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ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview: vs. Toledo Walleye

April 3, 2019 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Game 70 (Home Game 35)

Vs. Toledo Walleye (38-21-6-3, 83 pts)

Wednesday - 7:35pm ET

U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH

Overview: The Cyclones take on the Toledo Walleye in the penultimate home game of the 2018-19 regular season. Cincinnati is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Toledo Walleye on Sunday afternoon. The Cyclones are home for a pair of games this week before their final game of the season on Saturday in Ft. Wayne against the Komets.

Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (49-12-5-3) fell to the Toledo Walleye in overtime, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon. Forward Myles Powell tallied the lone goal for the Cyclones. Cincinnati outshot Toledo, 36-30 on the afternoon, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 28 in defeat.

Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (49-12-4-3) upended the Indy Fuel, 4-3, on Saturday night, in the finale of their 12-game season series. Forwards Myles Powell, Spencer Dorowicz, Brady Vail, and Justin Vaive netted the goals for the Cyclones, who move to within two points of the Brabham Cup as the ECHL regular season champions. Cincinnati was outshot, 34-23 on the night, with goaltender Ty Rimmer stopping 31 in the win.

Last Wednesday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (48-12-4-3) collected a 5-3 win over the Kansas City Mavericks on Wednesday evening. Forwards Pascal Aquin, Jesse Schultz, Vas Glotov, and Brady Vail, along with defenseman Arvin Atwal scored the goals for the Cyclones. Cincinnati outshot Kansas City, 31-25 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser steering aside 22 in the win

Previewing Toledo: The Walleye are coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the Cyclones on Sunday, and have moved to 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games. Toledo is currently second place in the ECHL Central Division, nine points ahead of the Ft. Wayne Komets in third. Toledo ranks eighth in the League with 3.28 goals per game, and are 11th in goals-against with 3.07. They are led by forward Shane Berschbach who has accounted for 20 goals and 41 assists through 63 games this season. He is followed by forwards Greg Wolfe (18g, 32a) and Dylan Sadowy (23g, 23a) who round out the top three. In goal, Trevor Gorsuch won his first pro start on Sunday against Cincinnati, and has a 0.99 goals-against average and a.972 save percentage.

Inside the Series: Wednesday is the ninth and final meeting of the regular season between Cincinnati and Toledo, with the Cyclones holding a 4-2-1-1 record over Toledo.

Next Game Preview: Cincinnati concludes the home portion of the 2018-19 schedule on Friday night against the Brampton Beast. This will be the third and final meeting between the two sides this season, with the teams splitting a two-game series back in November.

Powell Named to ECHL All-Rookie Team: Cyclones forward Myles Powell has been named to the 2018-19 ECHL All-Rookie Team. This is the second-consecutive year that a Cyclone has been represented on the All-Rookie Team, joining last year's ECHL Rookie of the Year, Justin Danforth , who was also named to the team. A native of Comox, BC, Powell is tied for the lead in ECHL rookie scoring with 30 goals and 34 assists for 64 total points, through 55 games. Additionally, he ranks first amongst ECHL first years and is tied for sixth overall in goals, and is second on the team and tied for seventh overall in the ECHL in points. He also leads all rookies and is second in the ECHL with a plus-45 on-ice rating. Powell is currently on a five-game point streak, accounting for five goals and two assists in that time, and has points in 13 of his last 16 games overall, amassing 10 goals and 12 assists. He has enjoyed a pair of season-high seven-game point streak from November 7-21 (8g, 3a), and again from February 1-20 (6g, 7a). His first seven-game point streak also included a career-high six-game goal scoring streak (8g). Overall, Powell has point streaks of five or more games on six occasions this season, and has failed to find the score sheet in just 14 of is 55 games played. Powell has also appeared in six games for the Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones.

Atwal Called to Rochester: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cincinnati Cyclones have recalled Cyclones defenseman Arvin Atwal . This is the first call to Rochester for the season for Atwal, who ranks second on the Cyclones in defenseman scoring with 10 goal and 29 assists, and he leads the team and is tied for fourth in the ECHL with 214 minutes in penalties. Additionally, he is tied with Cyclones forward Myles Powell for second in the League with a plus-44 on-ice rating. A native of Delta, BC, Atwal is in his third season with the Cyclones, and was signed to an AHL contract last summer by the Americans. He has skated in 131 career games with Cincinnati, accounting for 15 goals and 52 assists, along with 369 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 14 games with the Americans, tallying a pair of goals and an assist.

Point Men: Forward Myles Powell has points in 13 of his last 16 games, amassing 10 goals and 12 assists, and is currently second in League rookie scoring with 29 goals and 34 assists. Brady Vail has found the score sheet in 14 of his last 19 games, accounting for 10 goals and 11 assists in that time, and is second on the Cyclones in scoring with 27 goals and 36 assists. Forward Jesse Schultz has points in 15 of his last 22 outings, totaling nine goals and 20 assists in that time, and he leads the ECHL in scoring with 79 points (22g, 57a). Forward Vas Glotov has points in 15 of his last 23 contests, totaling nine goals and 12 assists, while forward Pascal Aquin has points in 10 of his last 14 games (6g, 8a) and is fifth in League rookie scoring with 26 goals and 30 assists.

Man Advantage: The Cyclones are 34 for their last 105 on the power play and now ranks eighth in the ECHL with a 18.7% conversion rate on the power play (55/294).

Good in All Areas: The Cyclones boast the League's top offense, averaging 3.97 goals per game, and the top defense, having allowed a miniscule 2.43 goals per 60 minutes and outscoring teams 273-166. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have a League-leading 97 first period goals while only allowing 51, and have allowed 46 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 90-46, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 36-1-1-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just nine times this season.

Cyclones Clinch Playoff Spot: The Cyclones are the first team to clinch a spot in the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Smile Direct Club. This will the 10 th trip to the postseason for the Cyclones since the 2006-07 season, and the third berth in the last four seasons. Cincinnati has two Kelly Cup Championships to their credit; a 4 games to 2 series win over the Las Vegas Wranglers in 2008, and a 4 games to 1 victory over the Idaho Steelheads in 2010. The Cyclones made a third trip to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2014 where they lost to the Alaska Aces in six games.

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.

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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