CINCINNATI, Ohio – Rookie forward Garrick Perry posted his first two professional points to help lift the Cincinnati Cyclones (31-29-2-7) over the Evansville IceMen (15-46-5-3) by a 4-0 final score in front of 4,640 at U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday night.
The Cyclones wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the opening frame as Geoff Irwin caught a pass from Garrick Perry across the middle of the slot and slammed in his 16th goal of the season at 1:21. The assist was Perry's first professional point. Defensively, Cincinnati was about as perfect as they could have been - surrendering just three shots on net in the stanza to remain ahead by a goal after 20 minutes.
Cincinnati continued its dominating play in the middle period, outshooting the IceMen 10-5 and finding a pair of goals to give themselves some big breathing room. Just 3:03 into the period, Jack Downing fired a shot past Alex Vazzano (L, 30 saves, 0-4) to make it 2-0. Then, at 11:59, Perry potted his first professional goal by sliding a shot through Vazanno's legs to push the Cyclones' edge to 3-0. At the other end of the ice, Rob Madore (W, 21 saves, 16-18-2-6) calmly collected eight saves on eight shots through 40 minutes of play.
The Cyclones put an exclamation point on their Saturday night runaway just 2:21 into the final period when Joe Basaraba snapped a shot into the net right off of a face-off win by Irwin, who converted his second assist and third point on the night. Not surprisingly, the defensive flavor continued for Cincinnati as Madore completed his fourth shutout performance of the season by stoping all 13 Evansville offerings in the third to seal the 4-0 triumph.
Cincinnati will play their three remaining regular season games away from Downtown Cincinnati starting next Wednesday night in Fort Wayne. The Cyclones battle the Komets at 7:30pm with pregame coverage on the Cyclones Radio Network beginning at 7:10. Fans can also watch the game LIVE at the Game Time Sports Bar and Grill in Cheviot!
Should the Cyclones qualify for the Kelly Cup Playoffs, they would be a lower seed and would be back on the ice at U.S. Bank Arena for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series against either Fort Wayne or Toledo. Stay tuned for all the latest details on CyclonesHockey.com. Playoff ticket packages are on sale NOW! Call 513.421.PUCK to secure your seats. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram!
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Cyclones Cruise Past Evansville, 4-0
