CINCINNATI CYCLONES (33-28-6-4)
vs.
KALAMAZOO WINGS (38-24-2-6)
DATE: Friday, April 1, 2011
TIME: 7:30pm
SITE: U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
RADIO: MAX-FM (99.5 FM)
WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (American One)
NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Kalamazoo Wings: New York Islanders
NEXT HOME GAME
Kelly Cup Playoffs - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals - TBA
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Tonight the Cyclones will close out their 2010-11 regular season slate with another battle against the Kalamazoo Wings. However, the pressure surrounding this finale has been significantly reduced thanks to the Toledo Walleye - who were eliminated last night in Wheeling. With that defeat, Cincinnati officially clinched a spot in the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Coming into the night, Cincinnati ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference - and could continue their climb up the ladder with a strong finish against the Wings. The ‘Clones have earned two straight victories against the reigning North Division champs and now hold a slim lead in the season series, 6-5-2-1.
TONIGHT'S PROMOTION: City Barbeque Fan Appreciation Night - $1 Hotdogs / $1 Pulled Chicken / $1 Pizza / $1 Soda / $0.50 Popcorn.
SCOUTING THE WINGS: Kalamazoo is locked into the third seed of the Eastern Conference standings and owns the ECHL’s second-most potent offense (246 goals-for). Trent Daavettila and Kory Karlander are big reasons why, as they rank fourth and fifth respectively in ECHL scoring. Daavettila has notched 78 points (30 goals, 48 assists) in 69 games while Karlander has posted 77 points (32 goals, 45 assists) in the same span. Not surprisingly, they are also the top two point-getters against the Cyclones this season; Karlander has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 13 meetings. Daavettila, meanwhile, has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 14 contests. Despite allowing six goals on Wednesday, Wings goaltender Ryan Nie still remains tied for the ECHL lead in wins (29). He is 6-3-1 against the Cyclones this year with a goals-against average of 2.62 in those games.
Instant Impact: Rookie forward Cory Conacher has had a remarkable start to his professional career. In his first two games with Cincinnati, the Canisius College product has lit the lamp five times, including his first pro hat trick on Wednesday at Kalamazoo. This past Sunday, he became the first Cyclone to register a four-point game (2 goals, 2 assists) since April 2, 2010 when Jimmy Kilpatrick posted 4 assists against Johnstown.
An Eye on the East: As of today, here is a quick snapshot of how the Eastern Conference playoff race shapes up:
4 - Wheeling 79 points
5 - Florida 78 points
6 - South Carolina* 76 points
7 - Cincinnati* 76 points
8 - Elmira 74 points
* South Carolina has game in hand against Cincinnati and owns the tiebreaker.
March Madness: The ‘Clones wrapped up their most successful March in three years. Dating back to the 2007-08 season, the Cyclones have collectively earned a 33-19-3 record in the month of March. This season, they went 8-6-1...they were 7-5-0 last year, 6-5-0 in 2008-09, and a remarkable 11-3-2.
Speaking of Good Months: Cincy netminder Brian Foster finished off a historically impressive month. He posted an 9-5-0-1 record in March with a 2.32 goals-against average - which is the most March wins by a Cyclones goaltender since the team resumed ECHL play in 2006-07.
Congrats to Dustin Sproat: Cyclones veteran forward Dustin Sproat was honored with the inaugural ECHL Community Service Award today. Each ECHL team was given the opportunity to nominate one player for their efforts in the community and toward charitable causes during the 2010-11 season. The winners were voted on by members of the ECHL league office. The Cyclones were proud to nominate Sproat, who is the driving force behind the non-profit organization Hockey Players for Kids (HP4K). HP4K’s mission is to harness the leadership, enthusiasm and public goodwill of the most exceptional people playing professional hockey in communities throughout North America, and use it to positively impact the lives of local children. HP4K also acts as a forum to foster the personal growth and development of its members. Currently, there are nearly 50 professional hockey players around the country and around the world who are official members of HP4K, including 19 active ECHL players. Sproat will share this year’s accolade with Elmira Jackals’ defenseman and HP4K member Chris Frank.
SEASON SERIES (15 Meetings - 1 Remaining)
Oct. 23 Cincinnati 2 at Kalamazoo 3 Final OT
Oct. 24 Cincinnati 3 at Kalamazoo 4 Final SOL OT
Nov. 3 Kalamazoo 4 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Nov. 16 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 2 Final OT
Nov. 19 Kalamazoo 2 at Cincinnati 5 Final
Jan. 12 Kalamazoo 2 at Cincinnati 3 Final OT
Jan. 21 Cincinnati 2 at Kalamazoo 4 Final
Jan. 22 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 4 Final
Feb. 21 Kalamazoo 4 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Feb. 23 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 4 Final SOL OT
Feb. 26 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 5 Final
Mar. 6 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 4 Final
Mar. 23 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 0 Final
Mar. 30 Cincinnati 6 at Kalamazoo 1 Final
Apr. 1 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:30 pm EDT
