ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Sting South Carolina, 6-3

Published on February 4, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Cyclones used a hat trick from Maxime Lacroix in a 6-3 win over the defending Kelly Cup champion South Carolina Stingrays on Thursday night. It was the second time in six days that the Cyclones defeated the Stingrays. Lacroix has five goals in the last two nights for Cincinnati. The Cyclones are now a season-best twelve games above.500 (29-17-1).

With the victory, the Cyclones extended the lead in the North Division to five points over second place Toledo and to six points over third place Kalamazoo and Wheeling.

The Cyclones raced to a 3-0 lead at the first intermission. Jimmy Kilpatrick opened the scoring with a shot from the slot over the right shoulder of Shane Connelly at 1:20 for his seventh goal of the season. Kilpatrick took the puck from a South Carolina defender and quickly turned the score in transition. The lead extended at 3:32 when Maxime Lacroix netted his eleventh goal of the season, sliding a puck along the ice from the left wing side. Brett Motherwell and Brian O'Hanley had the helpers on the marker. The scoring ended at 16:22 of the period when Brett Robinson buried his ninth score from Matt Pierce and Lacroix. It was the eleventh time this season that Cincinnati struck for three goals in a frame. The shots favored the Cyclones, 13-9, in the period.

Cincinnati added to the lead at 14:43 of the middle frame when Lacroix notched his second of the night and twelfth of the campaign. Scott Marchesi (collecting his first point as a Cyclone) and Matt Pierce had the assists. South Carolina ended the shutout bid at 17:22 on its first power play of the night when Trent Campbell netted his eleventh score. The shots again favored Cincinnati, 12-7.

In the third, Keith Johnson scored his 20th 1:13 into the frame to narrow the gap to 4-2. Cincinnati would tally the next two- as Lacroix finished the hat trick with his 13th goal at 6:45, as Matt Pierce and Brett Robinson had the assists. Pierce collected his 25th of the campaign, working a two-on-one with Mark Voakes at 14:35. The scoring ended with a power play goal from the Stingrays' Matt Scherer at 17:29. Cincinnati again outshot the Stingrays, 8-7 for the term.

The shots on goal on goal tipped to Cincinnati, 33-23. Robert Mayer stopped 20 shots to take his 13th win of the year and eighth on home ice. Shane Connelly absorbed the loss, steering aside 21 shots in the first two periods before being replaced in the third. South Carolina was two-of-four on the power play, while Cincinnati was zero-for-two with the man-advantage.

The hat trick was the second of the season for Lacroix, who netted one in a 5-2 win over Trenton on January 6. Matt Pierce led the Cyclones in the plus/minus category at +5, while Brett Mother well, Lacroix and Robinson all ended at +4.

Cincinnati is 29-17-1, while South Carolina is 30-13-8. The Cyclones travel to Kalamazoo tomorrow night for a 7:30pm clash that can be heard on 1530 Homer - The Sports Animal. The standings in the North Division are the tightest of any division in the ECHL. The Cyclones lead the North with 59 standings points, while Toledo is in second with 54 and Kalamazoo is tied with Wheeling- both having 53 points. The next closest race is in the Pacific Division, where 15 points separate first and fourth place.

The Cyclones return to U.S. Bank Arena next Wednesday night (February 10) for a 7:30pm showdown with Kalamazoo.

Tickets for the 2009-10 Cincinnati Cyclones season are now on sale. The Cyclones Sales Department can be reached at 513-421-PUCK, extension 3. Selected Friday night games are carried on 1530-AM Homer, while all 72 regular season games can be heard on the club's website at: www.cycloneshockey.com. The next game on 1530 Homer will come Friday (February 5), when the Cyclones travel to Kalamazoo at 7:30pm.

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