CYCLONES GAME PREVIEW
Cincinnati Cyclones (13-11-0-4)
vs.
Kalamazoo Wings (10-15-1-1)
Click here for tonight's game note packet
DATE: Friday, January 2, 2015
TIME: 7:30pm ET
SITE: Wings Stadium - Kalamazoo, MI
BROADCAST: Cyclones Radio Network, ECHL.TV
NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Kalamazoo Wings: Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks
NEXT HOME GAME
SATURDAY, JANUARY 3 - 7:30pm vs. WHEELING
THROWBACK NIGHT / TEDDY BEAR TOSS
Tonight's Matchup: With three consecutive wins under their belt, the Cyclones look to open 2015 the same way they closed out 2014 - with a strong showing against the Kalamazoo Wings. Cincy has taken three of the four meetings from their Mitten State rivals this season, outscoring them by a 14-5 margin over the last three games.
Scouting the Wings: Nick Bootland’s club has lost four of their last five games and remain eight points back of Cincinnati coming into tonight. Rookie Curtis Valk had his six game point-scoring snapped on New Years Eve but remains atop the Wings’ offensive leaderboard with 23 points (10g, 13a) in 22 games. Goaltender Joel Martin was chased from the net on Wednesday after surrendering three goals on 15 shots and was pinned with the loss, running his record to 9-8-1-1 with a 2.90 goals-against average. Fellow netminder Scott Munroe came on in relief and made 14 saves in the final 35 minutes of play. His record remains at 1-0 with a 2.49 GAA.
Last Time Out: Five different players found the net for the Cyclones as they trounced the Wings by a 5-2 final score in front of 3,563 at Wings Stadium on New Years Eve. Josh McFadden had a pair of points in the tilt while David Pacan, Zach Budish, Chris Reed, and Josh Shalla all lit the lamp. Goaltender Sam Brittain sparkled with 29 saves to earn the victory in net.
Spreading the Wealth: Cincinnati continues to be an offense-by- committee this season - with all but two players on the roster having notched a point. What’s even more impressive is that, of Cincinnati’s 13 wins, the game-winning goal has come from 10 different sources. Byron Froese, Christiaan Minella, and Stephan Vigier lead the club with two such strikes.
At Home on the Road: Cyclones forwards David Pacan and Zach Budish have found great success in the offensive zone this season. But they’ve both been especially good on the road; coming into tonight, Pacan has earned points in nine consecutive games away from U.S. Bank Arena while Budish has notched tallies in eight of his last nine.
Season Series at a Glance (9 games - 5 home, 4 away - 5 remaining):
Cincinnati's 2014-15 Record vs. Kalamazoo: 3-1-0-0
Oct 25 Kalamazoo 8 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Nov 22 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 7 Final
Dec 6 Kalamazoo 0 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Dec 31 Cincinnati 5 at Kalamazoo 2 Final
Jan 2 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30pm EST
Jan 10 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30pm EST
Jan 16 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 7:30pm EST
Jan 24 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:30pm EST
Feb 4 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:30pm EST
