ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview - Cincinnati Vs. South Carolina

Published on February 3, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI CYCLONES (19-14-0-6)

vs.

SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS (27-17-1-1)

DATE: Friday, February 3, 2012

TIME: 7:30pm ET

SITE: U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH

RADIO: None

WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (America One)

NHL AFFILIATES

Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators

South Carolina Stingrays: Washington Capitals

NEXT HOME GAME (after tonight)

Saturday, February 4 - 7:30pm vs. South Carolina Stingrays

BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT - The first 1,500 fans through the gates will receive a Cyclones Bobblehead!!

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: 48 hours after the Cyclones made history with a six-goal comeback and a 7-6 overtime triumph over Toledo, Cincinnati welcomes in the red-hot South Carolina Stingrays for the opener of a two-game weekend set in Downtown Cincinnati. Over the year's the Clones have had great success against the "˜Rays - going 15-6-3 since 2006.

TONIGHT'S PROMOTION: Twister's Birthday Party - The first 2,000 fans ages 2-12 will receive a FREE Twister Plush Doll!

SCOUTING THE STINGRAYS: In his first year as Head Coach, Spencer Carbery has his group playing the best hockey of any team in the ECHL. South Carolina is 10-1-0 in their last 11 games and have won an league-high seven straight road contests. One major reason for their success this year has been the team defense; they are surrendering the second-fewest average goals per game (2.28) and sport the league's third-best goaltender in Philipp Grubauer. What is more remarkable, however, is their success in spite of an offense who has notched the third-fewest goals of any team in the ECHL (105). Pierre-Luc O'Brien leads the Stingrays in overall scoring with 20 goals and 15 assists in 45 games. The "˜Rays also feature a couple of former Cyclones, as Maxime Lacroix and Greg Stewart will both make their return to the Queen City this weekend. In net, Philipp Grubauer has been among the ECHL's elite backstops. He was named Rookie of the Month for January after posting a 7-1-0 record and a 1.66 goals-against average. Overall, he has earned a 17-8-2 mark with a 2.14 GAA. His win totals are second most in the league.

About Wednesday Night vs. Toledo: Rookie Matt Sisca's second goal of the night came in overtime and capped off a six-goal comeback for the Cyclones, as they rallied to defeat the Walleye by a 7-6 final score in front of 2,892 at U.S. Bank Arena. It was the first time in team history that the Cyclones came back from a three-goal deficit or greater to win a regular season game.

No Need for Nail Clippers: The Cyclones have found themselves in closely-contested battles all season long. More than 66 percent of their games have been decided by two-goals or less, including nine of their last 11 games. In such situations this year, the Clones are 11-9-0-6.

Southern Hospitality: With South Carolina coming to U.S. Bank Arena this weekend, it will play into Cincinnati's favor based on history. Since 2006, the Cyclones have earned a 30-16-3-2 record against teams from the South Division, including a 2-0-1 mark in 2011-12.

A Time to Kill: Cincinnati has continued to rank among the league's best in penalty killing efficiency this season. Overall, they have extinguished 146 out of 175 opponents power plays (83.4%) - which is seventh best in the ECHL. At home, they are fifth best with an 85.4% kill rate.

SEASON SERIES (4 Meetings - 4 Remaining)

Feb. 3 South Carolina at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Feb. 4 South Carolina at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Mar. 11 Cincinnati at South Carolina 4:00 pm EDT

Mar. 17 Cincinnati at South Carolina 7:05 pm EDT

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics

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ECHL Stories from February 3, 2012


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