WHEELING, West Virginia – Stephan Vigier scored twice in an incredible three-goal third-period rally for the Cincinnati Cyclones (21-19-0-4), who defeated the Wheeling Nailers (21-23-0-0) by a 4-3 final score in front of 3,829 at WesBanco Arena tonight.
The Nailers opened the scoring at 4:59 of the opening period when Derek Army set up Jarrett Burton with a perfect drop pass in the right circle, who proceeded to snipe in his fifth goal of the season past Rob Madore (W, 25 saves, 9-9-0-3) to make it 1-0. Cincinnati countered with 11 shots on net in the opening frame, but couldn't beat Eric Hartzell (L, 33 saves, 10-9-0-0) as the home team carried the one-goal edge into the first intermission.
The Cyclones pulled even at 12:47 of the middle stanza when Frederick Gaudreau raced down the left wing on a two-on-one with Josh Shalla and fired a laser over Hartzell's shoulder, making it 1-1. Unfortunately, the Nailers answered right back with two goals in a 1:08 span to regain the cushion; at 15:27, Tristan Llewellyn caught a pass from Tyler Fernandez in the high slot and found the back of the net. Moments later, at 16:35, Josh Archibald slid a perfect pass to Jean-Sebastien Dea who blasted in his first lamplighter as a Nailer from the left circle, giving his team a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Cincinnati began their rally using the power play in the final period, as Branden Gracel cranked in his 10th goal of the season from the left circle after catching a perfect pass from Josh Shalla to make it a one-goal affair. Then, just 2:25 later, Stephan Vigier got open in the slot, caught a feed from Chris Reed, and lit the lamp to knot things at three. In a period where Cincinnati outshot the Nailers 11-2, the Cyclones got the last laugh in the waning seconds of the contest; after Shalla blasted a long shot off of Hartnell's blocker, Vigier crashed the net and lifted home a rebound for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning strike at 19:23. The Nailers could not find the equalizer as the Cyclones capped off their 10th comeback win of the season. It was the first time all year that they erased a two-goal deficit to win.
The Cyclones will be back on the ice at U.S. Bank Arena on Wednesday, February 11 when they play host to the Reading Royals at 7:30pm! In addition to $1 beers for fans 21 and up, we're encouraging fans to dress up in their favorite costumes! 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!
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Cyclones Rally for Thrilling 4-3 Win
