For Immediate Release: November 20, 2019
Game 16 (Road Game 9)
Vs. Kalamazoo Wings (5-4-2-0, 12 pts)
Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 7:00pm ET
Wings Event Center - Kalamazoo, MI
Overview: The Cyclones dropped a 4-3 decision to the Wheeling Nailers on Tuesday morning, snapping their four-game winning streak. Cincinnati remains in the top spot of the ECHL’s Central Division, one point ahead of the Ft. Wayne Komets. Wednesday marks the end of a two-game road trip for the ‘Clones, as Cincinnati returns home for a three-game homestand beginning on Friday night.
Tuesday Morning Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (9-5-1-0) fell to the Wheeling Nailers on Tuesday morning, 4-3. Forwards Darik Angeli and Cody Milan, along with defenseman Tobie Bisson scored the goals for the Cyclones, who see their four-game winning streak snapped. Cincinnati outshot Wheeling, 30-23, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 19 in defeat.
Saturday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (9-4-1-0) earned a 5-0 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Saturday evening. Forward Jesse Schultzled the way with a pair of goals and two assists, including his 900th career professional point, while forwards Mason Mitchell, Ben Johnson, and Darik Angeli each added lone tallies for the Cyclones. Additionally, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 23 shots he faced, earning his second-consecutive shutout. The Cyclones outshot the Komets, 27-23 on the evening, while the power play went 3-for-8 on its chances.
Thursday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (8-4-1-0) defeated the Allen Americans, 1-0 in overtime, on Thursday night. Forward Cody Milan scored the lone goal for Cincinnati, while goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 22 shots he faced for in first professional shutout. Cincinnati outshot the Americans, 30-22 on the evening, while the penalty kill was perfect on all three of its chances.
Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings enter Wednesday night in at tie withe the Indy Fuel for fifth place in the ECHL’s Central Division, and have dropped five in a row. They are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Utah Grizzlies on Saturday night. The Wings have been finding success on the power play this season, especially at home where they rank fourth at 30.3% (10-for-33), and fifth overall at 22.7% (10-for-44). On the other end of the spectrum, Kalamazoo’s penalty kill finds themselves near the bottom of the League, ranking 25th at 72.9%. Kalamazoo ranks eighth in the ECHL with 3.64 goals per game, and are led by forward Dylan Sadowy who is third in the ECHL in scoring and with 11 goals and seven assists. All of his points have come on his current 10-game point streak. He is followed by forwards Yannick Veilleux (4g, 6a) and Kyle Blaney (2g, 7a) who round out the top three. In goal, Jake Hildebrand leads the way with a 3.53 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Wednesday marks the third meeting of the season between Cincinnati and Kalamazoo. The Cyclones and Wings have split the first two games of the 14-game season series, and following Wednesday, the next four games will be played in Cincinnati.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati returns home to host Kalamazoo on Friday night. The face-off is set for 7:35pm ET.
Luukkonen Named ECHL Goaltender of the Week: Cyclones goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named the Warrior Hockey / ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of November 11-17. Luukkonen was a perfect 2-0-0-0 on the week, recording a 0.00 goals-against average and a 1.000 save percentage in back-to-back shutouts. He is the first Cyclones goaltender to post back-to-back clean sheets since the team returned to action prior to the 2006-2007 season. He started his perfect week on Thursday night, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime win against the Allen Americans. He continued to hold the opposition off the board on Saturday night, turning aside all 23 Ft. Wayne Komet offerings in a 5-0 win over their Central Division Rivals. Luukkonen leads the ECHL with a 1.24 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage, while posting a 3-1-0-0 record in the process.
Achievement Unlocked: Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz recorded his 900th professional point in Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets. Point 900 came on an assist on Ben Johnson’s second period goal, and he added a pair of goals and an additional helper as a part of a four-point night. Schultz is closing in on a few more career milestones as well, sitting just 10 games away from 1,000 pro games played, and is just four points shy of 300 ECHL points, and 20 games away from 300 for his ECHL career. He currently sits at 351 goals and 552 assists across 989 games, in a career that has seen him spend time in North America in the ECHL, American Hockey League (AHL), and Central Hockey League (CHL), and he also skated in a pair of games for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also seen time overseas in Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Sweden.
Thomas Gets Win 400: Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas collected his 400th career win in last Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Allen Americans. Thomas now sits in fifth place all-time amongst ECHL head coaches with 402 career victories.
Overtime Hero: Cyclones forward Cody Milan’s overtime goal in Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Allen Americans was also the first goal of his pro career. A native of Orchard Lake, MI, Milan is coming off a successful career at Michigan State University, where he appeared in 122 games and accounted for 16 goals and 37 assists in that span. After recording just 12 points (3g, 9a) in his first two seasons, Milan exploded for 41 points (13g, 28a) during his junior and senior seasons, and was also named an assistant captain during his senior season last year.
Oh Captain, My Captain!: Cyclones captain Justin Vaive recorded his second two-goal performance in the span of a week in last Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Allen Americans. Vaive has points in three-straight games and in five of his last seven contests (5g, 3a), and is second on the team in scoring with nine points (5g, 4a).
Finding Their Stride: The line of Justin Vaive, Darik Angeli, and Jesse Schultz have accounted for 16 goals and 18 assists over the last 10 games for the Cyclones. Schultz has points in eight of his last 10 games (8g, 7a), and leads the team in scoring with 16 points on the season (9g, 7a). Additionally, Vaive has five goals and three assists over his last eight outings, while Angeli has points in four of his last five games (3g, 2a).
Holding the Lead: Cincinnati is a perfect 7-0-0-0 when scoring the first goal and when leading through two periods this season, and are currently fifth in the ECHL with 2.60 goals allowed per game.
The 2019-20 Cincinnati Cyclones season is upon us! The defending Brabham Cup champion Cyclones are looking to build off of last season’s success, and we invite YOU to join us for the ride! Single game tickets, along with season and group ticket packages for every game this season are on sale now, and you can get more info 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!
