For Immediate Release: January 6, 2017
VISENTIN PERFECT AS CYCLONES EARN SHUTOUT
McNally and Walsh Each Enjoy Three-Point Nights for Cincinnati
Moline, IL- The Cincinnati Cyclones (15-13-4-0) shutout the Quad City Mallards, 4-0, on Friday night. Forward Brandon McNally led the way with a pair of goals and an assist, along with a fight to cap off the “Gordie Howe Hat-Trick”, while forward Shane Walsh added a goal and a pair of helpers, and forward Nick Huard chipped in a lone goal for the Cyclones. Goaltender Mark Visentin had a stellar night as well, stopping all 25 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season.
Cincinnati drew first blood early in this one when forward Peter LeBlanc took the puck in the high slot and slid a pass to McNally who snuck behind the Mallards defense, and tossed a backhander past Quad City goaltender Adam Vay and into the net to give the Cyclones a 1-0 lead, midway through the frame.
That 1-0 lead held up throughout the remainder of the opening period, and in the second, the Cyclones pushed their lead to a pair with :27 seconds to play in the frame when defenseman Arvin Atwal sent a pass down the right side to Walsh in the circle, and he ripped a shot that trickled past Vay to push Cincinnati’s lead to 2-0 after 40 minutes.
Cincinnati continued their forward motion in the third when Walsh threw a feed from the left side to McNally in the slot and he wristed a shot into the net for his second of the night, 8:08 into the final frame.
The Cyclones wrapped up their big win with less than five to play when LeBlanc sent a back pass from below the goal line to Huard who was crashing the net, and he slammed it in to send Cincinnati to a 4-0 win.
The Cyclones outshot Quad City, 28-25 on the night, and converted on 25% of their power play chances. Cincinnati wraps up their three-game road trip on Sunday afternoon in Wheeling against the Nailers. Face-off is slated for 5:05pm ET.
The 2016-17 season is underway, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want you along for the ride as they march towards another Kelly Cup Championship! 2016-17 single game tickets and packages along with group and Season Ticket Packages are available NOW! Call (513) 421-PUCK to reserve your seats. Fans can also get the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
