ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Prepare For Home Opener

October 20, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


COMING UP: The Cincinnati Cyclones, the 2008 Kelly Cup champions, play a pair of games against North Division opposition this weekend. Friday night (Oct. 24), the club travels to Wheeling for another contest against the Nailers. That contest will begin at 7:35pm and can be heard on MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5), as well as at www.cycloneshockey.com. Saturday night (Oct. 25), the Cyclones play host to Dayton in a 7:30pm tilt.

FLY THAT FLAG: Prior to Saturday's (Oct. 25) clash with Dayton, the Cyclones will raise their North Division regular season and playoff championship banners, the American Conference championship flag and the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup banners as well. The championship from last season was the first in Cyclones history, the first by a professional team in Cincinnati since the 1990 Reds, the first by a hockey team in the Queen City since the 1973 Swords and the first title won inside the confines of Hamilton County since the 1953 Mohawks captured the title.

LAST WEEKEND: The Cyclones went 0-1-1 on the weekend, losing at Wheeling Friday, 7-5. Thomas Beauregard netted three goals, while Sean Perkins and Barret Ehgoetz scored the others in the defeat. Saturday night, the club lost in overtime at Dayton, 5-4. Beauregard, Stephen Werner, Matt Macdonald and Olivier Latendresse tallied the goals. Rookie Kyle Gajewski was in net each night.

BEAUREGARD LEADS THEM ALL: Cyclones forward Thomas Beauregard has multiple points in each of the first two games and leads the ECHL in goal scoring with four. Last season, Beauregard led the Cyclones in goal scoring with 31 and two years ago, he led the QMJHL with 71 goals while playing for Acadia-Bathurst. Thomas is third in the ECHL in scoring with five points.

WERNER HELPING OUT: Cyclones center Stephen Werner should be a familiar face to Cincinnati hockey fans. Werner played for the South Carolina club that lost in the American Conference Finals to the Cyclones last spring. Stephen has a goal and three assists for four points and leads the ECHL in shorthanded points--having assisted on both shorthanded goals on Friday night.

MACDONALD A LEADER ALSO: Cyclones defenseman Matt Macdonald is back for his third season in Cincinnati. Macdonald is tied for the ECHL lead in scoring among defensemen with three points. Ironically, all three points (a goal and two assists) have come on the power play. Matt played 22 games with Rockford (AHL) last season and returned to Cincinnati in early April to help lead the club to the Kelly Cup championship.

GETTING AFTER THEM EARLY: The Cyclones lead the ECHL with five first period goals. Last season, Cincinnati led the ECHL in first period goals also, netting 87 scores over the course of the season.

TURNING ON THE 'JUICE': Cyclones goaltender Kyle Gajewski is tied for the ECHL lead in saves in a game. Gajewski turned aside 42 shots in the 5-4 overtime loss at Dayton on Saturday. Kyle is tied with two other netminders for the league lead in that category. He has stopped 70 of the 81 shots he has faced this season.

FAMILIAR FACES IN FOREIGN PLACES: There are currently 15 former Cyclones playing for other ECHL teams. Ten of these players were on last year's championship team, four are from the 2006-07 version and one is from 2002-03. The list includes: Kyle Bushsee (Johnstown), Max Daigneault (Charlotte), Travis Fuller (Augusta), Greg Gallagher (Johnstown), Jon Gleed (Utah), Erik Johnson (Wheeling), Greg Labenski (Dayton), Gerard Miller (Las Vegas), Rory Rawlyk (Phoenix), Robin Richards (Alaska), James Sixsmith (Utah), Chad Starling (Ontario), Jeremy Swanson (Victoria), Cory Urquhart (Stockton) and Mike Wirll (Mississippi).

TEN FAMILIAR FACES IN THE AHL: There are ten former Cyclones players currently in the American Hockey League (AHL). The list includes: Jimmy Bonneau (Portland), Jean-Michel Daoust (Wilkes Barre), Jason Deitsch (Houston), David Desharnais (Hamilton), Cedrick Desjardins (Hamilton), Ryan Maki (Milwaukee), Mark Matheson (Milwaukee), T.J. McElroy (Milwaukee), Greg Stewart (Hamilton) and Ryan Russell (Hamilton). Craig MacDonald (Syracuse) is not included in the list--although he did play for the Cincinnati Cyclones (1999-2001)--but was not a part of this organization.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...: Cyclones rookie defenseman Joe Ryan celebrated his 21st birthday on Sunday (Oct. 19). Ryan, a second round draft choice of Los Angeles in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, has a point in each of Cincinnati's first two games.

MILLER LITE CYCLONES COACHES SHOW: The first Miller Lite Cyclones Coaches Show will be held tonight from 7-8pm at Jefferson Hall at Newport on the Levee. Head Coach Chuck Weber and a pair of players are on hand each week. This week, Matt Macdonald and Matt Syroczynski are the special guests. This is the first of 25 shows the team will do this season.

MAX FM CARRIES THE GAMES: The Cyclones will have 30 games carried on MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5) this season. The next broadcast will come from Wheeling on Friday night. Air time is at 7:15pm and faceoff is at 7:35pm. All games can be heard on the internet at: www.cycloneshockey.com. Following the weekend, the Cyclones next radio game is scheduled for Friday, October 31 from Reading.

TICKETS! GET YOUR TICKETS!: Tickets for all Cincinnati Cyclones games can be purchased through TicketMaster at 513-562-4949 or by using their website at: www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the window day of the game. Season ticket packages can also be obtained by contacting the Cyclones offices at 513-421-PUCK (7825) x. 144.

RETURNING FACES: The Cyclones welcome assistant captains Barret Ehgoetz and Matt Macdonald back. Forward Billy Irish-Baker and defenseman Sean Perkins are also back under contract with the Cyclones. Thomas Beauregard and Olivier Latendresse have been assigned by the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) to Cincinnati. Travis Hanson, who was with the club for a couple of weeks last season after his collegiate career ended--is also back.

THE NEW GUYS: The Cyclones will infuse some new blood into the lineup also, as Kyle Rank, who played last season in Wheeling joins the club. Defenseman Joe Grimaldi was acquired in a trade with Gwinnett during the off-season. Right wing Mitch Woods led the IHL with 297 penalty minutes and 25 fights in 2007-08. Center Ben McLeod (25-38-63) is with the Cyclones from Europe. Stephen Werner, who Cyclones fans saw during the playoff series with South Carolina--has been assigned by the Milwaukee Admirals to Cincinnati.

AFFILIATES ARE BACK: The Cyclones will have NHL affiliations with the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators once again. This will be the third straight season that Montreal has been tied in with the Cyclones and the second straight campaign for Nashville. Hamilton and Milwaukee will be American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates for the team also. Hamilton is the top affiliate of Montreal, while Milwaukee holds that title for Nashville.

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics



ECHL Stories from October 20, 2008


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