Kalamazoo Sneaks Past Cyclones 3-1

KALAMAZOO, Michigan – Brandon Svendsen scored twice and Kory Karlander tallied an empty net goal as the Kalamazoo Wings (1-0-0-0) defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones (0-1-0-0) by a 3-1 final score at Wings Stadium on Saturday night.

Kalamazoo drew first blood at the 15:40 mark when Brandon Svendsen caught a cross-ice pass from Elgin Reid and potted it past Cyclones netminder Chet Pickard (L, 30 saves, 0-1-0-0) for a 1-0 Wings lead – which they took into the first intermission.

“I felt that we came out very apprehensive,” said Cyclones Head Coach Jarrod Skalde. “You could see that some of our guys were on their heels instead of on their toes. The turnovers we had created a lot of offense for them tonight.”

In the middle frame, the Cyclones found the equalizer when rookie Garrett Wilson picked up a loose puck during a Cincinnati penalty kill and slid it past Wings goaltender Riley Gill (W, 27 saves, 1-0-0-0) at the 9:56 mark for his first professional goal. And despite several power plays exchanged for both sides, the teams went into locker room tied at one after 40 minutes.

Early in the third period, Svendsen struck again when his wrist shot careened off of the crossbar and back into play; however, the officials determined that it crossed the goal line, therefore, giving the Wings a 2-1 cushion. In the final minutes, the Cyclones pulled Pickard for an extra attacker in hopes of tying it, but Kory Karlander stole a loose puck behind the net and tucked it in for a 3-1 lead. The Wings would hold on to win by the same score.

Skalde said he was impressed with his netminder, Pickard, despite the loss. “Chet played absolutely fantastic tonight. He kept us in the game several times throughout the night and was a big difference for us.”

The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:

First Star: Brandon Svendsen (2 goals for Kalamazoo)
Second Star: Elgin Reid (2 assists for Kalamazoo)
Third Star: Garret Wilson (lone goal for Cincinnati, his first pro goal)


The Cyclones will continue their five-game, season-opening road trip next Saturday when they visit the Reading Royals at 7:05pm. Fans can hear all the action of the game on the Cyclones Radio Network (1050-AM) beginning at 6:50pm.

Secure your seats for the 2011-12 Home Opener on Saturday, November 5 when the Cyclones welcome the Chicago Express to U.S. Bank Arena for the first time at 7:30pm. Contact a ticket representative today at 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com for more information. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here for tonight's box score.