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ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview: vs. Toledo Walleye

December 7, 2019 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Game 23 (Road Game 13)

Vs. Toledo Walleye (8-12-0-0, 16 pts)

Saturday, December 7, 2019, 7:15pm ET

Huntington Center - Toledo, OH

Overview: The Cyclones conclude their four-game road trip on Saturday night against the Toledo Walleye. Cincinnati's six-game point streak came to an end with a 2-1 loss to the Indy Fuel on Tuesday night, however the 'Clones still have points in 10 of their last 12 games, and wins in eight of their last 11.

Thursday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (14-6-2-0) fell to the Indy Fuel, 2-1, on Wednesday night. Forward Mason Mitchell lit the lamp for the lone Cyclones goal of the evening. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 32-22, on the evening with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 20 in the loss.

Tuesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (14-5-2-0) earned a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Indy Fuel on Tuesday night. Forwards Darik Angeli, Cory Ward , and Nate Mitton tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who came back from a 2-0, third period hole. The 'Clones were outshot, 27-22, with goaltender Sean Romeo steering aside 25 in the win.

Last Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (13-5-2-0) fell to the Ft. Wayne Komets, 3-2 in overtime, on Saturday night. Forwards Jesse Schultz and Justin Vaive tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who see their four-game winning streak snapped. Cincinnati was outshot 37-24 on the evening, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 34 in the loss.

Previewing Toledo: The Walleye have won three of their last four games, and are coming off a 6-2 win over the Brampton Beast on Friday night. The Walleye currently sit in third place in the ECHL's Central Division, five points back of the Cyclones. Toledo ranks amongst the to teams in the League in many areas, as they are first in power play conversion percentage at 29.2% (26/89), third in goals per game at 4.05, and sixth in penalty kill at 86.5% (71/82). Most of their damage has been done in the second period, as they have outscored the opposition, 36-23 in the middle frame, including 13-5 in their last four games. They are led by a pair of 20-point scorers in forwards Abbot Girduckis and J osh Kestner who each have 10 goals and 12 assist on the season. They are followed by forwards Shane Berschbach and TJ Hensick who each have four goals and 16 assists. In goal, Pat Nagle has skated in 13 games and has posted a 9-3-1-0 record, along with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .912 save-percentage.

Inside the Series: Saturday is the beginning of a 10-game season series between Cincinnati and Toledo, and the first meeting since the 2019 Central Division Finals, where the Walleye defeated Cincinnati in five games. The teams will each play five games of the season series at home, however four of the first six will be played in Toledo.

Next Game Preview: Cincinnati begins a three-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Kalamazoo Wings. Cincinnati is 4-0-1-0 against the Wings this season and has won four in a row, outscoring Kalamazoo, 19-8 in their four wins (22-12 overall).

Luukkonen Named ECHL Goaltender of the Month: Cyclones goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named the recipient of the Warrior Hockey / ECHL Goaltender of the Month for November. The rookie sensation posted a record of 6-2-1-0 and a 1.88 goals-against average along with a .925 save percentage. Hailing from Espoo, FIN, Luukkonen allowed more than two goals on just three occasions, and stopped 22 or more shots in seven of his nine contests. His month was highlighted by back-to-back shutouts on November 14 and 16, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 1-0 win over the Allen Americans, before steering aside all 23 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets two nights later. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, Cincinnati's National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate, in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Luukkonen ranks third in the ECHL with a 1.90 GAA and is sixth in save percentage at .924.

Boomhower Reassigned: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones, have reassigned forward Shaw Boomhower back to Cincinnati. Recalled on November 11, Boomhower skated in two games with the Amerks, recording seven minutes in penalties in that time. A native of Belleville, ON, Boomhower has appeared in 12 games for the Cyclones this season, accounting for a goal and an assist along with 66 minutes in penalties.

Familiar Foes: The Cyclones are in the middle of a stretch of 15 straight games against their Central Division foes. This season, the Cyclones will play 52 of their 72 games against the Central Division, and currently possess a record of 10-4-2-0 against their divisional rivals.

Caution! HOT!: Cyclones forward Darik Angeli saw his eight-game point streak end following Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Indy Fuel. He had four goals and eight assists on his point streak, including multi-point efforts on four occasions. Additionally, Mason Mitchell has points om eight of his last nine games (5g, 7a) , while Ben Johnson has points in six of his last seven games, (3g, 4a).

Sharing is Caring: The Cyclones have been getting major offensive contributions outside of their top line in recent games, as the Cyclones second and third lines have combined for 20 goals and 30 assists over the last nine games. Leading the way in that time is Darik Angeli who has four goals and eight assists, followed by Mason Mitchell who has accounted for five goals and seven assists. Forward John Wiitala (3g, 4a) and Cody Milan (2g, 5a) each have five points, and John Edwardh has been responsible for six points (3g, 3a).

Achievement Unlocked: Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz recently recorded his 900th professional point. Schultz is closing in on a few more career milestones as well, sitting just three games away from 1,000 pro games played, and 13 games away from 300 for his ECHL career. He currently sits at 354 goals and 553 assists across 997 games, in a career that has seen him spend time in North America in the ECHL, American Hockey League (AHL), and Central Hockey League (CHL), and he also skated in a pair of games for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also seen time overseas in Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Sweden.

Finding Their Stride: The trio of Justin Vaive, Darik Angeli, and Jesse Schultz have accounted for 26 goals and 29 assists over the last 17 games for the Cyclones. Schultz has points in 12 of his last 17 games (12g, 11a), and leads the team in scoring with 24 points on the season (13g, 11a). Additionally, Angeli has points in 10 of his last 12 games (5g, 9a), while Vaive has eight goals and four assists over his last 16 outings.

Holding the Lead: Cincinnati has an 11-1-0-0 mark when scoring the game's first goal, and they are a perfect 10-0-0-0 when leading through two periods this season. They are the second-best defensive team in the ECHL, allowing 2.48 goals per game, and they lead the League with an average of 27.05 shots allowed per 60 minutes.

The 2019-20 Cincinnati Cyclones season is upon us! The defending Brabham Cup champion Cyclones are looking to build off of last season's success, and we invite YOU to join us for the ride! Single game tickets, along with season and group ticket packages for every game this season are on sale now, and you can get more info 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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