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ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview: vs. Kalamazoo Wings

February 20, 2019 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Game 52 (Home Game 26)

Vs. Kalamazoo Wings (27-21-1-2, 57 pts)

Wednesday - 7:35pm ET

U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH

Overview: The Cyclones continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Kalamazoo Wings. The Cyclones have won five in a row, and are coming off a 5-4 overtime win over the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday night. Cincinnati enters the week of play nine points ahead of the Toledo Walleye for the Central Division lead, and three points up on the Florida Everblades for first place overall in the ECHL.

Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (36-9-3-3) earned a 5-4 overtime win over the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday afternoon. Defensemen Mitch Jones, Arvin Atwal, and Eric Knodel, along with forward Brady Vail netted the goals in regulation, while forward Jesse Schultz tallied the winner in overtime. The Cyclones were outshot, 38-28 on the afternoon, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 34 in the win.

Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (35-9-3-3) picked up their 35thwin of the season with a 5-2 decision over the Toledo Walleye on Saturday night. Forwards Ben Johnson, Vas Glotov, and Jesse Schultz, along with defensemen Tobie Bisson and Mitch Jones tallied the goals for Cincinnati, who are now one point ahead of the Florida Everblades for first place in the ECHL overall. Cincinnati was outshot, 30-23 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 28 in the win.

Friday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Flying Pigs (34-9-3-3) collected a 2-1 win over the Toledo Walleye on Friday night. Forwards Alex Wideman and Vas Glotov scored the goals for Cincinnati, who are now nine points ahead of Toledo for the Central Division lead. Cincinnati outshot Toledo, 29-25 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 24 in the win. The

Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings currently occupy the third spot in the ECHL'S Central Division, three points ahead of the Ft. Wayne Komets for the fourth and final playoff spot. Kalamazoo has been on a tear as of late, posting an 8-1-1-0 record in their last 10 games, and are coming off a 5-4 overtime win over the Brampton Beast on Monday. The Wings have climbed the ranks offensively, currently placed in fourth with 3.57 goals scored per game. Alternatively, they rank 26 th in the ECHL with 3.75 goals against. They are led by forward Chris Collins who has accounted for 49 points (20g, 29a) through 40 games this season. He is followed by forwards Tanner Sorenson (14g, 31a) and Kyle Thomas (15g, 23a) who round out the top three. In goal, Jake Hildebrand has a record of 18-13-0-1, along with a 3.57 goals-against average along with a .890 save percentage.

Inside the Series: Wednesday night marks the ninth of 11 meetings on the season. The Cyclones have a 7-0-1-0 record in the first eight games, and are outscoring Kalamazoo, 35-17.

Next Game Preview: The Cyclones welcome in the Wheeling Nailers on Thursday afternoon, in the finale of their three-game homestand. Cincinnati has won three of the first four games between the two sides this season, and are slated to meet three more times after Thursday.

Powell Reassigned: Cyclones forward Myles Powell has been reassigned by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He has appeared in six games this season with the Americans this season, however has not recorded a point. A native of Comox, BC, Powell currently ranks fifth on the Cyclones in scoring with 19 goals and 20 assists through 37 games played this season. He is currently riding a six-game point streak, totaling five goals and five assists in that span. He is also tied for second in the ECHL with plus-37 on-ice rating. Powell is currently in his first full pro season, after appearing in seven games in 2017-18 between the Cyclones and Americans. He accounted for a goal and two assists in those contests, along with a pair of assists in four playoff games for Cincinnati. Prior to turning pro, Powell spent four seasons at the Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.), where he accounted for 45 goals and 60 assists in 149 career games.

Point Men: Forward Vas Glotov is currently riding a five-game point streak, totaling three goals and three assists in that time, while forward Jesse Schultz has points in five of his last six games (3g, 5a). Alex Wideman has five goals and four assists in his last 10 games, and is second on the team with 18 goals and 31 assists, while forward Pascal Aquin has points in eight of his last 11 contests, accounting for three goals and 11 helpers. Finally, Ben Johnson has points in seven of his last 10 outings (3g, 9a), and Brady Vail has points in 11 of his last 17 games (6g, 10a).

Power Surge: After snapping an 0-19 stretch on the power play, the Cyclones are now 11 for their last 43 on the man advantage. Cincinnati is now 22ndin the ECHL with a 14.4% conversion rate on the power play (32/224).

He's a Brick....HOUSE!: Goaltender Michael Houser is 12-2-1-1 in his last 14 games, allowing two or fewer goals in 11 of them. He was named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December after a perfect 6-0-0-0 record along with a 1.17 goals against average and a .950 save percentage during the month. Overall, Houser has a record of 18-4-2-1 and leads the ECHL with a 1.96 GAA and a .930 SV%, and he has allowed more than two goals just eight times this season.

Fanning the Flames: Forward Jesse Schultz has points in 27 of his last 35 games, accounting for 15 goals and 29 assists in that time following a pair of goals and an assist in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Adirondack Thunder. He is second amongst all active ECHL players in scoring with 58 points (16g, 42a).

Good in All Areas: The Cyclones boast the League's top offense, averaging 3.42 goals per game, and the top defense, having allowed a miniscule 2.37 goals per 60 minutes, outscoring teams 201-121. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have a League-leading 79 first period goals while only allowing 37, and have allowed 31 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 60-31, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 26-1-0-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just seven times this season.

Packed Schedule: The Cyclones are in the midst of a stretch of 29 games in 59 days. Cincinnati will play three games in three days on four separate occasions during that time, a pair of four-game-in-five-days stretches, two stretches of seven-games in 10 days, and one of 10 games in 17 days.

Record-Setting Performance: With seven first period goals in last Friday's 8-1 win over the Maine Mariners, the Cyclones set a franchise record for goals in a single period, andit now stands as the fifth-most for a single period in ECHL history. Additionally, with four goals in the opening 7:29, forwards Brady Vail (2), Judd Peterson and Myles Powell set a Cyclones record for the earliest four goals in Cyclones history, and with defenseman Devante Stephens goal at 17:45, and Vail's hat trick goal at 18:18, Friday also saw new records set for the earliest five and six goals scored in Cyclones team history.

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! Stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!

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