For Immediate Release: January 22, 2017
Game 39 (Road Game 20)
Vs. Indy Fuel (13-24-1-2, 29pts)
Sunday, January 22, 2017 – 3:05pm ET
Indiana Farmers Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
Overview: The Cyclones wrap up their weekend series with the Indy Fuel on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati dropped Saturday’s contest, 3-0, to extend their losing streak to four games. Cincinnati is currently in the midst of a season-long eight-game road trip.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (17-17-4-0) fell to the Indy Fuel, 3-0, on Saturday night. Indy goaltender Jake Hildebrand was perfect on the night, stopping all 46 Cincinnati shots to claim the shutout. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 46-39 on the night, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 36 in the loss.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (17-16-4-0) fell to the Ft. Wayne Komets, 4-2, on Friday night. Forward Colin Mulvey had both goals for the Cyclones, who were outshot, 31-26 on the night. Goaltenders Mark Visentin and Joel Rumpel combined to stop 27 in the loss.
Last Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (17-15-4-0) dropped a 3-2 decision to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Sunday afternoon. Forwards Colin Mulvey and Nick Huard tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who fall to a divisional opponent for the second straight game. The Cyclones outshot Greenville, 29-22 on the afternoon, with goaltender Mark Visentin stopping 19 in a losing effort.
Previewing Indy: The Fuel have dropped two in a row following a three-game winning streak, and are coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Toledo Walleye on Friday night. The Fuel enter Saturday’s contest as the League’s second-least penalized team with 11.46 minutes per game. They are led by former-Cyclone Josh Shalla who has accounted for 35 points (19g, 16a) in 38 games between the Fuel and Wheeling Nailers. He is followed by forwards Alex Wideman (13g, 19a) and Kevin Lynch (11g, 13a) who round out the top three. In goal, Jake Hildebrand leads the way with a record of 12-10-1 along with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Sunday will be the ninth of 12 matchups this season between Cincinnati and Indy, with each team winning four of the first eight games so far. Indy has been the better team on home ice, taking three of the four at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati wraps up their eight-game road trip with three games on four days against the Missouri Mavericks, beginning on Wednesday night. The two teams have met three times all-time with Missouri holding a 2-0-0-1 edge in the series.
News and Notes:
Callin’ on Colin: Cyclones forward Colin Mulvey scored both Cyclones goals in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Ft. Wayne Komets, and now has three goals in his last two games. He now has six goals and two assists through 30 games played this season, including five goals and one helper through the first eight games of 2017.
Cyclones Acquire Johnston: Cincinnati Cyclones Head Coach Matt Macdonald has announced that the team has acquired defenseman Daniel Johnston from the Alaska Aces in exchange for cash considerations. A native of Calgary, AB, Johnston has not appeared in a game this season, however he split the 2015-16 campaign with the Aces, Idaho Steelheads, and Wichita Thunder. In 32 games last year, Johnston accounted for three goals and 10 assists. Standing at 6’2” and weighing in at 212 pounds, Johnston turned pro in 2013, and spent the first two years of his pro career with the Colorado Eagles and Evansville IceMen. In 124 games from 2013-15, he totaled 10 goals and dished out 31 assists along with 161 minutes in penalties. He also skated in six playoff games with the Eagles in 2014 where he dished out an assist. Prior to turning pro, Johnston enjoyed a successful junior hockey career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) that spanned parts of six seasons from 2007-2013. In 253 WHL games, Johnston accounted for 17 goals and 88 assists, along with 251 penalty minutes.
Loaded Pistol: Forward Peter LeBlanc has been on fire lately, recording points in eight of his last 11 games (3g, 7a) along with plus-4 on-ice rating. LeBlanc has been one of Cincinnati’s top offensive leaders since late November, recording points in 14 of his last 22 games (9g, 9a).
He Can Do It All: Defenseman Jaynen Rissling was moved up to forward for Cincinnati’s last eight games and has made an immediate impact, accounting for two goals and six assists in that time. He is enjoying career highs in goals (4), assists (11), and points (15).
Stingy Defense: Cincinnati currently ranks seventh in the ECHL with 2.92 goals allowed per game, and sixth with 29.21 shots allowed per game.
The Road Ahead: The Cyclones will be spending a lot of time on the road in the coming weeks, as they are in the middle of a season long eight-game road trip. The Cyclones are 7-12-0-0 on the road this season while averaging 2.52 goals per game.
Get Ahead, Stay Ahead: The Cyclones are 13-1-3 record when leading after one period and a 14-1-2 mark when leading after 40 minutes.
The 2016-17 season is underway, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want you along for the ride as they march towards another Kelly Cup Championship! 2016-17 single game tickets and packages along with group and Season Ticket Packages are available NOW! Call (513) 421-PUCK to reserve your seats. Fans can also get the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
