CYCLONES GAME PREVIEW
Cincinnati Cyclones (20-19-0-4)
vs.
Wheeling Nailers (21-22-0-0)
Click here for tonight's game note packet
DATE: Saturday, February 7, 2015
TIME: 8:05pm ET
SITE: WesBanco Arena - Wheeling, WV
BROADCAST: Cyclones Radio Network, ECHL.TV
NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Wheeling Nailers: Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins
NEXT HOME GAME
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 - 7:30pm vs. READING
WET WEDNESDAY / HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Tonight's Matchup: After a 4-1 defeat last night, the Cyclones will wrap up their brief weekend on the road with their first visit to the Wheeling Nailers. The teams have split the first two meetings of the four-game season series, both being decided by a single goal. Dating back to 2006, the Cyclones own a 51-36-0-3 record against their West Virginian foes.
Scouting the Nailers: Clark Donatelli’s club picked up a big 4-1 win last night against the Toledo Walleye and now sit just two points behind the Cyclones in the extremely close North Division race. Riley Brace has surged to the top of the Nailers’ scoring list with 42 points (13g, 29a) in 31 games while rookie Derek Army has been a consistent threat as well, with 37 tallies (18g, 19a) in 43 contests. Between the pipes, Wheeling has had consistent efforts from Franky Palazzese and Eric Hartzell all year long. Palazzese, a rookie out of the OHL, is 11-14-0-0 with a 3.36 goals-against average. Hartzell, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, has amassed a 10-8-0-0 record with a 2.62 GAA.
Last Time Out: The Jackals notched four unanswered goals to rally and defeat the Cyclones by a 4-1 final score in front of 3,066 at First Arena. David Pacan earned the lone goal for Cincinnati in a contest that saw a combined 144 minutes in penalties handed out between the two teams.
Four Score and Win: Cincinnati has found its greatest success this year when reaching the four-goal plateau. They are a staggering 13-0-0-1 in such situations this year. The Cyclones’ last six victories have come this way.
Magic Touch: Rookie forward Stephan Vigier has helped the Cyclones quite a bit on offense this season. He ranks tied for sixth on the club with 20 points; but more impressively, the ‘Clones are 7-1-0 when he lights the lamp and 12-3-0-1 when he tallies at least a point.
Season Series at a Glance (4 games - 2 home, 2 away - 2 remaining):
Cincinnati's 2014-15 Record vs. Wheeling: 1-1-0-0
Nov 8 Wheeling 4 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Jan 3 Wheeling 2 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Feb 7 Cincinnati at Wheeling 8:05pm EST
Mar 29 Cincinnati at Wheeling 4:05pm EDT
