ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones-Wheeling Game Seven Preview

Published on April 19, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


For the third time in Chuck Weber's coaching career, he will be facing the prospect of coaching in a game seven during a playoff series. Tonight, the Cincinnati Cyclones host the Wheeling Nailers in a decisive game seven of their North Division semifinals series. The series is even at three wins apiece. Weber is 1-1 in these affairs during his tenure in Cincinnati.

The game will mark the 14th time in ECHL playoffs history that a series has gone the full seven games and it is the fourth time for Cincinnati-which is a league record. The Cyclones are 1-2 in these games all-time, having lost the American Conference Finals to Atlantic City in 2003 and the North Division Finals to Dayton in 2007. Last year, Cincinnati rallied in the North Division Finals to win games six and seven in the North Division Finals to advance to the American Conference Finals and go on to capture the Kelly Cup.

"We just want to continue doing things just the way we have so far this season," Weber said. "You don't change everything up just for the sake of playing a game seven."

For the Cyclones, there are seven players with a seventh game experience in their professional careers. Barret Ehgoetz and Matt Macdonald have each played in the other two seventh games Weber has coached in. Goaltender Ryan Nie has played in two others, both with Kalamazoo (IHL) back in 2007. Mac Faulkner has played in one game seven (Long Beach 2006), but he has four final game experiences-as last season with Columbia, he played in three game fives (best of five). T.J. McElroy, Mike Salekin and Matt Syroczynski have also played in a game seven previously.

Between the seven players, there are 13 final game experiences and they have a collective record of 7-6 in these games. Ehgoetz has registered a goal and an assist in game sevens. Faulkner has a goal and an assist in these final games. Macdonald and McElroy each have assisted on goals in game sevens. Nie has a win and a loss in these contests.

"Game seven is always intense because everyone knows what is on the line," Cyclones defenseman Mike Salekin said. "You have to look at it as just another game even though it is bigger than that. Game seven shows a player's true colors, you can't hide in this one. Everyone needs to do what they normally do but everything just gets magnified."

In the 13 previous series in the ECHL playoffs that have gone seven games, the home team has prevailed in ten of the affairs (76.9 percent). In the last three years, seven of the league's series have gone to a seventh game to decide who advances. This series is peculiar from the standpoint that another league first has already been reached. The visiting team has won all six of the meetings so far-establishing a record.

The winner of this game will advance to play the winner of the Trenton-Elmira series in the North Division Finals. That series will get underway the weekend of April 24-25.

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ECHL Stories from April 19, 2009


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