ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Hit Road With Series Lead!

Published on April 27, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


COMING UP: The Cincinnati Cyclones, the 2008 Kelly Cup champions, hold a two games to none lead in the North Division Finals series. The best of seven event now swings into Elmira, NY for the next two or three games. The Cyclones will play at the First Arena on Wednesday (April 29) and Friday (May 1). If a fifth game in the series is needed, it would be played on Saturday (May 2). All three games will be carried on MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5). Faceoff Wednesday is at 7:05pm, while Friday and Saturday the games would start at 7:35pm.

GAME INFO: If a sixth game in the series is necessary, it will be ticket ‘G' and the contest would be played on Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30pm at U.S. Bank Arena. The seventh game (if needed), would be ticket ‘H' and would be good for admission on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:30pm. If games are not played, the tickets would be good for games in the American Conference Finals round.

LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!: The Cyclones have enjoyed success on the road this season. The club led the ECHL with 22 road victories this season and is already a perfect 3-0 away from the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati has outscored the opposition, 13-7, on enemy ground and killed off 16 of 18 man disadvantage situations in those contests (88.9%). The Cyclones have won five straight away contests dating back to March 25 of the regular season and seven of their last eight (back to March 15). Since the start of the 2007-08 regular season and including the Kelly Cup playoffs, the Cyclones are 59-24-3 (.703 winning percentage).

ABOUT SATURDAY NIGHT...: The Cyclones used a dramatic overtime goal from rookie Jimmy Kilpatrick 1:46 in, to claim a 5-4 win and give Cincinnati a two games to one lead. The score capped a three goal comeback that was led by veteran forward Mac Faulkner's hat trick (three goals). Dustin Sproat's power play goal with 2:08 left in regulation time gave Cincinnati the opportunity to win it in bonus time. Ian McKenzie chipped in with a pair of assists and Ryan Nie came on in relief and stopped 14 shots to collect the victory.

RALLY MONKEY!: The Cyclones comeback win Saturday night matched the club record for biggest deficit overcome in a game. Cincinnati trailed 4-1 with 12:55 to go in the second period. Cincinnati rallied to tie the game with just over two minutes to play and then claimed the victory in the extra session. Last season, the Cyclones set the record after erasing a 3-0 third period deficit in game two of the American Conference Finals against South Carolina (May 9). A four goal explosion in the final frame forced the overtime and Thomas Beauregard ended the game in the sixth minute of overtime. These are the only two times in club history--regular season or playoffs, that the club has climbed out of a three goal hole and won the contest.

MEET THE FAULKNER: Cyclones forward Mac Faulkner became the first player in Chuck Weber's three years as Cincinnati's coach to register a hat trick in a playoff game. It is the first time in Faulkner's pro career that he has had a three goal night in the playoffs.

ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHT...: The Cyclones struck for a pair of first period goals, a pair of second period goals and four in the third period of an 8-3 win over Elmira. Ian McKenzie and Dustin Sproat each had a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Justin Johnson had a pair of goals and an assist and Jimmy Kilpatrick had three assists to pace the offense. Loic Lacasse stopped 21 shots to take his league-high fifth victory of the postseason.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE: The eight goals on April 24 set a club playoff record for scoring in a playoff game. Previously, the record was six goals in a 6-2 win over South Carolina in the American Conference Finals on May 9 of last season.

McKENZIE DELIVERS: Cyclones forward Ian McKenzie was reassigned to the club by Milwaukee on Wednesday. His pro debut playoff game lived up to billing, as he delivered two goals and two assists and was plus four in the contest. In the game on Saturday (April 25), he chipped in with a pair of assists in the 5-4 overtime win.

ABOUT MONDAY NIGHT...: Forward Matt Syroczynski's goal 3:48 into the second overtime ended the second-longest game in club history. The 2-1 win over Wheeling gave the seven game series to the Cyclones. Loic Lacasse stopped 49 shots and rookie Felix Petit scored the other goal for Cincinnati.

LONG NIGHT...: The goal scored by Matt Syroczynski ended the second-longest game in club history at 83:48. Back on April 6, 2003 Nick Bootland netted the game ender--ironically in the second overtime--in a 4-3 win over Peoria. That ended the best of five series in four games and came at 91:02. The OT game on Monday was the fifth-longest played by a professional team called the Cincinnati Cyclones, as twice those IHL teams played in triple OT. The longest game was on May 1, 1998 when Scott Morrow's goal ended a 3-2 verdict at Detroit in the opening game of the Turner Cup Eastern Conference semifinals. That goal hit the back of the net at 110:05 of overtime and at 12:18am, nearly five hours after the game began.

THREE-PEAT: The Cyclones have advanced to the North Division Finals for the third straight year under Head Coach Chuck Weber. Cincinnati is one of three teams to advance to the second round of the postseason in each of the last three years (Alaska and Las Vegas are the others).

A DIFFERENT THREE-PEAT...: In the three seasons Chuck Weber has been the coach of the Cyclones, the club has won at least a playoff series in each campaign. The only other coach in ECHL history to win at least a series in each of his first three years was Davis Payne (Pee Dee 2000-03). Weber has been a part of eight playoff bound teams in his coaching career--seven of those eight have won their opening round series of the postseason.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Forward Matt Syroczynski's goal in the second overtime on Monday night brought to an end the North Division semifinals was his second game winning goal in a Kelly Cup playoff game. Matt's only other game winning goal in postseason play came in game six of the Kelly Cup Finals last June.

NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE: The Cyclones and Nailers established a Kelly Cup playoffs record by having the road team win each of the first six games of the series. The only other time that the first five games were won by the guests was the 2000 Kelly Cup Finals between Louisiana and Peoria.

COMEBACK KIDS: The Cyclones have rallied from deficits to claim three victories in the postseason. During the regular season, the club picked up 15 comeback wins.

MILLER LITE CYCLONES COACHES SHOW: The Miller Lite Cyclones Coaches Show will be held Monday night (April 27) at Jefferson Hall at Newport on the Levee. Head Coach Chuck Weber will be on hand with special guest host Nick Brunker and the show will be the final production before the end of season show--that will happen the Monday after the playoffs end. There will not be players at tonight's event, as the club will leave later this evening for Elmira.

BIG WINNERS: Since the start of the 2007-08 season and through the playoffs of this season--the Cyclones have compiled a record of 118-46-12 (.705 winning percentage). It is the best winning percentage of any team in the ECHL.

ELMIRA AND THE CYCLONES: Cincinnati turned in a 3-3-1 record against Elmira during the regular season, including a 1-1 record at U.S. Bank Arena. In the three seasons under Chuck Weber, the club is 12-5-2 versus the Jackals.

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics

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ECHL Stories from April 27, 2009


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