ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Notes: vs. Kalamazoo

Published on November 17, 2018 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Game 15 (Home Game 9)

Vs. Kalamazoo Wings (4-6-0-1, 9 pts)

Saturday - 7:35pm ET

U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH

Overview: The Cyclones welcome in the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday night, in the finale of a two-game weekend series for the Cincinnati. The 'Clones are coming off a 4-1 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night, and are in the midst of a ten-game stretch against Central Division opponents.

Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (9-3-2-0) collected a 4-1 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Forwards Myles Powell and Shaw Boomhower, along with defensemen Eric Knodel and Arvin Atwal netted the goals for the Cyclones, who have won both of the meetings against Ft. Wayne so far this season. The Cyclones were outshot, 31-28, in the period, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 30 in the win.

Tuesday Morning Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (8-3-2-0) shutout the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 9-0, on Tuesday morning, in front of 12,346 school children for the Cyclones' annual Field Trip Game. It marked Cincinnati's highest goal total since a 9-4 road win against Evansville back in 2012-13. Forward Alex Wideman led the way with a pair of goals and three assists, while forward Myles Powell chipped in a pair of goals and an assist. Defensemen Eric Knodel and Devante Stephens, along with forwards Vas Glotov, Shaw Boomhower, and Mike Marnell each added lone markers, with Marnell also dishing out three assists for a four-point performance. Cincinnati outshot the Swamp Rabbits, 25-23, on the day, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping all 23 he faced in the win.

Last Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (7-3-2-0) dropped a tight 4-3 affair to the Indy Fuel on the road Saturday night. Forwards Myles Powell, Pascal Aquin, and Brady Vail tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who dropped just their third game in regulation this season. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 30-27, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 23 in defeat.

Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings enter Saturday having dropped six of their last seven games, and are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Bampton Beast last Saturday. The Wings and the Toledo Walleye were scheduled to play a morning matinée on Thursday, however the game was cancelled due to weather. Despite being in the bottom four in overall offense at 2.64 goals per game, Kalamazoo has experienced success while shorthanded, as they rank third in the ECHL with four shorthanded goals. The Wings are led by forward Justin Taylor who has totaled eight goals and three assists through 11 games this season. He is followed by forwards Kyle Thomas (2g, 7a) and Chris Collins (3g, 5a) who round out the top three.

Inside the Series: This is the fourth of 11 meetings on the season between the Cyclones and Wings, and the first of two straight between the teams at U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati is 2-0-1-0 against the Wings this season, and have outscored Kalamazoo, 12-6, through three games.

Next Game Preview: The Cyclones and Wings face off on Wednesday night in the conclusion of their two-game series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35pm ET.

NEED-TO-KNOW

Well Aren't You Special: The Cyclones enter Saturday as one of the top power play and penalty kill teams in the League. Cincinnati currently boasts the second-best penalty kill, having allowed just five goals in 47 shorthanded situations (89.4%). Additionally, Cincinnati also boasts the second-ranked home penalty at 93.1% (27/29), and have only allowed three power play goals on their last 27 chances. Cincinnati is tied for the League lead with six shorthanded goals, with forward Myles Powell leading the way with two. On the power play, Cincinnati is converting at a 21.9% clip at home (7/32) which is good for fourth in the League in that category.

Shutting it Down: The Cyclones rank second in the ECHL in team defense, allowing 2.43 goals per game. Closing out games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have only allowed four goals in the third period, and are outscoring the opposition, 16-4, in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 8-0-0-0 when leading through two periods, and has given up more than three goals in regulation just three times this season.

Two is Better Than One: Cyclones forward Shaw Boomhower netted his pro goal in as many games in Friday's 4-1 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets. He lit the lamp for the first time in Tuesday's 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

Offensive Explosion:The Cyclones are 7-2-0-0 in their last eight games, outscoring their opponents 39-18 in that span, including 35-8 in their seven wins. Cincinnati is the top offensive team in the ECHL, averaging 4.07 goals scored per game. Forward Alex Wideman is on a six-game point streak, accounting for three goals and eight assists in that time. Forward Brady Vail is also on a six-game heater, totaling three goals and three assists in that time, while Myles Powell is currently on a four-game point streak, accounting for six goals and two assists in that span. Defenseman Devante Stephens extended his point streak to four games (2g, 2a) with an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets.

Nine is Mighty Fine: Cincinnati's 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits marks the Cyclones' highest goal total since a 9-4 win over the Evansville IceMen back on March 3, 2013. It was also Cincinnati's highest margin of victory since a 13-2 victory over the Reading Royals on December 27, 2002.

New Career High: Forward Alex Wideman set a career high with five points (2g, 3a) in Tuesday's 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, eclipsing his previous single game high of three points, which has been accomplished on multiple occasions. He now sits second on the Cyclones in scoring with 13 points (4g, 9a), and has three goals and eight assists on his current six-game points streak.

On the Leaderboard: Goaltender Michael Houser is fourth amongst ECHL goaltenders with a 2.01 goals-against average and third with a .933 save percentage, while posting a 4-1-1-0 record this season. Defenseman Eric Knodelcurrently is third in League defenseman scoring with four goals eight assists, and is second amongst ECHL rearguards in power play scoring with six points (2g, 4a).

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!

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from November 17, 2018


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.

OurSports Central