For Immediate Release: November 16, 2018
Game 14 (Home Game 8)
Vs. Ft. Wayne Komets (5-6-0-0, 10 pts)
Friday, November 16, 2018 - 7:35am ET
U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones continue their four-game homestand on Friday night against the Ft. Wayne Komets. Cincinnati is coming off a 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Tuesday morning in their annual Field Trip Day game, marking their highest goal total since the 2012-13 season.
Tuesday Morning Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (8-3-2-0) shutout the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 9-0, on Tuesday morning, in front of 12,346 school children for the Cyclones’ annual Field Trip Game. It marked Cincinnati’s highest goal total since a 9-4 road win against Evansville back in 2012-13. Forward Alex Wideman led the way with a pair of goals and three assists, while forward Myles Powell chipped in a pair of goals and an assist. Defensemen Eric Knodeland Devante Stephens, along with forwards Vas Glotov, Shaw Boomhower, and Mike Marnell each added lone markers, with Marnell also dishing out three assists for a four-point performance. Cincinnati outshot the Swamp Rabbits, 25-23, on the day, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping all 23 he faced in the win.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (7-3-2-0) dropped a tight 4-3 affair to the Indy Fuel on the road Saturday night. Forwards Myles Powell, Pascal Aquin, and Brady Vail tallied the goals for the Cyclones, who dropped just their third game in regulation this season. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 30-27, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 23 in defeat.
Friday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (7-2-2-0) defeated the Indy Fuel, 5-2, on Friday night. Forward Myles Powell led the way with a pair of shorthanded goals, while forwards Pascal Aquin and Justin Vaive, along with defenseman Devante Stephens tallied lone markers for the Cyclones, who have won five of their last six games. The Cyclones outshot the Fuel, 39-28 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 26 in the win.
Previewing Ft. Wayne: The Komets enter Friday winners of four of their last five games, outscoring the opposition, 21-12 in that span. They are coming off a 6-2 win over the Rapid City Rush on Saturday night. Their recent surge is a stark contrast to their start where they won just once in their first five outings. The Komets are averaging just as many goals as they are allowing, accounting for 3.18 goals per game both for and against. Ft. Wayne was bolstered by the return of defending League MVP Shawn Szydlowski who recently returned to the team from Europe, and in three games since coming back stateside, he has dished out five assists and registered a plus-2 on-ice rating. Forward Justin Hodgman leads the teams and is tied for third in ECHL in scoring with 18 points (4g, 18a), with his 14 assists placing him second in the League. He is followed by recently-acquired forward Jake Kamrass (6g, 4a), and forwards Phelix Martineau and Marco Roy who each have four goals and five assists.
Inside the Series: This is the second of 11 meetings on the season between the Cyclones and Komets, with Cincinnati winning the season opener, 5-2, on October 13. The Cyclones were 5-4-0-0 against Ft. Wayne in 2017-18, however the Komets were victorious in four of the last five matchups.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones welcome in the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday night, in the first of two straight between the two sides at U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati is 2-0-1-0 against the Wings this season, outscoring them 12-6 through three games.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Nine is Mighty Fine: Cincinnati’s 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits marks the Cyclones’ highest goal total since a 9-4 win over the Evansville IceMen back on March 3, 2013. It was also Cincinnati’s highest margin of victory since a 13-2 victory over the Reading Royals on December 27, 2002.
New Career High: Forward Alex Wideman set a career high with five points (2g, 3a) in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, eclipsing his previous single game high of three points, which has been accomplished on multiple occasions. He now sits third on the Cyclones in scoring with 12 points (4g, 8a), and has three goals and seven assists on his current five-game points streak.
First for the Kid: Cyclones forward Shaw Boomhower netted his first pro goal in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
Offensive Explosion:The Cyclones are 6-2-0-0 in their last eight games, outscoring their opponents 35-17 in that span, including 31-7 in their six wins. Cincinnati is second in League offense with 4.08 goals scored per game. Forward Alex Wideman is on a five-game point streak, accounting for three goals and seven assists in that time. Forward Brady Vail is on a five-game heater, totaling three goals and two assists in that time, while Myles Powell is currently on a four-game point streak, accounting for five goals and two assists in that span. Other team streaks include a four-game point streak for forward Pascal Aquin (3g, 3a), and a three-game streak for defenseman Devante Stephens (2g, 1a).
Shutting it Down: Through 13 games this season, the Cyclones have allowed four goals in the third period and are outscoring the opposition, 16-4, in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 7-0-0-0 when leading through two periods. Cincinnatiranks fourth in the ECHL with 2.54 goals allowed per game, and sixth with 28.85 shots allowed per 60 minutes. Cincinnati has given up more than three goals in regulation just three times this season.
Shorthanded…? No Problem!: Cyclones forward Myles Powell scored two shorthanded goals in last Friday’s 5-2 win over the Indy Fuel, and the Cyclones are now tied for the League-lead in that category with six. Additionally, the Cyclones rank third in the ECHL on the penalty kill with an 87.8% success rate (36/41), and have only allowed three power play goals on their last 21 chances.
On the Leaderboard: Goaltender Michael Houser is third amongst ECHL goaltenders with a 2.01 goals-against average and third with a .933 save percentage, while posting a 4-1-1-0 record this season. Defenseman Eric Knodel currently is tied for third in League defenseman scoring with three goals eight assists, is second in ECHL rearguards in power play scoring with six points (2g, 4a).
Welcome Matt Thomas: The Cyclones enter the 2018-19 season with a new head coach. In early August, Cincinnati hired Matt Thomas as the team’s new bench boss. He replaced Matt Macdonald who was named assistant coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins; American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. A native of Maple Ridge, BC, Thomas has extensive head coaching experience in the ECHL, spanning 11 seasons with the Atlantic Boardwalk Bullies, Fresno Falcons, and Stockton Thunder from 2002-2013. Thomas served two seasons as an assistant coach with Atlantic City, including helping the Boardwalk Bullies to a Kelly Cup Championship in 2003, before assuming the role of head coach and Director of Hockey Operations with the team prior to 2004-2005. He compiled a 42-22-8 mark in his lone season as Atlantic City’s bench boss, and served as the head coach for the 2005 ECHL All-Star Game. He then moved on to Fresno prior to the 2005-06 campaign, leading the Falcons to a 43-15-14 mark along with a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Over the next two seasons in Fresno, Thomas compiled a 76-41-17 record, with trips to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on both occasions. He coached the Falcons during the first half of 2008-09, leading the team to an 18-10-2 mark before the team ceased operations midseason. Thomas was not out of work for long however, as he was named head coach of Stockton shortly after and finished the year with a record of 22-16-3, and a trip to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Thomas went on to coach the Thunder for four more seasons, amassing a mark of 141-111-36, reaching the post season each year, including a trip to the 2013 Kelly Cup Finals. He enters the 2018-19 campaign as the ECHL’s sixth-winningest coach with a career record of 342-225-80, just one win back of fifth place all time. He is also the all-time leader in playoff games coached with 97, and ranks third with 49 playoff wins.
The 2018-19 season is HERE, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride!Single game, Group, and Season Tickets are on sale NOW by calling (513) 421-PUCK! Stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
