CINCINNATI, Ohio – Former Cyclone Sam Ftorek blasted a shot into the Cincinnati net 2:07 into overtime to give the Kalamazoo Wings (7-4-1-1) a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones (6-5-3-1) in front of 7,563 at U.S. Bank Arena for the fourth-annual Education in Hockey Day presented by the Ohio Lottery.
Both teams traded several scoring chances in the opening period, however, neither team was able to find the net. The middle stanza was just as close, but Cincinnati was able to tally when Matt Pierce slammed home a big rebound left by Wings goalie Riley Gill (W, 23 saves, 1-0-0), making it 1-0 Cyclones through 40 minutes.
Just like in the third period of Saturday night’s game, though, the opposition found a way to claw back. Kory Karlander and Andrew Fournier each tallied six minutes apart early in the frame to give the Wings a 2-1 lead. And similar to Saturday night, the Cyclones rallied back as T.J. Fast wristed home his fifth goal of the season to knot the score at two and send the Cyclones into overtime for an ECHL-high seventh time.
Unfortunately in the extra session, former Cyclone Sam Ftorek skated into the Cincinnati zone and pounded a slap shot past Cyclones goaltender Chet Pickard (L, 26 saves, 1-3-1-1) for the game-winning score at 2:07. The Wings improved to 4-0 against the Cyclones this season, all but one of them decided in either overtime or a shootout. The loss also snapped Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.
The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:
1. Sam Ftorek (Game winning goal for Kalamazoo)
2. Kory Karlander (Goal for Kalamazoo)
3. Matt Pierce (First goal for Cincinnati)
The defending Kelly Cup Champion Cyclones return to the ice at U.S. Bank Arena this Friday night against the Kalamazoo Wings at 7:30pm. In addition to $1 John Morrell hot dogs, the first 2,000 kids ages 2-12 will receive a pack of Cyclones Silly Bands. Discounted ticket packages and single game tickets for the 2010-2011 season are available now. For more information, call 513.421.PUCK (7825) or visit CyclonesHockey.com.
Click here for the box score.