ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview - Cincinnati at Ft. Wayne

December 19, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI CYCLONES (14-8-2-0)

vs.

FT. WAYNE KOMETS (13-10-1-1)

DATE: Wednesday, December 19, 2012

TIME: 7:30pm ET

SITE: Memorial Coliseum - Ft. Wayne, IN

WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (America One)

NHL AFFILIATES

Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators

Ft. Wayne Komets: Anaheim Ducks

NEXT HOME GAME

Friday, December 21 vs. South Carolina Stingrays - 7:30pm

END OF THE WORLD PARTY

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: For the first time in more than 13 years, the Cyclones will meet the Ft. Wayne Komets as they open a nine-game regular season series. The last time the old International Hockey League rivals met was back on April 17, 1999 when the Ron Smith-led Cyclones earned a 5-3 win at U.S. Bank Arena (then known as The Crown). As IHL foes, the Cyclones owned an 32-24-8 record against the Komets. The last time the teams skated at Memorial Coliseum, the Cyclones earned a 3-2 overtime win on March 20, 1999.

SCOUTING THE KOMETS: Al Simms' club has closed their North Division gap with Cincinnati to just two points, despite winning five out of their last ten games. Brandon Marino is far and away Ft. Wayne's leader on offense, posting 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in 25 games so far this season. His closest teammate is Josh Brittain who has 20 tallies (10 goals, 10 assists) in 25 contests. Former Cyclone Thomas Beauregard, who skated in his 200th ECHL game (including playoffs) this past Friday, has totaled 13 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in a total of 24 games. Charlie Effinger and Ken Reiter have split the time in net for the Komets over the last month. Effinger, a Miami University alum, is 6-4-0-1 this year with a 3.07 goals-against average and has led his team to at least a point in three straight games. Reiter, who won an NCAA National Championship with Minnesota-Duluth in 2010-11, is 6-5-0-1 with a 2.88 goals against average.

Much Anticipated Debut: After spending the first two months of the year rehabbing an injured knee, tonight marks the first pro start for goaltender Michael Houser. Last year, the Youngstown, OH native was the OHL Player of the Year after amassing a 46-15-1 record and a 2.47 goals-against average.

Polar Opposites in PIMS: Tonight's matchup features two very different teams in terms of penalty minutes. The Cyclones have been whistled for the fourth-fewest average minutes per game (15.13) while the Komets are averaging more than 25 minutes in the sin bin (3rd most in the ECHL). The Komets also rank third in major penalties (36).

Northern Strength: While they have played their best hockey against the Atlantic Division this year, the Clones have been strong against their North Division foes. Cincinnati has the best in-division winning percentage (62.5%) of any team in the "North."

SEASON SERIES (9 TOTAL, 9 REMAINING)

Dec. 19 Cincinnati at Fort Wayne 7:30 pm EST

Jan. 4 Cincinnati at Fort Wayne 8:00 pm EST

Jan. 5 Fort Wayne at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Jan. 11 Fort Wayne at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Jan. 12 Cincinnati at Fort Wayne 7:30 pm EST

Jan. 13 Cincinnati at Fort Wayne 5:00 pm EST

Feb. 2 Cincinnati at Fort Wayne 7:30 pm EST

Feb. 12 Fort Wayne at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Feb. 22 Cincinnati at Fort Wayne 8:00 pm EST

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics



ECHL Stories from December 19, 2012


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