KALAMAZOO, Michigan – On the strength of a three-point night from Dane Fox, the Kalamazoo Wings (14-15-1-1) defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones (16-14-0-4) by a 5-2 final score in front of 1,969 at Wings Stadium on Friday night.
The Wings broke the scoreless tie at 7:47 of the opening period when Dane Fox buried his own rebound past Sam Brittain (L, 24 saves, 8-6-0-1) and the end of an odd man rush to make it 1-0. Then, moments after a Cyclones goal was waved off, Sam Ftorek collected his second goal of the season after catching a feed from Matt Caria between the circles to extend Kalamazoo's edge to a pair. Just before the break, Cincinnati would get on the board as Geoff Irwin potted a loose puck past Joel Martin (W, 36 saves, 11-8-1-1) at the 19:29 mark after his initial chance rang off the goal post. The Cyclones trailed it 2-1 after 20 minutes of play.
The Wings would rattle off back-to-back goals midway through the middle period to grab a 4-1 lead. First, at the 9:18 mark, Jean Bourbeau tipped home a shot from Fox in the left circle. Then, just 2:10 later, Fox collected his second of the night as he deposited a wraparound during the Wings' first power play. The Cyclones would cut the deficit to a pair at 16:21 when Branden Gracel's shot from the right circle redirected off a body and into the net to make it a 4-2 game after two periods.
Kalamazoo's cushion extended to three at 9:55 of the final stanza when Matt Caria slid in his eighth goal of the season after being set up by Gergo Nagy in the low slot. Unfortunately, that goal would cap off the scoring as the Cyclones were unable to rally and the Wings won it by a 5-2 final score.
The Cyclones will continue their weekend road trip as they reunite with the Evansville IceMen tomorrow night at 8:15pm ET! Fans can hear all the action of the game on the Cyclones Radio Network beginning at 7:55pm ET and WATCH live at the Game Time Sports Bar & Grill in Cheviot!
The Cyclones will be back on the ice at U.S. Bank Arena on Friday, January 23 when they play host to the Evansville IceMen! The Cyclones will honor Jimmy Buffett as the first 2,000 fans will receive a Cyclones beach towel. Plus, the Cyclones will wear specialty jerseys that night and auction them off after the game!! Call 513.421.PUCK to secure your seats and for more details. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram!
Click here for tonight's box score
Wings Down Cyclones, 5-2
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