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Cyclones Game Notes: vs. Kalamazoo

March 17, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL) - Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Overview: The Cyclones extended their third-place lead over both Kalamazoo and Kansas City to eight points with a 6-1 win over the Indy Fuel on Friday night. Cincinnati has picked up wins in two straight and seven of their last nine games, and are currently in the midst of a seven game in nine day stretch, with the first four of those seven being played against divisional opponents.

Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (35-23-2-0) took down the Indy Fuel, 6-1, on Friday night. Forwards Daniel Muzito-Bagenda and Shawn O'Donnell each collected two goals, while forwards Justin Vaive and Alex Kile each chipped in lone tallies. The Fuel outshot Cincinnati, 41-38 on the evening, with netminder Jason Kasdorf stopping 40 in the win.

Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (34-23-2-0) earned a 3-2 win over the Brampton Beast on Sunday afternoon. Forwards Justin Vaive,Shawn O'Donnell, and Daniel Muzito-Bagenda tallied the goals for Cincinnati, who snap their two-game skid. The Cyclones were outshot, 41-23, on the afternoon, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf steering aside 39 in the win.

Last Saturday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (33-23-2-0) dropped a 4-1 decision to the Ft. Wayne Komets on Saturday night. Forward Mike Barrett tallied the lone goal for Cincinnati. Cincinnati was outshot, 37-25 on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 33 in the loss.

Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings enter their lone game of the weekend in a tie with the Kansas City Mavericks for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division, eight points back of the Cyclones who are in third. Kalamazoo is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Brampton Beast on Tuesday night, and are 2-3-1 overall in the month of March. Offensively, the Wings rank third in the League with an average of 3.66 goals per game, and they are especially good when playing with the lead, having compiled a 22-7-3-2 mark when scoring the first goal, and 18-1-2-2 when leading through 40 minutes. They are led offensively by forwards Justin Taylor and Josh Pitt who each have accounted for 29 goals and 20 assists. They are followed by forward Brendan Bradley (12g, 32a) and defenseman Aaron Irving (13g, 30a). In goal, Joel Martin leads the way with a 19-16-3-2 record, along with a 3.30 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage.

Inside the Series: Tonight marks the finale of a seven-game season series between the Cyclones and Wings, with Cincinnati posting a 4-1-1-0 record through the first six meetings of the season.

Next Game Preview: Cincinnati returns home on Sunday afternoon to take on the Toledo Walleye, in the first of a four-game home stand. This will be the seventh of eight meetings between the Cyclones and League leading Walleye this season, with Toledo emerging victorious in four.

NEED-TO-KNOW

Deuces Wild: Both Daniel Muzito-Bagenda and Shawn O'Donnell lit the lamp twice in Friday's 6-1 win over the Indy Fuel, and now have three goals in each of their last two games. For Muzito-Bagenda, they were his second and third goals since returning last Sunday from his American Hockey League (AHL) stint with the Rochester Americans, while O'Donnell's markers were his third and fourth since returning from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Puck Stops Here: Goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopped 40 of the 41 shots he faced in Friday's 6-1 win over the Indy Fuel, and is riding a three-game winning streak. He has earned wins in six of his last eight starts, allowing two or fewer goals in five of those victories.

Power Surge: With a pair of power play markers in Friday's 6-1 win over the Indy Fuel, the Cyclones have at least one power play goal in 16 of their last 22 games, going 23-for-77 in that stretch (29.8%). They also have the second-ranked power play unit in the League overall with a 20.8% power play conversion rate (48/231), and are tied with the Fuel for the top home power play unit at 25% (28/112).

Cyclones Add Berrafato: The Cyclones have signed goaltender Paul Berrafato to a Standard Player Contract (SPC). A native of Williamsville, NY, Berrafato recently completed a successful collegiate career at the College of Holy Cross where he boasted a record of 46-45-19 record over four seasons. His 2.27 career goals against average are rank him first in program history, while his six shutouts place him second, Additionally, he is tied for second all-time with a .915 save percentage. He was also teammates with Cyclones forward Mike Barrett during his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. His junior hockey career saw him skate in 117 games over four seasons with the United States Hockey League's (USHL) Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Amarillo Bulls of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). He posted a 65-25-15 record a GAA of under 2.20 in two of his four junior seasons.

Running the Gauntlet: Cincinnati has a hectic schedule over the next couple of weeks, playing their next six games over a stretch of eight days, and 9 in the next 15. The Cyclones will play their final 11 games over the next 23 days.

Cincinnati Signs Prapavessis: The Cyclones have signed defenseman Michael Prapavessis to an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO). He was a fourth-round draft pick by the NHL's Dallas Stars in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. A native of Oakville, ON, Prapavessis just completed a successful collegiate career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he accounted for 62 points (7g, 55a) in 154 career games. He also served as team captain during his senior season, and was teammates with Cyclones goaltender Jason Kasdorf during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He played junior hockey for the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) where he totaled seven goals and 55 assists in 72 games played over parts of two seasons. His brother, Matt Prapavessis, currently plays for the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

Finishing What They Started: The Cyclones have a 24-1-0-0 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.

Stay Connected!: Follow the latest news on Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more! Also, for all of the latest news and notes, head over to www.cycloneshockey.com.

The 2017-18 season is underway, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride! Call (513) 421-PUCK for information regarding Cyclones single game tickets, ticket packages, and Season and Group Tickets!


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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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