For Immediate Release: March 31, 2018
Game 69 (Home Game 36)
Vs. Toledo Walleye (48-16-3-2, 101 pts)
Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
FULL GAME NOTES | VIDEO PREVIEW | LAST GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Overview: The Cyclones won their third game in a row with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. The win shrinks Cincinnati’s “Magic Number” down to two, which means a win on Saturday night will clinch the Cyclones’ spot in the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Cyclones are currently in third place in the ECHL’S Central Division, five points ahead of the Kalamazoo Wings who are in fourth.
Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (38-27-3-0) earned a 3-2 overtime victory over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Forwards Justin Vaive and Daniel Muzito-Bagenda netted the goals on regulation for the Cyclones, while forward Shawn O’Donnell lit the lamp for the game-winner in overtime. Cincinnati was outshot, 28-26 on the evening, with goaltender Hayden Stewart shining in his pro hockey debut, steering aside 26 in the win.
Tuesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (37-27-3-0) collected a 5-3 game over the Wheeling Nailers on Tuesday night. The game was a make-up from the February 17 contest that was postponed due to flooding in the Wheeling area. Forward Daniel Muzito-Bagenda netted a pair of power play tallies, while forwards Shawn O’Donnell, Alex Kile, and Justin Vaive each netted lone goals for the Cyclones, who have won two in a row. The Nailers outshot Cincinnati, 36-28 on the evening, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf stopping 33 in the win.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (36-27-3-0) picked up a 3-2 overtime victory over the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday night, snapping their five-game losing streak. Defenseman Chris Leone and forward Vas Glotov scored the goals in regulation, while forward Brandon McNally netted the game-winning goal in overtime. The Cyclones were outshot, 36-26 on the evening, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf steering aside 34 in the win.
Previewing Toledo: The Walleye currently hold down the top spot in the ECHL Central Division, and are just one point back of the Florida Everblades for the top spot in League overall. Toledo has won two in a row and seven of their last eight, and are coming off a 4-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers on Friday night. Toledo enters Saturday with the League’s second-ranked defense, allowing 2.30 goals per game, along with the second-best penalty kill (87.1%) and fourth-ranked power play (19%). Additionally, they are one of the best teams when playing with a lead, posting a 17-1-0-0 record when leading through one period, and a perfect 23-0-0-0 mark when leading through 40 minutes of play. Offensively, they are led by forward Tyler Barnes, who has accounted for 20 goals and 30 assists through 63 games this season. He is followed by forwards Kyle Bonis (25g, 24a) and Shane Berschbach (17g, 30a) who round out the top three. In goal, Pat Nagle, has posted a league-best 35-5-3-1 record, and is fifth with a 2.16 goals-against average and fourth with a .924 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Saturday marks the finale of their eight-game season series. Toledo has the edge through the first seven games, 5-2-0-0, and have won the previous three meetings.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones hit the road for their final weekend of the season, beginning next Friday in Indy against the Fuel. Indy has controlled the season series, winning seven of the first nine meetings, however Cincinnati is 2-1-1-0 in the last four.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Win and We’re In!: Cincinnati can clinch their spot in the 2018 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs with a regulation or overtime win over the Toledo Walleye on Saturday night. The Cyclones can also make it to the dance with an Indy Fuel regulation loss, or a Cincinnati shootout win AND Indy Fuel loss.
First for the Kid: Cyclones goaltender Hayden Stewart stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced in Friday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Ft. Wayne Komets. The 23-year-old was signed by Cincinnati prior to Friday’s game, and recently completed a four-year collegiate career at Cornell University.
Americans Recall Kasdorf: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones, have recalled goaltender Jason Kasdorf. A native of Winnipeg, MB, Kasdorf has appeared in 28 games for the Cyclones this season, posting a 13-11-1-0 record, along with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage with a shutout in that time. He has won two straight starts for the Cyclones, and has allowed three or fewer goals in each of his last five wins. Kasdorf is in his second full pro season, having split last year between the now-defunct Elmira Jackals and the Americans. He made his pro debut late in the 2015-16 with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, appearing in one game and posting a goals-against average of 4.00 and a save percentage of .867. Prior to turning pro, Kasdorf enjoyed a successful four-year career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he appeared in at least 23 games in all but one season, and combined for 38 wins over his four seasons. He was also named ECAC Rookie of the Year during his freshman season of 2012-13.
Cyclones Add Three: The Cincinnati Cyclones signed forward Myles Powell to Amateur Tryout Agreements (ATO), and goaltenders Hayden Stewart, and Josh Taylor to Standard Player Contracts (SPC).Powell has appeared in four games with the Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones, however did not record a point. He is coming off a successful career at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he accounted for 105 points (45g, 60a) in 149 career games. He was also named team captain during his junior season of 2016-17. The Comox, BC, native spent three junior hockey seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), where he accumulate 108 points (44g, 64a) in 151 games between three teams. Stewart just completed a four-year collegiate career at Cornell University, appearing in 22 games and had a goals-against average of 2.13 or lower in three of his four seasons, and a save percentage of at least .923 in all but one of his seasons. He played three seasons of junior hockey in both the United States Hockey League (USHL) and North American Hockey League (NAHL), posting 37 wins in that time. Taylor has spent time with the Cyclones as an Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG) this season, however has not seen any game action.
Shouldering the Load: Cyclones forwards Alex Kile, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda, Shawn O’Donnell, Jesse Schultz, and Justin Vaive have accounted for 28 of Cincinnati’s last 31 goals, dating back to Cincinnati’s 3-2 win over the Brampton Beast on March 11. Muzito-Bagenda leads the way with goals in seven of his last 11 games played, including three in his last two games, while Vaive has goals in five of his last nine, including a hat trick in last Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Indy Fuel.
Comeback Kids: Last Saturday’s come-from-behind win over Wheeling was Cincinnati’s 17th comeback win of the season. Additionally, with Cincinnati’s 3-2 overtime victory on Friday, the Cyclones are now 8-3 in games that require extra.
Power Surge: The Cyclones have at least one power play goal in 21 of their last 30 games, going 29-for-106 in that stretch (27.3%). They also have the second-ranked power play unit in the League overall with a 20.4% power play conversion rate (54/265), and they have the second-ranked home power play unit at 24.2% (32/132).
Finishing What They Started: The Cyclones have a 25-1-0-0 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.
Stay Connected!: Follow the latest news on Twitter (@CincyCyclones), Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more! Also, for all of the latest news and notes, head over to www.cycloneshockey.com.
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