ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Weekly

Published on February 15, 2016 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


LAST WEEK RECAP:

Sunday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (25-19-3-2) picked up a 4-3 overtime win over the Evansville IceMen on Sunday evening. Forwards Nick Huard, Zach Budish and Peter Quenneville scored the goals in regulation, while forward Tommy Mele recorded the game winner in overtime for the Cyclones. The Cyclones outshot Evansville, 45-37 on the night, including a combined 23-9 in the third period and overtime. Cyclones netminder Andy Iles stopped 34 shots he faced, while the power play converted on two of three chances.

Saturday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (24-19-3-2) collected their third straight win, with a 2-0 victory over the Evansville IceMen on Saturday night. Forwards Nick Huard and Zach Budish scored the goals for the Cyclones, while netminder Andy Iles earned his first shutout of the season. Cincinnati outshot Evansville, 35-31 on the night, and neither team recorded a penalty in the game, marking the lowest-combined penalty total for the Cyclones this season.

Friday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (23-19-3-2) earned a 6-5 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Forward Nick Huard tallied a pair of goals, while forwards Mike Hammond, Jack Downing, and Tommy Mele, along with defenseman Brett Wysopal added lone markers for the Cyclones. The Cyclones outshot the Komets, 37-29 on the night, with goaltender Brandon Whitney turning aside 24 to collect the win. Cincinnati's power play was a deciding factor in the game, converting on three-of-seven chances.

Wednesday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (22-19-3-2) earned a 4-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday night. Forward Zach Budish collected a pair of goals, while defensemen Andrew Blazek and Garrett Noonan each added lone tallies for the Cyclones. . The Cyclones outshot the Wings, 34-23 on the night, with goaltender Andy Iles stopping 22 to collect his fifth win as a Cyclone.

Upcoming Schedule:

Friday, February 19: AT Quad City- 8:05pm ET

Saturday, February: 20 AT Quad City- 8:05pm ET

News and Notes:

McFarland Makes NHL Debut: Former Cyclones forward John McFarland made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut on Saturday night with the Florida Panthers, in their 5-0 loss to the Nashville Predators. McFarland logged 8:41 of ice time, while dishing out a pair of hits and two blocks. A native of Richmond Hill, ONT, McFarland spent parts of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons with the Cyclones, appearing in 43 games and recording 20 goals and 18 assists. The 23-year-old was a pivotal part in Cincinnati's run to the 2014 Kelly Cup Finals, accounting for nine points (4g, 5a) in 12 playoff games that season. Drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round (#33 overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, McFarland spent the first 43 games this season with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL), accounting for 14 goals and eight assists, along with 22 penalty minutes. Since turning pro in 2013, McFarland has appeared in 221 games between the Cyclones, Pirates, and the AHL's San Antonio Rampage, recording 59 goals and 58 assists, for 117 points. McFarland joins Byron Froese and Logan Shaw as former Cyclones to make their NHL debut this season.

Power Surge : The Cyclones' power play has played a deciding factor on their current four-game winning streak, converting on 44.4% (8/18) of man-advantage opportunities in those contests, including goals on five of the last 10 chances. Cincinnati is currently 13th in the ECHL with a 17.2 power play percentage (32/186).

Hot Hand Huard: Forward Nick Huard extended his point streak to four games, with a goal and an assist in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Evansville IceMen. He has all four of his goals in his last three games, including the game winner in Saturday's 2-0 win over Evansville. He is currently ninth in ECHL rookie scoring, accounting for 36 points (15g, 21a).

'O' From the 'D': Defenseman Garrett Noonan is currently riding a four-game point streak, accounting for a pair of goals and five assists in that span. He has recorded nine points (2g, 7a) over his last six games played, and currently 14th in League defenseman scoring with 26 points (5g, 21a).

First for Andy: Goaltender Andy Iles turned aside all 31 shots he faced in last night's 2-0 win over the Evansville IceMen, marking his first shutout of the season. Iles has appeared in 11 games for the Cyclones since being claimed off of waivers from the Kalamazoo Wings, posting a 7-4-0-0 record, along with a 2.43 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage.

Milestone for Budish: Zach Budish recorded an assist in Friday's 6-5 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets, marking his 100th point of his pro hockey career. He is currently on a four-game point streak, accounting for four goals and three assists in that span. Since turning pro in 2013, the 2009, second round NHL Draft pick of the Nashville Predators has appeared in 189 games with the Cyclones and Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), accounting for 40 goals and 53 assists.

League Leader: With a goal in Friday night's 6-5 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets, forward Jack Downing now leads the ECHL with 23 goals on the season. Downing has been amongst the top scorers on the Cyclones all season long, ranking second on the team with 38 points (23g, 16a).

Cyclones Acquire Binkley and Mulvey: The Cincinnati Cyclones acquired defenseman Jason Binkley from the Utah Grizzlies in exchange for future considerations, and forward Colin Mulvey from the South Carolina Stingrays in exchange for future considerations. Binkley appeared in 43 games with the Grizzlies this season, accounting for a goal and six assists, along with 19 penalty minutes. Currently in his second professional season, the 5'9", 196-pound defenseman spent seven games with the South Carolina Stingrays at the end of last season, totaling a goal and an assist. Mulvey returns for his second-career stint with the Cyclones, after appearing in 37 games with the South Carolina Stingrays this season. The Worcester, MA, native ranked sixth on the Stingrays in scoring, accounting for 11 goals and 11 assists, and he was fourth on the team with a plus-10 on-ice rating. He spent last season with the Erding Gladiators in Germany, where he totaled 52 points (29g, 23a) in 40 games played, and split the 2013-2014 season between the Wheeling Nailers and the Cyclones, skating in 38 games overall, including seven in Cincinnati where he recorded a pair of goals and three assists.

And Down the Stretch They Come!: Saturday night's 2-0 win over Evansville marked the 19th time this season that Cincinnati has won a game when leading after two periods. The Cyclones are 19-1-0-0 when leading heading into the third period, and are a perfect 15-0-0-0 at home when leading through 40 minutes.

The 2015-2016 season is underway! Your Cyclones are on the march towards another Kelly Cup Championship, and want you along for the ride! Be sure to check out one of our 2015-16 Ticket Packages, available NOW! Call 513.421.PUCK to reserve your seats. Fans can also get the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Instagram, and our website, www.cyclones.com!

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from February 15, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central