the Florida Everblades for first overall in the ECHL. The Cyclones still hold down the top spot in the ECHL’s Central Division, two points ahead of the Toledo Walleye.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (20-6-2-2) suffered just their sixth regulation loss of the season on Friday night in a 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel. Forward Alex Wideman and Jesse Schultz tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who see their 10-game point streak snapped. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 32-23 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 18 in the loss.
Last Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (20-5-2-2) collected a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over the Allen Americans on Saturday night. Defenseman Tobie Bisson, along with forwards Myles Powell, Alex Wideman, and Vas Glotov lit the lamp for the Cyclones, who now have points in 10-straight games. Cincinnati was outshot, 51-49, with goaltender Jonas Johansson blocking 48 in the win.
Last Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (19-5-2-2) fell to the Americans, 4-3 in a shootout, on Friday night. Forward Justin Vaivel ed the Cyclones with a pair of goals, while forward Alex Wideman netted one for the Cyclones, who see their seven-game winning streak snapped. The Cyclones outshot the Americans, 32,29 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 25 in the loss.
Previewing Ft. Wayne: The Komets have won two straight and six of their last nine games, and are coming off a 2-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Thursday night. After an uncharacteristically slow start, the Komets find themselves in the thick of the Central Division playoff hunt, one point back of third place Indy and Wheeling who are tied. Offensively, Ft. Wayne is 19thin the ECHL with 3.07 goals scored per game, and have scored more than three goals just three times in their last 11 games. They are led offensively by forward Justin Hodgman who has accounted for 34 points (9g, 25a) in 27 games played. He is followed by recently-acquired Brady Shaw (14g, 14a) and forward Jake Kamrass (13g, 14a).
Inside the Series: Saturday will be the sixth game of an 11-game season series between Cincinnati and Ft. Wayne, with the Cyclones holding a 3-1-0-1 advantage in the first five games. four of the final six games will be played in Ft. Wayne.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati begins a four-game homestand on Monday evening against the Toledo Walleye. Cincinnati has a 1-0-1-0 record in the nine-game season series
Johansson Recalled: Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Jonas Johansson has been recalled by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate for the second time this season. He posted a 2-1-0-0 record along with a 2.97 GAA and an.891 SV% in three games with the Americans from December 5-15A native of Galve, SWE, Johansson has a 10-4-1-1 record this season, along with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. He has also pitched two shutouts. The second-year netminder led Cincinnati to a pair of wins during the week of November 12, recording a 0.50 goals-against average and a .981 save percentage along with one shutout, earning ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors for his efforts. Drafted by the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres in the third round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the third-year pro appeared in 27 games with Cincinnati last season, accounting for a 14-11-1-0 record along with a 3.13 GAA and a .909 SV%. He has also skated in 17 career games with the Americans where he has a record of 9-7-1-0.
Glotov Recalled: Cincinnati Cyclones forward Vas Glotov has been recalled by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. A native of Barnaul, RUS, Glotov has skated in all 29 games this season for the Cyclones, accounting for six goals and 15 assists in that time, tying him with forward Myles Powell for the team lead in rookie scoring. Glotov is in his first full pro season, after making his pro debut last season. He appeared in six games between the Cyclones and Americans, and totaled a goal and an assist in that time. He spent the prior two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) appearing in 128 games between the Shawinigan Cataractes and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, amassing 44 goals and 49 assists in 128 career games. He was a 2016, seventh- round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres.
Fanning the Flames: Despite forward Jesse Schultz seeing his goal-scoring streak snapped at six games following last Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Allen Americans, and his point streak snapped at 10 games (6g, 6a) following Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Americans, he picked up right where he left off with a goal and an assist in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel. He leads the Cyclones with 30 points (9g, 21a), and has points in 12 of his last 14 games overall (8g, 9a).
Seeing Double: Forward Justin Vaive lit the lamp twice for the Cyclones, in last Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Allen Americans, marking his first multi-goal outing of the season. Additionally, Mike Marnell and Ben Johnson each tallied a pair of goals in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Americans. For Marnell, it marked his fourth multi-point and first multi-goal outing of the season, and places him in a tie for third on the ‘Clones in goals with six. Johnson’s pair mark his first goals as a Cyclone, and he also added an assist for a three-point night. Forwards Jesse Schultz and Nate Mitton, along with defenseman Eric Knodel also chipped in with a pair of assists.
Piling up the Points: The Cyclones saw their season-high seven-game winning streak snapped following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Allen Americans last Friday night, however they have points in 10 of the last 11 games (8-1-0-2) and wins in 13 of their last 18 games (13-3-0-2). Cincinnati has outscored the opposition, 39-27, in the last 11 games.
Defensively Offensive: The Cyclones defensive corps have been contributing to the Cyclones offensive success as of late, accounting for six goals and 17 assists in the last 13 games. Tobie Bisson has a goal and six assists, while Eric Knodel has a goal and five assists in that time, and is currently tied for fourth in ECHL defenseman scoring with five goals and 15 assists. Additionally, Devante Stephens has added three goals and an assist while Arvin Atwal (1g, 3a), and Andrew DeBrincat, Anthony Florentino, and Mitch Jones (1a each) have also found the score sheet.
Leading the Way: The Cyclones currently lead the ECHL team defense (2.37 GA/GM) and are third in the League in offensive production (3.70G/GM). The Cyclones are outscoring teams, 111-71, and have allowed two or fewer goals in nine of the last 14 games. The Cyclones are 18-5-0-2 in their last 25 games, outscoring their opponents 92-55 in that span, including 64-25 in their 18 wins.Closing out games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have only allowed 12 goals in the third period, and are outscoring the opposition, 38-14, in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 15-1-0-1. when leading through two periods, and have given up more than three goals in regulation just four times this season.
The Puck Stops Here: Cyclones goaltender Michael Houserl eads the ECHL with a 1.78 goals-against average along with a .938 save percentage, while posting an 10-2-1-0 record in the process. He has won six of his last seven starts, and has allowed one goal in four consecutive games, and three or fewer goals in seven straight games.
Taking Away the Power: The Cyclones possess the ECHL’s top penalty kill, having allowed just 13 goals in 102 shorthanded situations (87.3%). Additionally, Cincinnati also boasts the sixth-ranked home (87.7%) and eighth-ranked road (86.7%) penalty kills.
Welcome Matt Thomas: The Cyclones enter the 2018-19 season with a new head coach. In early August, Cincinnati hired Matt Thomasas the team’s new bench boss. He replaced Matt Macdonald who was named assistant coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins; American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. A native of Maple Ridge, BC, Thomas has extensive head coaching experience in the ECHL, spanning 11 seasons with the Atlantic Boardwalk Bullies, Fresno Falcons, and Stockton Thunder from 2002-2013. Thomas served two seasons as an assistant coach with Atlantic City, including helping the Boardwalk Bullies to a Kelly Cup Championship in 2003, before assuming the role of head coach and Director of Hockey Operations with the team prior to 2004-2005. He compiled a 42-22-8 mark in his lone season as Atlantic City’s bench boss, and served as the head coach for the 2005 ECHL All-Star Game. He then moved on to Fresno prior to the 2005-06 campaign, leading the Falcons to a 43-15-14 mark along with a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Over the next two seasons in Fresno, Thomas compiled a 76-41-17 record, with trips to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on both occasions. He coached the Falcons during the first half of 2008-09, leading the team to an 18-10-2 mark before the team ceased operations midseason. Thomas was not out of work for long however, as he was named head coach of Stockton shortly after, and finished the year with a record of 22-16-3, and a trip to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Thomas went on to coach the Thunder for four more seasons, amassing a mark of 141-111-36, reaching the post season each year, including a trip to the 2013 Kelly Cup Finals. He enters the 2018-19 campaign as the ECHL’s sixth-winningest coach with a career record of 342-225-80, just one win back of fifth place all time. He is also the all-time leader in playoff games coached with 97, and ranks third with 49 playoff wins.
The 2018-19 season is HERE, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride!Single game, Group, and Season Tickets are on sale NOW by calling (513) 421-PUCK! Stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
