NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina – The Cincinnati Cyclones (26-25-6-3) opened their road trip in style by disposing of the South Carolina Stingrays (33-25-2-2) by a 4-1 score at North Charleston Coliseum on Wednesday night.
After a scoreless opening period, the Cyclones jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 42 seconds into the middle frame as Dustin Sproat blasted home a power play one-timer past Stingrays goalie Shane Owen (L, 27 saves, 7-4-1-1). Cincinnati’s man-advantage struck again at the 14:01 mark when Casey Pierro-Zabotel poked the puck into the net during a frantic scramble in front, giving Cincinnati a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes.
The Stingrays answered back with a power play tally of their own as Nikita Kashirsky sent a shot over Cyclones goalie Brian Foster (W, 23 saves, 4-3-0) and into the net, pulling within a goal. Luckily, Cincinnati was able to regain their cushion as Jake Hauswirth and Sproat each potted goals just 3:24 apart to extend their lead to 4-1. They would hold on to win it by the same score.
Mathieu Aubin recorded a pair of assists in the game and now leads the Cyclones with 12 multi-point contests. For Sproat, it was his third multi-goal game of the year and his seventh multi-point game. Cincinnati record is now 3-0-1 against the Stingrays in 2010-11.
The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:
1. Dustin Sproat (2 goals for Cincinnati)
2. Casey Pierro-Zabotel (1 goal, 1 assist for Cincinnati)
3. Mathieu Aubin (2 assists for Cincinnati)
Cincinnati will enjoy a couple of days off before resuming their three-game set with the Stingrays. The teams will face-off this Saturday night at North Charleston Coliseum at 5:00pm. Fans can hear all the action on the Cyclones Radio Network beginning at 4:45pm.
The defending Kelly Cup Champions will return to U.S. Bank Arena on Friday, March 25 when they host the Toledo Walleye at 7:30pm. It will be the final Kids Eat Free Night of the season, as all fans ages 2-12 will receive a FREE meal courtesy of John Morrell and Sunkist. 2010-11 single game and discounted group tickets are available now. 2011-12 season tickets are on sale NOW! For more information, call 513.421.PUCK (7825) or visit CyclonesHockey.com.
Click here for tonight’s box score.
Cyclones Open Road Trip with 4-1 Win Over Stingrays
Sign Up For Updates
Sign up to receive the latest Cyclones news direct in your inbox!