ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Notes: vs. Ft. Wayne Komets

Published on February 24, 2019 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Game 54 (Road Game 27)

Vs. Ft. Wayne Komets (24-18-3-6, 57 pts)

Sunday - 5:00pm ET

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum - Ft. Wayne, IN

Overview: The Cyclones hit the road for a Sunday afternoon contest against the Ft. Wayne Komets. The Cyclones have won seven in a row, and are coming off a 4-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers on Thursday, and now find themselves 13 points ahead of the Toledo Walleye for first place in the Central Division.

Thursday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (37-9-3-3) pushed their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers on Thursday evening. Defenseman Eric Knodel, along with forwards Brady Vail, Vas Glotov, and Mike Marnellscored the goals for the Cyclones. Goaltender Michael Houserstopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced in the win, and in the process, became the Cyclones' new franchise leader for wins by a goaltender with 64. Cincinnati was outshot, 35-21 on the evening, while the power play converted on 50% of its chances.

Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (37-9-3-3) collected their sixth-consecutive win with a 5-1 triumph over the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday night. Forwards Jesse Schultz, Myles Powell, Mike Marnell,Vas Glotov, and defenseman Eric Knodel netted the goals for Cincinnati. The Cyclones outshot Kalamazoo, 34-20 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 19 to collect the win.

Last Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (36-9-3-3) earned a 5-4 overtime win over the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday afternoon. Defensemen Mitch Jones, Arvin Atwal, and Eric Knodel, along with forward Brady Vail netted the goals in regulation, while forward Jesse Schultzt allied the winner in overtime. The Cyclones were outshot, 38-28 on the afternoon, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 34 in the win.

Previewing Ft. Wayne: The Komets are currently in a tie for the fourth and final playoff position in the ECHL's Central Division with the Kalamazoo Wings, and are three points ahead of the Wheeling Nailers who are in fifth. They have just one win in their last six contests, however have points in five of them (1-1-2-2). The Komets are coming off a 6-5 win over the Wichita Thunder on Friday night. Ft. Wayne finds themselves in the middle of the pack in both offensive proficiency and team defense, ranking 16 thwith 3.10 goals scored per game, and 20thin goals-against with 3.20. They are led by forward Brady Shaw who has accounted for 46 points (20g, 26a) through 49 games this season. He is followed by forwards Jake Kamrass (16g, 25a) and Justin Hodgman (13g, 28a) who round out the top three. In goal, Zach Fucale has appeared in 21 games and has a record of 12-10-1-0 along with a 3.14 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage.

Inside the Series: Sunday marks the eighth of 11 matchups on the season between the Cyclones and Ft. Wayne. Cincinnati is 4-2-0-1in the first seven meetings, and have outscored the Komets, 25-16 through those contests.

Next Game Preview: The Cyclones return home on Friday against the Indy Fuel, in the ninth of 12 meetings between the two sides. Cincinnati is 5-3-0-0 through the first eight games of the season series, and have outscored the Fuel, 27-20.

All-Time Franchise Leader: After notching his 100thECHL win in last Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Toledo Walleye, goaltender Michael Houser became the Cyclones' all-time goaltending wins leader following Thursday's 4-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers.He currentlyhas 64 career wins in a Cyclones uniform dating back to the 2012-13 season, and Houser is currently second in team history with 108 career games played, 19 shy of Geoff Sarjeant's 127 (1996-98). This is Houser's fourth stint as a Cyclone, and has a career Cyclones record of 64-34-5-4 with a 2.36goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

League Leaders: Cincinnati currently boasts a pair of League-leaders in forward Jesse Schultz and goaltender Michael Houser. Schultz currently paces the ECHL in both points (61) and assists (44) and has also added 17 goals. He has points in seven of his last eight games (4g, 7a), and in 29 of his last 37 contests, accounting for 16 goals and 31 assists in that time. Houser currently leads the League in wins with 20, fewest losses with four, goals-against average at 1.89, and save percentage at .932. He is 13-1-1 in his last 15 games, allowing two or fewer goals in 12 of them. Houser was also named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December after a perfect 6-0-0-0 record along with a 1.17 goals against average and a .950 save percentage.

Cyclones add Ostepchuk: The Cincinnati Cyclones have signed goaltender Braeden Ostepchuk to a Standard Player Contract (SPC). He joins the Cyclones after spending the first half of the season with the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). A native of Lethbridge, AB, Ostepchuk has appeared in 22 games with the Thunderbolts, posting a 2-16-3 record along with a 3.86 goals-against average and a .818 save percentage. He turned pro late in the 2017-18 campaign, seeing one game apiece for the SPHL's Pensacola Ice Flyers, and the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Prior to turning pro, the 25-year-old spent four years at Norwich University, appearing in 70 games and posting a 51-12-3 record along with a 1.79 GAA and a .924 SV%.

Point Men: Forward Vas Glotov is currently riding a seven-game point streak, totaling five goals and four assists in that time, while defenseman Mitch Jones has four goals and a pair of assists in his last seven outings. Alex Wideman has five goals and six assists in hislast 12 games, and is second on the team with 18goals and 33assists, while forward Pascal Aquin has points in nine of his last 13 contests, accounting for three goals and 12 helpers. Finally, Ben Johnson has points in eightof his last 11 outings (3g, 9a), and Brady Vail has points in 13 of his last 19games(7g, 11a).

Power Surge: After snapping an 0-19 stretch on the power play, the Cyclones are now 13for their last 47on the man advantage. Cincinnati is now 22ndin the ECHL with a 14.8% conversion rate on the powerplay (34/230).

Good in All Areas: The Cyclones boast the League's top offense, averaging 3.96 goals per game, and the top defense, having allowed a miniscule 2.32 goals per 60 minutes and outscoring teams 210-123. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have a League-leading 82 first period goals while only allowing 38, and have allowed 32 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 63-32, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 28-1-0-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just seven times this season.

Packed Schedule: The Cyclones are in the midst of a stretch of 29 games in 59 days. Cincinnati will play three games in three days on four separate occasions during that time, a pair of four-game-in-five-days stretches, two stretches of seven-games in 10 days, and one of 10 games in 17 days.

Welcome Matt Thomas: The Cyclones enter the 2018-19 season with a new head coach. In early August, Cincinnati hired Matt Thomas as 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!

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