2014-15 Season Preview - November

The month of November, which features a total of ten games (six home, four away), begins with the conclusion of a two-game series in Elmira.

The following weekend will feature a pair of awesome promotions at U.S. Bank Arena to kick off the month’s home slate! On Friday, November 7 the ‘Clones will face their new geographical rival - the Indy Fuel - for the first time. Led by rookie ECHL coach Scott Hillman, the Fuel are one of five teams in the Western Conference’s Midwest Division. That night will mark the first Kids Eat Free Night of the season, when fans ages 2-12 will receive a FREE meal courtesy of John Morrell. It will also be the first Cyclones Bourbon Tasting of the season! Fans 21+ can enjoy a unique pre-game tasting experience in the All Access Bar and Grill!

The very next night, Saturday, November 8, is “Frozen Night” against the Wheeling Nailers with special appearances by princess friends, a Kids Singalong, and more! The Nailers proved to be a formidable foe last season; Cincy compiled a 6-5-0-1 mark against Wheeling - which advanced past the first round for the first time since 2011. Again affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins, Wheeling can be expected to be another tough opponent this year. Unlike last season, though, they’ll be facing the Cyclones as division rivals in the new “North.”

Cincinnati rounds out a three game weekend on Sunday, November 9 with a road trip to Toledo.

On November, 13, the Cyclones will host their first of many discounted beer nights - which are also accompanied by some great themes. That Thursday night, the ‘Clones will welcome in their foes from Orlando while hosting “Dumb and Dumber Night” - as we pay homage to the classic film AND the upcoming sequel. The Solar Bears and Cyclones met in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals last spring, which turned out to be a tough test despite the ‘Clones taking a 3-0 series lead. Teams in the South are typically fast, high tempo style groups. We wouldn’t expect anything to change in that regard this year.

Two days later, on Saturday, November 15, one of our most popular promo nights returns - Star Wars Night! The contests, which will be played against the Fort Wayne Komets, will feature specialty jerseys (and a post game auction) along with plenty of great surprises from a Galaxy far, far away. Fort Wayne was one of Cincy’s four postseason opponents last spring. And like all the rest, they held tough throughout. They surged late in the season to sneak into the playoffs and ousted the former Kelly Cup Champion Reading Royals in a first-round upset. And (at least for now), the Komets have a pair of dangerous former Cyclones in Paul Crowder and Mike Embach on their roster.

On Tuesday, November 18, the Orlando Solar Bears return for a day of hockey and learning - our 2014 Education in Hockey Day! Students and faculty from all over the Tri-State converge on U.S. Bank Arena as we put together a full educational program for the kids using hockey as the backdrop!

Friday, November 21 will be the Cyclones’ first meeting with the former division rival Evansville IceMen. New for 2014-15 is our Cyclones Oven Mitt giveaway; the first 2,000 fans through the gates will take home this timely keepsake - less than a week from Thanksgiving! Like most Friday home games during the season, the November 21 tilt will be the first Pucks and Pints pre game tasting event of the season! The IceMen can look back at 2013-14 as a tale of two halves. They began the year as one of the hottest teams in the ECHL, enjoying a 20-9-3-4 record heading into the All-Star Break. However, the club stumbled mightily down the stretch, finding just 11 wins in there final 36 games. They finished 12th in the 13 team Eastern Conference. This year they have new leadership in the form of Dwight Mullins (formerly of Elmira) and hope they’ll be able to turn the corner.

In what has become somewhat of a tradition in Cincinnati, we’ll be hosting a Thanksgiving-Eve game at U.S. Bank Arena on Wednesday, November 26 against Evansville. We host the city’s largest mustache party as we celebrate men’s health awareness month - aka “Movember.”

Following the day off for Thanksgiving, the ‘Clones will head out to Indianapolis for a two-game weekend series against the Fuel. As always, we encourage you to save money and time by purchasing your tickets in advance! Call 513.421.PUCK to secure your seats for the great action and fun in November!