For Immediate Release: November 10, 2017
Game 9 (Road Game 7)
Vs. Florida Everblades (8-1-0-1, 17 PTS)
Friday, November 10, 2017 - 7:30pm ET
Germain Arena - Estero, FL
Overview: The Cyclones their three-game road trip on Friday night against the Florida Everblades. Cincinnati collected a 4-3 shootout win on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to four games, and handing Florida just their second loss of the season.
Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (5-2-1-0) picked up a 4-3 shootout win over the Florida Everblades on Wednesday night. Forwards Justin Danforth, Rob De Fulviis, and Shawn O’Donnell tallied the goals in regulation for Cincinnati, while forwards Andrew Radjenovic and Jesse Schultz scored in the shootout. The ‘Clones were outshot, 39-32 on the night, with goaltender Anthony Peters turning aside 36 in regulation and both in the shootout to collect the win, in his first game against his former team.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones, (4-2-1-0) collected a 2-1 win over the Adirondack Thunder on Saturday night. Forward Jesse Schultz and defenseman Eric Knodel netted the goals for the Cyclones, who have won three in a row, and four of their last five. Adirondack outshot Cincinnati, 25-17 on the night, with Cyclones goaltender Anthony Peters stopping 24 in the win.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (3-2-1-0) earned a 4-3 overtime win over the Wheeling Nailers on Friday night. Forwards Rob De Fulviis, Brandon McNally, and Winston Day Chief potted the goals in regulation for the Cyclones, while forward Jesse Schultz netted the winner in overtime. The Cyclones were outshot, 27-26 on the evening, with Cincinnati goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopping 24 on his way to his first win as a Cyclone.
Previewing Florida: The Everblades are one of the hottest teams in the ECHL in the early going, currently sitting atop the League standings with 17 points (8-1-0-1) through their first 10 games. Special teams has been a major piece to their success, as they currently rank third in the ECHL with 23.9% power play conversion percentage (11/46). The Everblades have been strong defensively as well, only allowing 2.40 goals against this season, which is third in the ECHL. Offensively, they are led by forward Michael Kirkpatrick who has accounted for 13 points (5g, 8a) this season. He is followed closely by forwards Mitchell Heard (5g, 7a) and Clark Seymour (1g, 8a) who round out the top three. In goal, Martin Ouellette currently sits third amongst League netminders with a 2.01 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage, to go along with a perfect 5-0-0-0 record.
Inside the Series: This week marks the first time in two seasons that the sides have met, with the Everblades taking a 3-0 decision on March 4, 2015. With Cincinnati’s win on Wednesday, the all-time series is now tied, 12-12-1-0.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones and Everblades conclude their three-game series on Saturday night.
NEED-TO-KNOW
DISCIPLINED HOCKEY: The Cyclones currently rank as the ECHL’s least penalized team, having recorded 76 minutes in penalties through eight games. Cincinnati is also tied with the fewest major penalties at two, and have 10 or fewer penalty minutes in each of their last six games.
WELCOME BACK: Wednesday’s 4-3 SOW over the Everblades marked the first time that current Cyclones Shawn O’Donnell and Anthony Peters faced their former team. O’Donnell spent 5 games during the 2014-13 regular season with the Everblades, totaling a goal and three assists in that time. Peters appeared in 100 games from 2014-17 with Florida, amassing a record of 60-31-2, along with a 2.64 GAA and a .908 SV% with six shutouts.
POWER PLAY PROWESS: Cyclones defenseman Eric Knodel currently leads all ECHL defensemen with six power play points (2g, 4a), including a man-advantage tally in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Adirondack. Not far behind are forwards Shawn O’Donnell (1g, 3a) and Jesse Schultz (4a) who are tie for second on the Cyclones with four power play points each.
LEADING THE WAY: Forwards Shawn O’Donnell (3g, 5a) and Jesse Schultz (3g, 5a) sit atop the Cyclones leaderboard with eight points, while defenseman Eric Knodel (2g, 5a) is right behind them in second place with seven. All three have points in six of Cincinnati’s seven games played, and combined for five goals and six assists in Cincinnati’s four wins. Additionally, Schultz is currently riding a four-game point streak, totaling three goals, including a pair of game-winners and two assists in that time.
HEATING UP: Forwards Rob De Fulviis, Brandon McNally, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda, and Andrew Radjenovic have provided an offensive spark from the Cyclones second and third lines, accounting for 11 points (5g, 6a) over the last four games. De Fulviis netted a goal in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout win over Florida, while McNally has five points (2g, 3a) in his last four games. Radjenovic has accounted for a goal and two helpers in that time, and Muzito-Bagenda had a goal and an assist in last Wednesday’s 4-3 win over Kalamazoo while totaling a game-high seven shots.
SHARING IS CARING: The Cyclones have been spreading around the offensive responsibilities this season, as 16 players have recorded at least a point. Ten players have multi-point outings, including forward Shawn O’Donnell who has three. Additionally, forward O’Donnell is the lone Cyclone with a multi-goal game, netting a pair in a 5-3 loss to Kalamazoo on October 28.
LEADERSHIP GROUP ANNOUNCED: As decided by a team vote, this season’s captain will be defenseman Eric Knodel, and serving as assistants will be forwards Justin Vaive and Shawn O’Donnell. Knodel was the captain at the University of New Hampshire during his senior year, while O’Donnell previously served as an assistant captain in college at St. Mary’s University in Canada.
WELCOME BACK: The Cyclones season-opening roster includes seven players from the 2016-17 season, including three of their top five and five of their top 10 scorers. This season’s returners include Shane Walsh, who ranked second on last year’s team in scoring, followed by Shawn O’Donnell who was fourth and Brandon McNally in fifth. New captain Eric Knodel placed eighth in team scoring in 2016-17, while forward Dominic Zombo came in 10th and defenseman Arvin Atwal was 13th prior to his season being cut short due to injury. Forward Rob De Fulviis accounted for three points last season, along with accounting for 36 minutes in penalties in 26 games played.
NEW AFFILIATION: This offseason, the Cyclones, in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres, announced a new affiliation agreement. For Cincinnati, the move comes following a 10-year partnership with the Nashville Predators, while the Sabres recently concluded a two-year relationship with the now-defunct Elmira Jackals. This affiliation will be a reunion of sorts for the cities of Cincinnati and Buffalo, as the Sabres’ American Hockey League (AHL) Affiliate from 1971-1974 was the Cincinnati Swords. The Rochester Americans will serve as Cincinnati’s new AHL affiliate, and have been the AHL affiliate of the Sabres since 2011. This is not the first time Cincinnati and Rochester have been affiliated, as the two clubs teamed up in 2010-11 when the Americans were affiliated with the Florida Panthers.
Stay Connected!: Follow the latest news on Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more! Also, for all of the latest news and notes, head over to www.cycloneshockey.com.
The 2017-18 season is underway, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride! Call (513) 421-PUCK for information regarding Cyclones single game tickets, ticket packages, and Season and Group Tickets! Also, stay on top of the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
