GAME NOTES: 10/21 vs. Wheeling

GAME NOTES: 10/21 vs. Wheeling

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2017

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Game 2 (Road Game 1)

Vs. Wheeling Nailers (2-0-0-0, 4 PTS)

Saturday, October 21, 2017 - 7:05pm ET

WesBanco Arena - Wheeling, WV

 

FULL GAME NOTES

VIDEO PREVIEW

 

Overview: The Cyclones hit the road for the first of five straight away from U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati is coming off of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Kalamazoo Wings last Saturday night in their home opener. 

Last Saturday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (0-0-1-0) fell to the Kalamazoo Wings, 3-2 in overtime, on Saturday night. Forward Justin Vaive and defenseman Brycen Martin tallied the goals for the Cyclones. The Cyclones were outshot, 34 27 on the night, with goaltender Anthony Peters stopping 25 in the loss.

 

PRESEASON RECAP:

October 8: The Cincinnati Cyclones wrapped up the preseason with a 5-4 loss to the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday afternoon. Forwards Mike Barrett, Stephen Pietrobon, and Andrew Radjenovic, along with defenseman Jordan Henderson, scored the goals for the Cyclones. The Cyclones were outshot, 37-27 on the night, with netminders Jonas Johansson and Jason Kasdorf combining to stop 32 in the loss. 

October 6: The Cincinnati Cyclones fell in their preseason opener on Friday night, 5-4 in a shootout to the Wheeling Nailers. Defenseman Anthony Florentino tallied a pair of power play goals, while forwards Justin Danforth and Winston Day Chief each netted lone markers for the Cyclones. Cincinnati goaltenders Anthony Peters and Jason Kasdorf split time in this one, combining to stop 32 of Wheeling’s 36 shots in the loss. 

Previewing Wheeling: The Nailers earned a pair of wins last weekend in Greenville, sweeping the Swamp Rabbits, and scoring 12 goals in the process. Forwards Garrett Meurs and Hunter Fejes led the way offensively, tallying four goals apiece while Meurs added a pair of assists. Overall, 10 players found the scoresheet, with eight recording multi-point weekends.

Inside the Series: Saturday marks the first of six meetings this season between the Cyclones and Nailers, and the first of four in Wheeling. The two sides met twice in preseason action, with Wheeling taking both by identical 5-4 scores.  The Cyclones and Nailers met four times last season, with Cincinnati posting a 3-1-0-0 record in those contests. 

Next Game Preview: The Cyclones continue their five-game road trip next Friday in Ft. Wayne against the Komets, in the first of nine meetings this season. 

 

NEED-TO-KNOW

 

HITTING THE ROAD: The Cyclones will get familiar with the road early this season, with five of their first six, and eight of their first 10 games coming away from U.S. Bank Arena.  

LEADERSHIP GROUP ANNOUNCED: Last Friday, The Cyclones announced the leadership group for the 2017-18 season. As decided by a team vote, this season’s captain will be defenseman Eric Knodel, and serving as assistants will be forwards Justin Vaive and Shawn O’Donnell. Knodel was the captain at the University of New Hampshire during his senior year, while O’Donnell previously served as an assistant captain in college at St. Mary’s University in Canada.

WELCOME BACK: The Cyclones season-opening roster includes seven players from the 2016-17 season, including three of their top five and five of their top 10 scorers. This season’s returners include Shane Walsh, who ranked second on last year’s team in scoring, followed by Shawn O’Donnell who was fourth and Brandon McNally in fifth. New captain Eric Knodel placed eighth in team scoring in 2016-17, while forward Dominic Zombo came in 10th and defenseman Arvin Atwal was 13th prior to his season being cut short due to injury. Forward Rob De Fulviis accounted for three points last season, along with accounting for 36 minutes in penalties in 26 games played. 

CYCLONES WELCOME LEFEBVRE: In early July, the Cincinnati Cyclones announced Marc LeFebvre as the Cyclones’ new assistant coach. A native of Ottawa, ONT, LeFebvre comes to the Queen City following a successful four-year European coaching career. 

LeFebvre has spent the last two seasons serving as head coach of the Dundee Stars of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) where he compiled a 42-45-9-8 record in that time. He led the Stars to the Conference Finals for the first time in team history this past season, with his team ranking third in the League in penalty kill percentage and fifth in power play conversion rate. In 2015-2016, the Stars led the League in goals scored, and LeFebvre was named a finalist for EIHL Coach of the Year. The 2014-15 season saw LeFebvre serve as an assistant coach for the Dab Docler Steel Bulls of the Hungarian Mol Liga, following a 10-month stint as head coach of the EIHL’s Coventry Blaze. His European coaching career started in 2012-13 where he was an assistant coach for the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers. 

NEW AFFILIATION: This offseason, the Cyclones, in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres, announced a new affiliation agreement. For Cincinnati, the move comes following a 10-year partnership with the Nashville Predators, while the Sabres recently concluded a two-year relationship with the now-defunct Elmira Jackals. This affiliation will be a reunion of sorts for the cities of Cincinnati and Buffalo, as the Sabres’ American Hockey League (AHL) Affiliate from 1971-1974 was the Cincinnati Swords. The Rochester Americans will serve as Cincinnati’s new AHL affiliate, and have been the AHL affiliate of the Sabres since 2011. This is not the first time Cincinnati and Rochester have been affiliated, as the two clubs teamed up in 2010-11 when the Americans were affiliated with the Florida Panthers. 

Stay Connected!: Follow the latest news on Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and more! Also, for all of the latest news and notes, head over to www.cycloneshockey.com.

 

The march towards 2017 First Face-Off is ON! The Cincinnati Cyclones return to U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, October 14, when they take on the Kalamazoo Wings. In the meantime, we invite you to stay tuned in the coming weeks for information on tickets and promotions for the 2017-18 season, great offseason events like Concrete Clones, player signings, and MORE! Call (513) 421-PUCK for information regarding Cyclones Season and Group Tickets, and you can also get the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com