2014-15 Season in Review

2014-15 Season in Review

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2014-15 Season In Review: After a short offseason of preparation thanks to a Kelly Cup Finals appearance, the Cyclones opened the 2014-15 season with victories in four of their first five games. But as expected, the North Division proved to be one of the toughest in all of the ECHL. Both Toledo and Fort Wayne rocketed out of the gate as well and sustained a sizeable lead on everyone else in the division through much of the year. In fact, the Walleye would go on to win the Brabham Cup - awarded to the league’s best regular season team while the Komets broke 100 points for the first time in their ECHL tenure. November and December saw plenty of divisional shuffling, but the Cyclones would grab hold of the third place spot before Christmas and kept a strong grasp on it as the year wore on. They didn’t dip below third place until March 9. As the league schedule entered its final month, though, things became log-jammed in the “North.” Unlike in year’s past, the top four teams in each division qualified for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs rather than the top eight in the conference. This change made the final five weeks extremely interesting - with four teams frantically fighting for the last two playoff spots. The Indy Fuel, who won just 10 games before the All-Star Break, went on an unprecedented run to surge back into the postseason conversation by claiming victory in 21 of their final 38 contests. As is the case in many seasons, the Wheeling Nailers and Kalamazoo Wings were also in the thick of things as well. By April 1, there was still much to be decided; just eight points separated third from sixth in the division and only five points separated fourth through sixth. With every game holding a playoff-feel, the Clones surged with three consecutive wins to close their home slate. Unfortunately, though, the schedule would prove tough on the Clones - who were forced to play Fort Wayne and Toledo a total of three times in the final week while the Nailers drew the Elmira Jackals (who were already eliminated by that point) and the Brampton Beast - the third-worst team in the ECHL by record. Despite the Cyclones earning a pair of points in their final three games, the Nailers were able to rattle off three straight wins to narrowly secure the final playoff spot in the North Division.

Offense By Committee: Unlike many teams in the ECHL, the Cyclones had a balanced attack on offense all season long. Every player on the active roster at year’s end contributed at least one point during 2014-15. More impressively, 14 different players registered multi-goal games and a whopping 29 players collected multi-point contests. Geoff Irwin, Josh Shalla, and Stephan Vigier were tied for the team lead with two separate multi-goal games while Shalla and David Pacan amassed nine multi-point affairs.

Shooting Shutdown: One of Cincinnati’s biggest strengths this season was its ability to stifle its opponents’ shots on goal numbers. They finished the year with an average of 27.5 allowed per game - the second best of any team in the ECHL. Only the South Carolina Stingrays were stingier.

Moving up the Charts: Last year’s Kelly Cup Playoffs MVP had another solid year between the pipes for Cincinnati. Rob Madore racked up the fifth-most minutes of any ECHL goaltender (2,774) and collected the second-most wins he’s ever had in his pro career (16). He now ranks second on the club’s all-time goalie winning charts (33) and second all-time in goalie games played (37). When Sam Brittain was called up in early March, Madore went on to start 21 consecutive games to close the year.

Packing the “Bank”: It was another year where Cyclones fans jammed into U.S. Bank Arena in droves. More than 156,000 took in a game this season, resulting in a five-percent increase in paid attendance from a year ago. Since returning to ECHL play, the Clones have seen an increase in this department each and every year. Four of the Cyclones’ top 22 crowds in club history came in 2014-15.

Remarkable Rookies: The Cyclones got tremendous production from some of their young talent throughout the season. Branden Gracel, who was acquired by Cincinnati in December, finished fifth on the club in points (35) while Stephan Vigier finished eighth on the team with 28 tallies. The Clones were 15-4-0-3 when he put his name on the scoresheet in some capacity.

Stay Connected in the Offseason: While the Cyclones won’t be on the ice again until October, you can stay connected with the team all summer long! Follow the latest news on Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Facebook, Instagram, Periscope, and more! 2015-16 details, including ticket packages, are available now at CyclonesHockey.com.