For Immediate Release: January 31, 2018
Game 42 (Road Game 22)
Vs. Quad City Mallards (11-25-3-1, 26 pts)
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
TaxSlayer Center - Moline, IL
Overview: The Cyclones embark on a three-game road trip this week, starting on Wednesday night in Moline against the Quad City Mallards. The Cyclones are coming off a 6-2 loss to the Toledo Walleye on Sunday evening, however still remain just two points back of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division.
Sunday Evening Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (22-17-2-0) lost a 6-2 decision to the Toledo Walleye on Sunday evening. Forwards Winston Day Chief and Daniel Muzito-Bagenda found the back of the net for the Cyclones. The Cyclones were outshot on the night, 44-30, with netminder Jonas Johansson steering aside 38 in the loss.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (22-16-2-0) fell to the Ft. Wayne Komets, 5-2, on Saturday night. Forwards Alex Kile and Daniel Muzito-Bagenda netted the goals for Cincinnati, who tonight celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Mighty Ducks. The Cyclones outshot Ft. Wayne, 31-30 on the evening, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopping 26 in the loss.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (22-15-2-0) dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to the Indy Fuel on Friday night. Forwards Jesse Schultz, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda, and Winston Day Chief, along with defenseman Mitch Nylen, scored the goals for the Cyclones. The Cyclones were outshot, 30-24 on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 25 in the loss.
Previewing Quad City: The Mallards have dropped three in a row, and are coming off a pair of 5-2 road losses to the Worcester Railers last weekend. The Mallards have struggled to find the offense in recent games, scoring three or more goals on just six occasions in the month of January. Additionally, Quad City has allowed four or more goals in 16 if their last 18 games, and currently sit at the bottom of the ECHL with 2.7 goals per game. Offensively, they are led by forward Sam Warning who has accounted for 31 points (16g, 15a) through 41 games played this season. He is followed by rookie defenseman Willie Raskob who has 24 points and is tied for second amongst ECHL first years with 22 assists, and forward Brayden Low (9g, 14a) who rounds out the top three. In goal, Ivan Kulbakov leads the way with an 8-8-0-0 record along with a 3.48 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
Inside the Series: The Cyclones and Mallards have met six times this season, with Cincinnati emerging victorious in each one of those contests, and having outscored them 33-18 on the year.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati continues their three-game road trip on Friday night in Kansas City against the Mavericks. The Cyclones dropped the first meeting of the season, 3-2 back on January 12, and the sides will meet twice more following Friday.
NEED-TO-KNOW
On Fire: Forward Daniel Muzito-Bagenda continued his stellar play on Sunday night, netting a power play marker in a 6-2 loss to the Toledo Walleye, and he currently finds himself on a five-game point streak, accounting for a four goals and six assists in that time. His streak comes on the heals of a five-game point drought, and he currently is sixth on the team in scoring with six goals and 15 assists.
Power Surge: The Cyclones have seven power play goals in their last four games (7/18), and currently rank eighth in the League with a 19.3% power play conversion rate. Additionally, Cincinnati has the top home power play percentage in the ECHL, having lit the lamp 18 times in 80 tries which is good for 22.5%.
Trio Reassigned: The Cincinnati Cyclones, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres and American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rochester Americans, have announced that defensemen Arvin Atwal and Eric Knodel, along with forward Justin Danforth have been reassigned by the Americans. Atwal appeared in two games during his second stint with the Americans, and has recorded an assist in four games with them overall this season. He is currently tenth on the Cyclones in scoring with a pair of goals and nine assists through 27 games. Knodel is also coming off his second stint in Rochester, appearing in four games from January 17-27, and six games overall, however has yet to record a point. He has appeared in 27 games this season for Cincinnati and is tied for eighth amongst League defenseman with nine goals and 17 assists. Danforth appeared in one game with the Americans, however could not find the scoresheet. He is in the midst of a stellar rookie campaign, leading all ECHL first years with 22 goals and 22 assists through the first 38 games of the season. His 44 points have him tied for second overall in League scoring, while his 22 goals place him in a tie for third, Additionally, he enjoyed an 11-game point streak from November 18-December 15, accounting for seven goals and 10 assists in that span. He was also the Cyclones’ representative in last Monday’s CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, recording a goal and emerging victorious in the Fastest Skater Competition, setting a new ECHL record with a lap of 12.75 seconds.
Defensive Duo Recalled: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate have announced that defensemen Arvin Atwal and Devante Stephens have been recalled from the Cyclones. Reassigned to the Cyclones on Monday, Atwal appeared in two games during his second stint with the Americans last week, and has recorded an assist in four games with them overall this season. He is currently tenth on the Cyclones in scoring with a pair of goals and nine assists through 27 games. Stephens returns to Rochester for the second time, having skated in four games with the Americans from October 25-November 18. Through 31 games for the Cyclones this season, the White Rock, BC, native has dished out eight assists and has racked up 22 minutes in penalties.
Approaching Milestones: Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz is on the cusp of a pair of major career milestones, as he sits just 13 games shy of 900 for his pro career, and seven points back of 800. Schultz currently leads the Cyclones in scoring with 45 points (15g, 30a).
First For The Kid: Cyclones defenseman Mitch Nylen scored his first pro goal in Friday night’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Indy Fuel. His goal tied the game with less than a minute left in regulation to force overtime, and he also had an assist in that game. The Lawrenceville, GA, native now has a goal and four assists on the season.
Packed Schedule: Cincinnati will have their hands full in the second half of the season, playing their final 31 games over a stretch of 68 days, which averages out to a game every 2.19 days. Additionally, Cincinnati has seven more stretches of three games in three days, two stretches of four games in five days, and one stretch of seven games in nine days.
Familiar Foes: Cincinnati is in the midst of a stretch of 12 straight against divisional opponents. Cincinnati is 13-11-2-0 against the Central Division this season, and will play 21 of their final 31 games within the division.
Finishing What They Started: The Cyclones have a 16-2-0-0 record when leading through two periods this season. This is a continuing trend from last season, when the Cyclones were 23-1-3-1 when leading after one, and 26-1-2-0 when leading after 40 minutes.
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.
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