Cyclones Game Preview - Cincinnati at Kalamazoo

Cyclones Game Preview - Cincinnati at Kalamazoo

CYCLONES GAME PREVIEW

Cincinnati Cyclones (12-11-0-4)
vs.
Kalamazoo Wings (10-14-1-1)


Click here for tonight's game note packet

DATE: Wednesday, December 31, 2014
TIME: 8:00pm ET
SITE: Wings Stadium - Kalamazoo, MI
BROADCAST: Cyclones Radio Network, ECHL.TV

NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Kalamazoo Wings: Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks

NEXT HOME GAME
SATURDAY, JANUARY 3 - 7:30pm vs. WHEELING
THROWBACK NIGHT / TEDDY BEAR TOSS

Tonight's Matchup: For the third consecutive season, Cincinnati will end its calendar year here in western Michigan, as they battle the Kalamazoo Wings on New Years Eves 2014. The Clones have taken two of the three meetings this year with their Mitten State rivals and hope to widen the gap between them and the Wings in the division race.

Scouting the Wings: Nick Bootland’s club picked up a win snapped its three-game losing skid last Saturday by defeating Toledo, 2-1, in the first-ever outdoor ECHL game. The victory gave them 22 points on the year, six behind Cincinnati in the North Division standings. Rookie Curtis Valk leads the team and ranks tied for eighth among all ECHL first year players in points (23), putting his name on the scoresheet in each of his last six games. Between the pipes, Joel Martin has been to go-to-guy, amassing a 9-7-1-1 record and a 2.80 goals-against average. He’s won four of his last five starts for the Wings.

Last Time Out: A three-point night for Branden Gracel highlighted a strong offensive showing for the Cyclones, who routed the IceMen by a 5-2 final score in front of 4,151 at U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati scored three second period goals in the span of 1:04, the fastest since November of 2012.

Milestone Watch: Zach Budish is also closing in on a benchmark in terms of games-played. The second-year pro needs just four games to reach 100 in his career. Nashville’s second round draft choice in 2009 has compiled 44 points (13g, 31a) and currently ranks third on the Cyclones this year with 20 tallies in 25 games.

Cy-Closers: Cincinnati has been nearly unbeatable when pulling ahead after two periods of play. In such situations this season, the Cyclones are an impressive 10-1-0-1 - the second most of any team in the North Division.

Season Series at a Glance (9 games - 5 home, 4 away - 6 remaining):
Cincinnati's 2014-15 Record vs. Kalamazoo: 2-1-0-0

Oct 25 Kalamazoo 8 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Nov 22 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 7 Final
Dec 6 Kalamazoo 0 at Cincinnati 0 Final
Dec 31 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:00pm EST
Jan 2 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30pm EST
Jan 10 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30pm EST
Jan 16 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30pm EST
Jan 24 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:30pm EST
Feb 4 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:30pm EST