For Immediate Release: August 23, 2016
TOP 10 TUESDAY
Counting Down the Top 10 Games of the 2015-2016 Season
Cincinnati, OH- Our Top 10 Tuesday countdown rolls on with our first write-up of the series. Today, we will be counting down the Top 10 games of this past season.
10. November 6 vs. Adirondack- CYCLONES TAKE DOWN ECHL’S LAST UNBEATEN
The Cyclones got off to a hot start last season, posting an 8-2-1-1 record through their first 12 games. Game number six in that fiery stretch was a matchup with the ECHL’s only remaining unbeaten team, the Adirondack Thunder, who entered that contest with a perfect 7-0-0-0 mark. In that contest, forwards Jack Downing and Joe Pendenza each had a pair of goals. For Downing, it marked his second two-goal performance of the young campaign, and it marked the first of three two-goal outings for Pendenza who, despite suiting up in only 21 games for Cincinnati, racked up 19 points including 10 goals on the year.
9. November 17 vs. Alaska- CYCLONES EARN FIELD TRIP DAY VICTORY
Who didn’t love a good field trip when they were in school? Close to 7,000 local-area school children filed into U.S. Bank Arena to see the Cyclones take on the Alaska Aces for the first time since the two teams met in the 2014 Kelly Cup Finals. The Cyclones jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game, including the first-career goal from forward Peter Quenneville. The Cyclones held on for a 3-1 win.
8. November 13 vs. Quad City- TEDDY BEAR TOSS NIGHT
For the fifth season in a row, the Cyclones partnered with the Cincinnati Police Department for the annual Teddy Bear Toss. A tradition across all levels of hockey, the Teddy Bear Toss allows fans to throw stuffed animals onto the ice following the first goal of the game. Those animas are then donated to local area children. This season’s Teddy Bear Toss was made possible by Jack Downing’s first period power play goal that was set up by a beautiful back door pass from Nick Huard. Cincinnati went on to win the game by a 3-1 score, backed by a pair of goals from forward Joe Pendenza.
DOWNING’S TEDDY BEAR TOSS GOAL
7. December 31 vs. Toledo- CINCINNATI’S FIRST SHUTOUT
The Cyclones saw flashes of brilliance defensively least season, ultimately finishing tied for 15th with 2.92 goals allowed per game. One of the biggest reasons for the Cyclones defensive successes was the play of netminder Brad Thiessen. Thiessen’s dominance was on full display on New Year’s Eve when he stopped all 18 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Toledo Walleye. The Cyclones came into that contest having dropped four of their previous five games, so it seems like it was the perfect time for the first clean sheet of the season. Splitting time between the Cyclones and American Hockey League’s (AHL) Lake Erie Monsters, Thiessen was arguably the top goalie in the ECHL when suiting up for the red and black, finishing with a 10-4-1 record along with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.
6. March 18 vs. Wheeling- OVERTIME VICTORY ON ST. PATRICK’S CELEBRATION WEEKEND
The Cyclones had a flair for the dramatic in 2015-16, skating in 16 overtime or shootout games and winning seven of them. Wheeling took the first game of the St. Patrick’s weekend homestand with a 2-1 overtime on the March 17th, however the luck of the Irish was on Cincinnati’s side just 24 hours later. After the Nailers forced overtime with a pair of third period goals to tie the game, 2-2, the Cyclones only needed 1:46 of extra time to seal it, when forward Branden Gracel scored on a follow-up attempt of his initial shot to send Cincinnati to a 3-2 overtime win which snapped a three-game losing streak.
BRANDEN GRACEL OVERTIME WINNER
5. January 30 vs. Quad City- OVERTIME VICTORY ON PINK IN THE RINK NIGHT
Sticking with the overtime theme, let us go back to one of the more popular events on the schedule- Pink in the Rink. After another successful Frozen 5K in the morning, the ‘Clones took to the pink ice in the evening against the Division-rival Quad City Mallards. After finding themselves in a 2-0 hole midway through the second period, the Cyclones received markers from forwards Zach Budish and Tommy Mele to force overtime for the fourth time in the month of January. Near the midway point of the extra session, forward Nick Huard skated in over the blue line on a 2-on-1 rush, and sent a pass to forward Jack Downing who buried a one-timer to send Cincy to a 3-2 overtime win, and wrapping up another successful Pink in the Rink.
4. February 12 vs. Ft. Wayne- CYCLONES WIN PENALTY-FILLED, OFFENSIVE THRILLER
The Cyclones and Ft. Wayne Komets met 10 times in the regular season before engaging in a memorable seven-game playoff series (more on that later in our countdown). It seemed like each meeting in the regular season was better than the last, and February 12 was no exception as Cincinnati and Ft. Wayne locked heads in a wild, back-and-forth affair. Cincinnati was up, 3-2 after the first period, however the Komets tied the game, 4-4, halfway through the second. The Cyclones tacked on one more late in the second, but the lead was short-lived as Ft. Wayne pulled back even midway through the third. Cyclones forward Nick Huard put the Cyclones up, 6-5, in the third, and a flurry of Brandon Whitney saves preserved that lead until the final buzzer. All told, the Cyclones and Komets combined for 11 goals and 50 minutes in penalties.
3. December 4 AT Greenville- CYCLONES COME FROM BEHIND AGAINST SWAMP RABBITS
SPOILER ALERT: ANOTHER OVERTIME GAME! Who would have thought that a December game in Greenville, S.C., would turn out to be one of the most exciting games in the ECHL last season? The goals came fast and furious in this one as the Cyclones found themselves in a 4-2 hole after the first period. The two sides continued the offensive expo in the second period, combining for three tallies, including the first of the season for Cyclones’ defenseman Riley Weselowski, however Cincinnati was still behind the proverbial 8-ball, 5-4, after 40 minutes. After the Swamp Rabbits took a 6-4 lead early in the second, Cincinnati found some special teams magic with a power play tally from forward Nick Huard, and a shorthanded marker from forward Andrew Yogan. With the score tied, 6-6, the Cyclones headed into overtime with momentum, and 3:50 into the extra frame, Weselowski, aka The Mayor, potted his second of the game to lift Cincinnati to a 7-6 OT victory.
2. February 27 vs. Indy- CYCLONES PACK THE HOUSE FOR FIRST-EVER SELLOUT
We are not going to focus on the negative of Indy’s 3-2 shootout win in this game (although that game arguably saw the best fight in the ECHL of the season), but will instead celebrate the positive of the 16,529 crazed Cyclones fans that packed U.S. Bank Arena. It was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Night at The Bank, and fans from all over the Greater Cincinnati Area filed in to meet the characters of the popular television and comic series, in anticipation of the new TMNT movie that debuted shortly thereafter. The crowd smashed the previous U.S. Bank Arena record by more than 3,000 fans, and stands as the second-highest attended game in ECHL history.
1. April 23 vs. Ft. Wayne- CYCLONES WIN DOUBLE OVERTIME PLAYOFF THRILLER
Why not close out our countdown with yet another overtime game. As mentioned earlier in our countdown, the ‘Clones and Komets engaged in some battles this season, and the two teams ramped up the intensity with a seven-game playoff series. A day after Cincinnati fell in heartbreaking fashion to the Komets in the first double overtime game of the playoffs, the Cyclones threw everything they had at Ft. Wayne, ultimately taking a 4-3 lead with a little over 12 minutes left in regulation. Cincinnati played some stout defense in the third, however a late-period power play goal from the Komets tied the game, 4-4, thus forcing overtime. Neither side really seemed to grab an edge in the first overtime, but midway through the second OT, the Cyclones wrapped up nearly 10 periods of hockey in 24 hours, when defenseman Jonathan Diaby unloaded a slapshot for the game-winner to send the Cyclones to a 5-4 2OT win, and a 3-2 series lead.
The countdown to the 2016-17 First Face-Off is underway! The Cyclones will return to U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, October 15 when they host the Indy Fuel at 7:35pm. Between now and then, be on the lookout for several offseason events like Meijer Concrete Clones! Additionally, 2016-17 Season Ticket Packages are available NOW! Call 513.421.PUCK to reserve your seats. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the offseason on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!