Kalamazoo's Third Period Comeback Dooms Cyclones, 4-2

Kalamazoo's Third Period Comeback Dooms Cyclones, 4-2

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Former Cyclone Sam Ftorek posted a three-point night as the Kalamazoo Wings (15-7-0-2) earned a 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones (8-8-0-3) in front of 2,108 at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday night.

Just past the midway point of the opening period, Chris Cahill gave the Cyclones a lead when he tucked in a wrist shot past Wings goaltender Riley Gill (W, 21 saves, 10-6-0-2) making it 1-0 Cincinnati with 13:03 gone. Kalamazoo then came up with a lucky goal at 14:42 when a loose puck took a weird bounce to Sam Ftorek in the right circle with Cyclones net minder Brian Foster (L, 22 saves, 2-1-0) sliding the opposite direction; the Kalamazoo defenseman found the net to knot the score at 14:42. But the Cyclones edged ahead 2-1 just before the intermission when newly named captain Mathieu Aubin tipped in a Maury Edwards point blast for his ninth goal of the season.

The Wings came up with the lone goal in the middle stanza, as Ftorek potted his second of the night on a power play goal at the 17:42 mark with a heavy point shot. The tally evened the score at two heading into the second intermission.

Kalamazoo extended their lead to 4-2 in the third period when Dean Strong and Brian Haczyk scored at 5:34 and 8:39 respectively to seize control. And despite a late power play chance for Cincinnati, the Wings held on for the 4-2 victory.

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

First Star: Sam Ftorek (3 points for Kalamazoo)
Second Star: Mathieu Aubin (1 goal for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Dean Strong (Game Winning Goal for Kalamazoo)

The same two teams will do battle again at Wings Stadium this Friday night in the fifth game of their 14-game season series. Hear all the action of the tilt on the Cyclones Radio Network (1050-AM, America One) beginning at 7:15 with the opening face-off to follow at 7:30pm.

The Cyclones will return U.S. Bank Arena this Saturday night, December 17 when they welcome the Chicago Express to downtown Cincinnati at 7:30pm. The first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a limited edition Twister SnowGlobe courtesy of Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine! Secure your seats now by calling 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).  

Click here to view tonight's box score.