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ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cylones Game Preview: vs. Toledo

October 24, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


Overview: The Cyclones continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday evening against the Toledo Walleye, Cincinnati is coming off a 1-1-0-0 weekend last weekend, falling in Indy on Friday before rebounding for a 4-1 home win against the Wheeling Nailers Saturday.

Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (2-1-0-0) took down the Wheeling Nailers, 4-1, on Saturday night. Forwards Jordan Sims, Justin Vaive, and Spencer Dorowicz, along with defenseman Eric Knodel, netted the goals for Cincinnati. The Cyclones were outshot on the evening, 34-25, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 33 in the win.

Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (1-1-0-0) fell to the Indy Fuel, 4-1, on Friday night. Cyclones forward Spencer Dorowicz tallied the lone goal for the Cyclones; his third goal in his first two games of the season. The teams engaged in a physical battle as well, combining for 40 minutes of penalties, including a pair of fights. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 40-25, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 21 in the loss.

Last Saturday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (1-0-0-0) picked up a 5-2 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Saturday night. Forward Spencer Dorowiczand defenseman Arvin Atwal each had a pair of goals, while forward Justin Vaive netted a lone tally. The Cyclones outshot the Komets, 28-26, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 24 in the win.

Previewing Toledo: The Walleye enter Wednesday having dropped two in a row, and are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Indy Fuel on Saturday evening. Toledo is in the midst of playing five straight on the road to begin the season, and have been outscored 11-9 in their first three games of the season. They are led early on by forwards Shane Berschbach andAJ Jenks (2g, 2a each) and Dylan Sadoway (3g) who have accounted for seven of the team's nine goals this season.

Inside the Series: This will be the first of nine meetings between the 'Clones and Walleye this season. The Walleye controlled last season's eight-game series, posting s 6-2-0-0 record against Cincinnati and outscoring the Cyclones, 25-14 in those games.

Next Game Preview: The Cyclones wrap up their three-game homestand on Friday night against the Kalamazoo Wings, in the first of three in a row against the club. The Cyclones and Wings will meet 11 total times in 2018-19, with six coming at U.S. Bank Arena

NEED-TO-KNOW

Cyclones Transactions: This week, the Cyclones were active on the trade front, trading the ECHL rights to forward Shawn O'Donnell to the Maine Mariners, in exchange for forward Mike Marnell, and defenseman Andrew Tessier to the Adirondack Thunder, with Future Considerations coming back in return. Additionally, Cincinnati dealt forward Jordan Sims to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, in exchange for Future Considerations. A native of South Huntington, NY, Marnell has appeared in two games for the Mariners this season, however has not recorded a point. He recently wrapped up a successful collegiate career at St. Lawrence University where he accounted for 79 points (45g, 34a) in 115 career games played over four seasons. His junior year of 2016-17 saw him rank second on the team in scoring while achieving career highs in both goals (15) and assists (12), and during his senior season he led the team with 22 points (12g, 10a). He played junior hockey for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he accounted for 47 points (25g, 22a) in 98 career games. O'Donnell was signed by the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack in the off season, and has appeared in seven games this season, dishing out an assist. O'Donnell appeared 46 games with the Cyclones last season, ranking sixth on the team in scoring with 44 points (19g, 25a). He also added a pair of goals and a pair of assists in five playoff games. He enjoyed an 11-game point streak from November 18-December 29 (4g, 13a), and had multi-point efforts on 10 separate occasions, including a season-high four-point performance in a 5-4 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on December 27. Overall, O'Donnell has appeared in 93 games with the Cyclones, accounting for 33 goals and 53 assists for 86 total points.Tessier was signed by the Cyclones prior to training camp, and was brought back to the team after being one of the final cuts following camp. He has yet to appear in a game this season, however has spent the last four seasons with Laurentian University and Lakehead University in Canada. In 67 collegiate games, the Elliot Lake, ON, native accounted for three goals and 10 assists. A native of Ft. Wayne, IN, Sims returned for his second stint in Cincinnati after accounting for 14 points (8g, 6a) in 19 games for Lyon in France last season. As a Cyclone in 2016-17, Sims ranked third on the team in scoring with 44 points (15g, 29a) in 59 games played. His 29 assists placed him second on the team in that category, while he ranked third with a plus-7 on-ice rating.

He's Got the Touch: Cyclones forward Spencer Dorowicz found the back of the net for the fourth time this season in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers. The Olds, AB, native has scored in each of his first three games of the season, including a pair in Cincinnati's season-opening win over the Ft. Wayne Komets, and is tied for second in goal scoring amongst League rookies.

Home Sweet Home:Cincinnati has won both of their home games this season, and are outscoring the opposition, 9-3, so far at U.S. Bank Arena. The Cyclones were one of the ECHL's best teams at home last season, posting a 21-12-3-0 record and outscoring teams, 116-106.

Sharing the Load:Nine different players recorded points in Cincinnati's season-opening 5-2 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets last Saturday night, including defensemen Arvin Atwal (2g, 1a) and Devante Stephens (2a), and forward Spencer Dorowicz (2g) who all had multi-point nights. Additionally, Cyclones player/assistant coach Justin Vaivenetted a lone Cyclones marker, and goaltender Jonas Johansson dished out an assist on Atwal's empty-netter late in the third period. Overall, 14 players have totaled at least one point this season, led by Dorowicz (4g) and Atwal (2g, 2a) who each have four.

Welcome Matt Thomas: The Cyclones enter the 2018-19 season with a new head coach. In early August, Cincinnati hired Matt Thomas as the team's new bench boss. He replaced Matt Macdonald who was named assistant coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins; American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. A native of Maple Ridge, BC, Thomas has extensive head coaching experience in the ECHL, spanning 11 seasons with the Atlantic Boardwalk Bullies, Fresno Falcons, and Stockton Thunder from 2002-2013. Thomas served two seasons as an assistant coach with Atlantic City, including helping the Boardwalk Bullies to a Kelly Cup Championship in 2003, before assuming the role of head coach and Director of Hockey Operations with the team prior to 2004-2005. He compiled a 42-22-8 mark in his lone season as Atlantic City's bench boss, and served as the head coach for the 2005 ECHL All-Star Game. He then moved on to Fresno prior to the 2005-06 campaign, leading the Falcons to a 43-15-14 mark along with a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Over the next two seasons in Fresno, Thomas compiled a 76-41-17 record, with trips to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on both occasions. He coached the Falcons during the first half of 2008-09, leading the team to an 18-10-2 mark before the team ceased operations midseason. Thomas was not out of work for long however, as he was named head coach of Stockton shortly after and finished the year with a record of 22-16-3, and a trip to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Thomas went on to coach the Thunder for four more seasons, amassing a mark of 141-111-36, reaching the post season each year, including a trip to the 2013 Kelly Cup Finals where they fell to the Reading Royals, 4 games to 1. He enters the 2018-19 campaign as the ECHL's sixth-winningest coach with a career record of 342-225-80, just one win back of fifth place all time. He is also the all-time leader in playoff games coached with 97, and ranks third with 49 playoff wins.

Thomas Selects Payne as Assistant Coach: New Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas selected Jason Payne as the team's assistant coach. Payne is no stranger to southwest Ohio, as he split the 1999-2000 season with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL and Dayton Bombers of the ECHL. A native of Toronto, ON, Payne served as the Player Development coach of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as well as General Manager of the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He also coached both the Toronto Patriots of the OJHL and the Mississauga Sens AAA program. Payne is also the owner of the Precision Skating School in Toronto. His school teaches the key dynamics of skating, puck handling techniques, defensive tactics, and other game-related skills. He has worked with all levels of hockey players- from pee wee all the way to professional players. Prior to his player development career, Payne enjoyed a successful 14-year pro career that saw stops in six different leagues, including 71 games in the AHL with the Mighty Ducks, Carolina Monarchs, Worcester IceCats, and Saint John Flames. He has also racked up 132 games of ECHL action and 140 games in the former United Hockey League (UHL).

Vaive Named Cyclones Player/Assistant Coach: The Cyclones have named returning forward Justin Vaive player/assistant coach for the upcoming season. A native of Buffalo, NY, Vaive is coming off a very successful 2017-18 campaign where led the 'Clones in goals with 32 and was tied for fifth in points with 45. Vaive enjoyed 12 multipoint nights, including a pair of hat tricks along with a four-point performance (3g, 1a) in a 6-5 overtime win over the Quad City Mallards on January 21. Vaive's best stretch offensively came between January 19 through March 2 where he accounted for 12 goals and four assists over a 16-game stretch. Additionally, Vaive enjoyed point streaks of four or more games on four separate occasions, including a season-long six-game point streak from December 13-December 27 (6g, 4a). Vaive continued his offensive prowess in the playoffs for the Cyclones, accounting for a team-leading five goals, and ranked second with six points in Cincinnati's 4 games to 1 series loss to the Ft. Wayne Komets. Vaive has had three previous stints in Cincinnati back in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and his ECHL career has also seen a stop in Greenville with the Road Warriors during the 2013-14 season. In 108 career ECHL games entering the season, Vaive has accounted for 50 goals and 35 assists for 85 points, along with 202 minutes in penalties. Drafted by Anaheim in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Vaive has spent the bulk of his pro career in the AHL, accounting for 67 points (31g, 36a) in 280 AHL games played between the Americans, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Hartford Wolf Pack, and San Antonio Rampage.

Hello Again: The Cyclones return nine players from last season's team, including forwards Vas Glotov, Jesse Schultz, Justin Vaive, and Dominic Zombo. Defensively, the 'Clones return Arvin Atwal, Anthony Florentino, Eric Knodel, and Devante Stephens, and in goal Cincinnati sees Jonas Johansson back between the pipes. Additionally, forward Jordan Simsand goaltender Michael Houser are back in Cincinnati after spending last season in France and Ft. Wayne, respectively. Overall, Cincinnati's returners from a season ago accounted for 72 goals and 151 assists for 223 total points, while Johansson posted a 14-11-1-0 record along with a 3.13 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

The 2018-19 season is HERE, a nd the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride!Single game, Group, and Season Tickets are on sale NOW by calling (513) 421-PUCK! Stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!

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