ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview - Cincinnati vs. Wheeling

October 19, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI CYCLONES (0-0-0-0)

vs.

WHEELING NAILERS (1-0-0-0)

DATE: Saturday, October 19, 2013

TIME: 7:30pm ET

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

BROADCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (America One), Cyclones Mobile App

NHL AFFILIATES

Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators

Wheeling Nailers: Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins

NEXT HOME GAME (After Tonight)

Thursday, October 26 - 7:30pm vs. Toledo

THIRSTY THURSDAY - $1 BEERS

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: After 161 days of waiting, hockey is finally back in the Queen City tonight as the 2013-14 regular season gets underway with First Face-Off at U.S. Bank Arena. The Cyclones will raise their North Division Champions banner to the rafters here at 100 Broadway and then square off with the Wheeling Nailers for the first of 12 meetings this year.

TONIGHT'S PROMOTION: FIRST FACE-OFF / CYCLONES CAR MAGNET - The Cyclones raise the 2012-13 North Division Champions banner to the rafters prior to the game. The first 5,000 fans through the gates receive a Cyclones Car Magnet that will help you earn Rewards points!

SCOUTING THE NAILERS: Clark Donatelli's club looks to improve upon a 2012-13 record of 31-29-3-9 and a 10th place finish in the Eastern Conference. Wheeling opened its season last night with a 3-2 win over the Elmira Jackals at WesBanco Arena - despite being outshot 42-18. Former Cyclones forward Christiaan Minella potted two goals while goaltender Mike Condon stood tall with 40 saves to earn his first victory of the season. Zack Torquato, who finished fourth on the Nailers in scoring last season, also earned a goal last night. If their season opener is any indication, Wheeling's penalty kill will be one of their strengths - they were a perfect seven-for-seven on Friday night in that department. In addition to Condon, the Nailers have 14th year professional Alex Westlund in their goaltending arsenal. A former Cyclone, Westlund is back playing in North America for the first time since 2007-08.

About the Preseason in Alaska: The Cyclones and Aces split a pair of games at Sullivan Arena last week. In the first match-up, Cincinnati prevailed thanks to four different multi-point getters. Alaska responded with a hot start and held on to a 6-4 win. Mike Embach and Brett Wysopal led the Clones in preseason scoring, notching three points apiece.

A New Era Begins: This summer, the Cyclones witnessed a change at the top as former Head Coach Jarrod Skalde advanced to the American Hockey League. In his place comes 35-year-old Ben Simon. The Notre Dame graduate and hockey alum is the seventh bench-boss in club history but the first-ever to be from the state of Ohio. Simon grew up in Shaker Heights before embarking on an 11-year professional career. He most recently served as the Assistant Coach for the Rockford Ice Hogs in the AHL. Before that, he was the Head Coach and a player for the Sheffield Steelers (EIHL) - and led the club to the 2010-11 title.

The Returners: In total, 13 players will be donning Cyclones jerseys again in 2013-14. Taylor Aronson, Mathieu Aubin, Josh Birkholz, Mike Embach, Dan Eves, Jonathan Hazen, Trevor Lewis, Anthony Luciani, David MacDonald, Josh McFadden, John McFarland, Mike Pelech, and Chris Reed are all back again.

The New Guys: As expected, there are several new names to learn on this year's Cincinnati squad. The 12 players who are making their Cyclones debuts are as follows: Barry Almeida, Kyle Bodie, Antoine Corbin, Paul Crowder, Drew Daniels, Scott Darling, Philippe Lefebvre, Rob Madore, Wade Megan, Vinny Saponari, Tony Turgeon, and Brett Wysopal.

Down on the Farm: The Cyclones begin the 2013-14 season with many of their affiliates' prospects. In fact, of the 25 players on Cincinnati's Season Opening Roster, 13 of them are under AHL/NHL contracts. The Florida Panthers have eight prospects in Cincinnati, while Nashville has sent the Cyclones five players.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES (6 HOME, 6 AWAY - 12 REMAINING)

Oct. 19 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EDT

Nov. 24 Wheeling at Cincinnati 3:00 pm EST

Nov. 27 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Dec. 1 Cincinnati at Wheeling 3:00 pm EST

Dec. 7 Cincinnati at Wheeling 7:00 pm EST

Jan. 9 Cincinnati at Wheeling 7:00 pm EST

Jan. 25 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EST

Jan. 26 Cincinnati at Wheeling 3:00 pm EST

Mar. 2 Cincinnati at Wheeling 3:00 pm EST

Mar. 15 Cincinnati at Wheeling 7:00 pm EDT

Apr. 11 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EDT

Apr. 12 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:35 pm EDT

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics



ECHL Stories from October 19, 2013


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