ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview - Cincinnati at Kalamazoo

December 16, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI CYCLONES (8-8-0-3)

vs.

KALAMAZOO WINGS (15-7-0-2)

DATE: Friday, December 16, 2011

TIME: 7:30pm ET

SITE: Wings Stadium - Kalamazoo, MI

RADIO: Cyclones Radio Network (1050-AM)

WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (America One)

NHL AFFILIATES

Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators

Kalamazoo Wings: Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils

NEXT HOME GAME

Saturday, December 17 - 7:30pm vs. Chicago Express

Twister SnowGlobe Night - The first 2000 fans through the gates will receive a Twister SnowGlobe courtesy of Beacon Orthopaedics

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Cincinnati will be in search of back-to-back road wins tonight as they visit the Kalamazoo Wings for the first time in nearly two months. On Tuesday night, the Wings captured a 4-2 victory from the Cyclones at U.S. Bank Arena to pull ahead in the 14-game season series 3-1. Since 2006, the Clones have earned a 17-13-2-2 record, but have gone just 6-8-1-2 at Wings Stadium.

SCOUTING THE WINGS: Nick Bootland's club remains atop the North Division standings after Tuesday's win, holding a four-point edge over the second-place Chicago Express and a 13 point lead over the Cyclones (although the Wings have played five more games). With 87 goals-scored this season, they remain the best offensive team in the Eastern Conference and rank second among all 20 ECHL clubs. The Wings have earned points in four straight games and have won six of their last ten games. Brandon Svendsen continues to lead Kalamazoo in scoring with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) and also ranks third among all ECHL players. Sam Ftorek is now the Wings leader against Cincinnati, posting two goals and four assists in the four meetings thus far. Riley Gill has been between the pipes for K-Zoo in every regular season tilt with Cincy, going 3-1 with a 3.02 GAA.

About Tuesday Night vs Kalamazoo: Former Cyclone Sam Ftorek posted a three-point night as the Wings earned a 4-2 win over the Cyclones in front of 2,108 at U.S. Bank Arena. It was the first time that Cincinnati had lost a home game in regulation. Chris Cahill and Mathieu Aubin scored the goals for the Cyclones.

O' Captain, My Captain: On Tuesday, Head Coach Jarrod Skalde bestowed the title of "Team Captain" on forward Mathieu Aubin. Now in is fifth-tour of duty with the Clones, Aubin ranks in the top-four on most franchise all-time leader boards. He his 2nd all time in assists (96), 3rd in goals (70) and points (167) and 4th in games played (179).

Speaking of Aubin: The Cyclones captain has found himself on an impressive streak of late. With another goal on Tuesday night, he now leads the team in points (16) and is riding a six game point-scoring streak...the fourth-longest active streak in the ECHL. A year ago, he enjoyed a career-high 9-game point-scoring stretch from Oct. 16-Nov. 6.

Nice, Not Naughty: Jarrod Skalde's bunch continues to rank among the league's least-penalized teams. Coming into tonight, Cincinnati has the third-lowest PIM average in the league (13.79 per game) and has the fewest overall penalty minutes (262) among all 20 ECHL clubs.

"Powerful" on the Road: The Clones have found great success with their man-advantages on the road. With a 19.3% conversion rate away from U.S. Bank Arena, the Cyclones sport the sixth best road power play unit in the ECHL. They have potted 11 goals on 57 chances.

SEASON SERIES (14 Meetings - 10 Remaining)

Oct. 15 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 3 Final

Oct. 29 Cincinnati 5 at Kalamazoo 6 Final

Nov. 23 Kalamazoo 2 at Cincinnati 5 Final

Dec. 13 Kalamazoo 4 at Cincinnati 2 Final

Dec. 16 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30 pm EST

Dec. 21 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Dec. 27 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Jan. 13 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Jan. 27 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30 pm EST

Feb. 14 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:00 pm EST

Feb. 17 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Feb. 25 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Mar. 7 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 10:30 am EST

Mar. 25 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 4:00 pm EDT

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics



ECHL Stories from December 16, 2011


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