For Immediate Release: February 11, 2017
Game 48 (Home Game 25)
Vs. Ft. Wayne Komets (27-14-4-0, 58pts)
Saturday, February 11, 2017 - 7:35pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones picked up their fourth straight win on Friday night with a 2-0 victory over the Elmira Jackals, and are now just five points back of the fourth and final playoff spot in the South Division. Saturday’s game marks the end of a six-game homestand for Cincinnati, in which the Cyclones are 4-1-0-0 in their first five games.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (22-21-4-0) earned a 2-0 victory over the Elmira Jackals on Friday night, completing the two-game sweep. Forwards Christiaan Minella and Brandon McNally potted the goals for Cincinnati, while goaltender Michael Houser was impenetrable on the night, stopping all 28 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.
Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (21-21-4-0) climbed back to .500 with a 5-1 win over the Elmira Jackals on Wednesday night. Forward Jordan Sims recorded his first-career hat trick, with forwards Andrew Yogan and Dylan Nowakowski adding lone tallies for the Cyclones, who collect their third win in a row. Cincinnati outshot the Jackals 33-24 on the night, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 23 in the win.
Last Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (20-21-4-0) earned a 5-2 win over the Indy Fuel on Friday night. Forwards Dylan Nowakowski, Shane Walsh, Seth Ambroz, and Brandon McNally, along with defenseman Jonathan Diaby tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who have now won two in a row. Cyclones netminder Michael Houser was stellar for a second consecutive night, stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced to collect the win.
Previewing Ft. Wayne: The Komets are coming off an impressive 5-4 come-from-behind overtime win on Friday night, and have won five of their last six games overall. The power play has been a key to Ft. Wayne’s success this season, having converted on 23% (40/174) of their man advantage opportunities which ranks fifth-best in the League. The Komets also have the seventh-highest offense in the ECHL, averaging 3.76 goals per game. They are led by forward Kyle Thomas who has accounted for a team-high 22 goals along with 34 assists through 45 games. He is followed by forwards Mike Cazzola (18g, 34a) and Shawn Szydlowski (21g, 28a) who round out the top three. In goal, Garrett Bartus leads the way with a 14-5-1 record along with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Saturday is the fifth of eight meetings this season between the Cyclones and Ft. Wayne with the Komets holding a 3-1-0-0 edge in the first four games.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati heads to Toledo on Sunday afternoon to wrap up their stretch of three games in three days against the Walleye The Walleye have take two of the first five games of the season series, and Sunday’s game is the lone contest in Toledo for the Cyclones this season.
HEADLINES
Hats Off!: Forward Jordan Sims recorded his first pro hat trick and dished out an assist ion Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Elmira Jackals. He saw his five-game point streak snapped on Friday night, however he has accounted for four goals and five assists over his last six games, and has totaled six goals and seven assists in his last nine.
They Grow Up So Fast: Rookie forward Dylan Nowakowski extended his goal-scoring streak to three games in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Elmira Jackals. He netted his first ECHL goal in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Wheeling Nailers before potting his second ECHL marker and dishing out an assist 24 hours later in Friday’s 5-2 decision over the Indy Fuel. Nowakowski has appeared in 16 games for the Cyclones this season, and has accounted for a three goals and an assist, along with a plus-7 on-ice rating.
Power Surge: The Cyclones went 1-for-2 on the power play in Friday’s 2-0 win over the Elmira Jackals, and have converted on eight of their last 27 man-advantage opportunities over the last seven games (29.6%).
Cyclones Announce Roster Moves: The Cincinnati Cyclones have acquired the rights for forward Justin MacDonald from the Kalamazoo Wings, in exchange for cash considerations. MacDonald has spent the bulk of this season with the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) where he led the team in scoring with 24 points (9g, 15a) in 26 games. He also skated in three games with the Indy Fuel, however did not register a point. A native of Newmarket, ON, MacDonald spent the bulk of the previous two seasons with the Evansville IceMen, accounting for 15 goals and 18 assists in 55 games. The 26-year-old turned pro in 2011 and has played much of his career in the SPHL where he has totaled 84 points (36g, 48a) in 150 games. In a separate move, forward Andrew Yogan has returned to HC Bolzano in Italy, and has been placed on suspension by the Cyclones. The move is an unfortunate yet necessary one for the Coral Springs, FL, native, as in order to be eligible to play for another International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) sanctioned club team past this season, Yogan must finish out this season with Bolzano, per the language in his contract with them. Yogan has appeared in 30 games with Cincinnati this season and has recorded a team-leading 15 goals along with 17 assists for 32 points. He spent the first 10 games of this season with HC Bolzano, tallying a goal and six assists.
Lighting it Up: Forward Nick Huard has been enjoying some offensive success as of late accounting for three goals and six assists in his last nine games. He has points in 11 of his first 16 games in the new year (6g, 8a).
Green Light from the Blueline: The Cyclones received some major offensive contributions from their defensive corps in the last six games, combining for four goals and nine assists in that time. Leading the way is Saverio Posa with a goal and a pair of assists, while both Eric Knodel and Craig Dalrymple have each accounted for a goal and an assist. Arvin Atwal, Dan Johnston and Jaynen Rissling have dished out a pair of assists, while Jonathan Diaby has added a lone goal.
It’s Good to be Home: After playing 11-of-12 games on the road in January, the Cyclones are getting ready to embark on a 12-of-16 stretch on home ice in February. The Cyclones are 14-6-4-0 at home this season, averaging 3.04 goals per game on in their first 24 home games. Cincinnati also boasts the League’s third- best penalty kill at home, having killed of 64/73 oppositional power plays (87.7%).
Defensive Front: The Cyclones currently boast one of the top defenses in the ECHL, as they currently rank third in goals allowed per game with 2.85 and fifth in shots allowed with 29.40 allowed per 60 minutes.
Holding the Lead: The Cyclones have made a habit of holding onto leads this season, as they are 16-1-3-0 when leading after 20 minutes, and 19-1-2-0 when leading after two periods of play.
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