GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors (40-21-3-1) set the tone early with a pair of goals and never looked back as they defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones (29-26-6-4) by a 5-0 count at the BI-LO Center on Friday night. It was only the second time this season that Cincinnati has been shutout.
The Road Warriors jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage as Marc-Olivier Vallerand scored a power play goal just 1:12 into the game followed by a Matt Schepke tally from just inside the right circle 40 seconds later. And despite a trio Cincinnati power plays in the opening frame, the Cyclones went into the first intermission trailing by two.
The second period turned out to be very similar to the first; at the 15:17 mark, Andrew Rowe tucked in a rebound behind Cyclones goalie Brian Foster (L, 18 saves, 7-4-0-1), making it 3-0 Greenville. Then, not even a minute later, Schepke directed home another rebound for his second of the night - giving his team a 4-0 cushion after 40 minutes.
The final frame of regulation was, for the most part, a stalemate. Both teams could only muster five shots apiece; however Chris Chappell picked up a late power play goal at 17:27 to cap off the scoring at 5-0. Meanwhile, Chris Beckford-Tseu (W, 27 saves, 2-5-0) stopped the remaining Cincinnati chances to preserve his first shutout of the season.
The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:
1. Chris Beckford-Tseu (Winning goaltender, shutout, 27 saves)
2. Marc-Olivier Vallerand (1 goal, 1 assist for Greenville)
3. Matt Schepke (2 goal for Greenville)
The Cyclones will wrap up their two week road trip with the season-series finale against the Road Warriors tomorrow night at 7:05pm. Fans can hear all the action from the BI-LO Center on the Cyclones Radio Network starting at 6:50pm.
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, Sunkist, and Sun Drop. 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 tonight’s box score.
Cyclones Shutout in Greenville, 5-0
