vs.
KALAMAZOO WINGS (35-25-2-6)
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DATE: Sunday, March 25, 2012
TIME: 4:00pm ET
SITE: Wings Stadium - Kalamazoo, MI
RADIO: Cyclones Radio Network (1160-AM)
WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (America One)
NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Kalamazoo Wings: Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils
NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, March 30 - 7:30pm vs. Toledo Walleye
Cincinnati's Largest Fish Fry / Kids Jersey T-Shirt Night: Fans can enjoy a pre game Fish Fry on the outer plaza at U.S. Bank Arena prior to the game including $1 Beers! Plus, the first 1,500 fans ages 2-12 through the gates will receive a FREE Cyclones Kids Jersey T-Shirt courtesy of The Plastic Surgery Group!
TODAY'S MATCHUP: Sporting three straight wins, the Cyclones continue their push for the Kelly Cup Playoffs today with a Sunday matinee against the division-leading Kalamazoo Wings. Cincinnati sits just three points back of the division lead, which also accompanies a top-three spot in the Eastern Conference race. Against the Wings in 2011-12, Jarrod Skalde’s team has collected a 5-6-2 record. Each of last six meetings between the two rivals have been decided by two goals or less.
SCOUTING THE WINGS: Nick Bootland’s club blew a three-goal lead in Chicago last night, allowing the Express to rally for a 5-4 victory and have now dropped two straight games and six out of their last ten. They have allowed at least four goals in four of their last five contests. Despite their recent dip, K-Zoo still owns the top offense in the ECHL with 247 goals scored. However, the Wings are currently without their top scorer Trent Daavettila, who is currently playing in the American Hockey League. In his absence, Kory Karlander is now the offensive leader for Kalamazoo - posting 50 points (17 goals, 33 assists) in 57 games. Between the pipes, Riley Gill has started the last six tilts and has amassed a 22-14-1-4 record with a 2.97 goals against average. Against the Cyclones this year, though, Gill has excelled; he has earned a 5-1-0 mark with a 3.01 GAA.
About Last Night vs. Wheeling: Thanks to some late game defensive heroics and a two-goal night by Anthony Luciani, the Cyclones hung on to beat the Wheeling Nailers by a 5-3 final score in front of 4,990 at U.S. Bank Arena. The victory extended Cincinnati’s winning streak to three games and shrunk its magic number to clinch a playoff spot to seven.
Eastern Conference Playoff Race: The top eight teams at season’s end earn a Kelly Cup Playoff bid.
TEAM -- RECORD -- POINTS
1. Gwinnett* -- 40-18-7-4 -- 91
2. Elmira* -- 42-22-2-2 -- 88
3. Kalamazoo* -- 35-25-2-6 -- 78
4. Greenville -- 40-23-2-4 -- 86
5. Florida -- 37-25-2-5 -- 81
6. Wheeling -- 35-25-4-4 -- 78
7. South Carolina -- 35-27-4-3 -- 77
8. CYCLONES -- 33-26-2-7 -- 75
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9. Reading -- 33-28-3-4 -- 73
10. Chicago -- 31-26-7-4 -- 73
11. Toledo -- 28-34-2-4 -- 63
12. Trenton -- 21-39-3-5 -- 50
(Italicized teams have clinched a playoff berth)
Scoring Early is Key: Statistically speaking, getting the game’s first goal has been crucial to success. This season, the Clones have lit the lamp first on 34 occasions (9th most in the ECHL) and have collected a 23-7-1-3 record in such situations. In addition, their 75 first-period goals rank second most in the league.
Keeping Things Close: Throughout the season, Cincinnati has played in more than their fair share of close contests. In fact, 35 of their games have been decided by a single goal - the second most such games of any team in the ECHL. This season they are 16-10-2-7 in one-goal decisions.
Do You Like Magic?: The race to the Kelly Cup Playoffs is nearly complete. As of tonight, the Cyclones magic number to clinch a playoff spot is at 7. That number will continue to shrink with every Cincinnati win and/or a Reading or Chicago defeat.
SEASON SERIES (14 Meetings - 1 Remaining)
Oct. 15 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 3 Final
Oct. 29 Cincinnati 5 at Kalamazoo 6 Final
Nov. 23 Kalamazoo 2 at Cincinnati 5 Final
Dec. 13 Kalamazoo 4 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Dec. 16 Cincinnati 3 at Kalamazoo 7 Final
Dec. 21 Kalamazoo 1 at Cincinnati 5 Final
Dec. 27 Kalamazoo 5 at Cincinnati 8 Final
Jan. 13 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 1 Final
Jan. 27 Cincinnati 3 at Kalamazoo 2 Final OT
Feb. 14 Cincinnati 3 at Kalamazoo 4 Final
Feb. 17 Kalamazoo 5 at Cincinnati 4 Final SO
Feb. 25 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 5 Final
Mar. 7 Cincinnati 5 at Kalamazoo 6 Final OT
Mar. 25 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 4:00 pm EDT