CINCINNATI, Ohio – Greenville forward Justin Bowers was the lone goal-scorer in the shootout as the Greenville Road Warriors (9-7-0-0) escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones (5-7-0-3) in front of 1,446 at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday night.
Greenville broke the scoreless tie with just 17 seconds left in the opening frame when Brendan Connolly caught a pass from Jeff Prough and beat Cyclones goalie Chet Pickard (SOL, 24 saves, 4-6-0-1) with a low wrist shot, giving the Road Warriors a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
Cincinnati found the equalizer in the middle frame at the 6:21 mark when Jonathan Hazen scored his second goal in as many games, wresting a shot past Road Warriors backstop Nic Riopel (W, 40 saves, 9-2-0-0). Unfortunately, Greenville answered back less than a minute later as former Cyclone Brett Robinson stuffed home his fifth tally of the season for a 2-1 Road Warriors lead. Then, at 12:01, Kale Kerbashian lit the lamp with a shot just outside the left circle to give his team a 3-1 edge after two periods.
The Cyclones began another third period comeback at the 2:54 mark as Daniel Koger potted his fourth goal of the season on a rebound to pull Cincinnati within a goal at 3-2. Then, at 7:02, Cyclones newcomer Kevin Swider threw a puck from behind the goal line toward the net, which ricocheted off of Riopel’s skate and in for the game-tying tally. Despite a couple of late power plays for both sides, the teams skated into overtime. Cincinnati peppered Greenville’s cage with six shots in the first bonus frame but came up empty and was forced into a shootout for the fourth time this season.
Greenville’s Justin Bowers led the shootout off with turnaround goal that beat Pickard underneath the pad, and turned out to be the game-winner. That’s because none of the five Cincinnati shooters were able to find the net and, while Pickard did not surrender any more goals either, the Road Warriors earned the extra point and won it by a 4-3 final score.
The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:
First Star: Justin Bowers (Game winning goal in shootout for Greenville)
Second Star: Daniel Koger (1 goal, 1 assist for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Jeff Prough (3 assists for Greenville)
The Cyclones will be back on the ice at U.S. Bank Arena this Saturday, December 3, when they will once again battle the Road Warriors at 7:30pm. Saturday’s game will also be known as Pucks and Pups, where fans can bring their four-legged friends to the arena for a night of hockey, $1 John Morrell Hot Dogs and Weiner Dog Races! Plus, the first 2,000 fans will receive a FREE Cyclones Dog Leash! Secure your seats now by calling 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).
Click here to view tonight's box score.
Cyclones Fall to Greenville in Shootout, 4-3
