For Immediate Release: November 23, 2018
Game 17 (Road Game 7)
Vs. Indy Fuel (8-7-0-0, 16 pts)
Friday, November 23, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
Indiana Farmers Coliseum – Indianapolis, IN
Overview: The Cyclones have won four straight and now hit the road for a three-game weekend, starting Friday night in Indianapolis. The Cyclones beat the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday night, and now possess the top spot in the ECHL’s Central Division.
Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (11-3-2-0) collected a 6-3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday night, in front of 9,435 at U.S. Bank Arena. Defenseman Mitch Jones led the way with a pair of goals, while forwards Justin Vaive, Myles Powell, Pascal Aquin, and Vas Glotov notched singular tallies for the Cyclones. The Cyclones outshot Kalamazoo, 34-31 on the night, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 28 in the win.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (10-3-2-0) squeaked by the Kalamazoo Wings, 2-1, on Saturday night. Forward Myles Powell and defenseman Anthony Florentino tallied the goals for Cincinnati, and the two sides combined for 102 minutes of penalties in the game. Cincinnati outshot Kalamazoo, 29-27, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 26 in the win.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (9-3-2-0) collected a 4-1 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Forwards Myles Powell and Shaw Boomhower, along with defensemen Eric Knodel and Arvin Atwal netted the goals for the Cyclones, who have won both of the meetings against Ft. Wayne so far this season. The Cyclones were outshot, 31-28, in the period, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 30 in the win.
Previewing Indy: The Fuel enter Friday night winners of two of their last three games, and are coming off a 3-2 win over the Toledo Walleye on Wednesday night. Indy has been successful at home this season, posting a 6-2-0-0 record, while outscoring teams, 31-22, in the process. Additionally, the Fuel’s play on the penalty kill has been good, as the rank in the top 10 in both home (87.8%) and overall (85.5%) penalty killing percentage. They are led by former Cyclone Josh Shalla who has accounted for seven goals and 11 assists through 15 games this season. He is followed by forwards Ryan Rupert (3g, 11a) and Matt Rupert (7g, 5a) who round out the top three.
Inside the Series: This is the fourth of 12 meetings this season between the Cyclones and Fuel, with Indy emerging victorious in two of the first three meetings, and outscoring Cincinnati by a slim 10-9 margin in those games.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones continue their three-game road trip on Saturday in Ft. Wayne against the Komets. The ‘Clones have taken the first two meetings of the 11-game season series, outscoring the Komets by a 9-3 margin. Saturday will be the first game of the season series played in Ft. Wayne, with three more set to follow.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Familiar Foes: The Cyclones are in the midst of 10 straight games against the Central Division, and have won each of the first four games on their current stretch. Cincinnati is 9-2-2-0 against their divisional foes, and are set to play 51 total games against the Central this season.
Johansson Named ECHL Goaltender of the Week: Cyclones goaltender Jonas Johansson has been named CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week. The second-year netminder led Cincinnati to a pair of wins last week, posting a 0.50 goals-against average and a .981 save percentage, along with one shutout. His week started with a perfect 23-save performance in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the Cyclones’ annual Field Trip Game, marking his second career shutout. He was back between the pipes on Friday night where he turned aside 30 of the 31 shots he faced in a 4-1 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets. Currently in his third pro season, the Galve, SWE, native is currently in a four-game winning streak, turning out a 1.51 GAA and a .947 SV% in the process. Johansson has an overall record of 5-2-1-0 record, along with a 2.76 GAA and a .903 SV%.
We’re going Streaking!: Forward Alex Wideman pushed his point streak to eight straight with an assist in Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings, and has accounted for three goals and 10 assists in that time. Forward Myles Powell is currently on a seven-game point and six-game goal scoring streak, totaling eight markers and three assists.
Taking Away the Power: The Cyclones enter Friday as the second-ranked penalty kill team in the League, having allowed just six goals in 59 shorthanded situations (89.1%). Additionally, Cincinnati also boasts the second-ranked home penalty at 93.3% (34/37), and have only allowed four power play goals on their last 35 chances. With a shorthanded tally from Pascal Aquin in Wednesday’s 6-3 win over Kalamazoo, Cincinnati now has League lead with seven shorthanded goals.
Defensive Dominance: The Cyclones lead the ECHL team defense, allowing 2.38 goals per game. Closing out games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have only allowed four goals in the third period, and are outscoring the opposition, 19-4, in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are a perfect 10-0-0-0 when leading through two periods, and has given up more than three goals in regulation just three times this season.
Offensive Explosion:The Cyclones are 9-2-0-0 in their last 11 games, outscoring their opponents 47-22 in that span, including 43-12 in their seven wins. Cincinnati is the top offensive team in the ECHL, averaging 4.06 goals scored per game.
The Puck Stops Here: Goaltender Michael Houser sits atop the ECHL goaltending leaderboard with a 1.86 goals against average and second with a .937 save percentage, while posting a 5-1-1-0 record this season.
Nine is Mighty Fine: Cincinnati’s 9-0 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits last Tuesday marked 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.
Welcome Matt Thomas: The Cyclones enter the 2018-19 season with a new head coach. In early August, Cincinnati hired Matt Thomasas 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!
