For Immediate Release: November 3, 2018
Game 8 (Road Game 4)
Vs. Brampton Beast (3-3-1-0, 7 pts)
Saturday, November 3, 2018 - 7:15pm ET
CAA Centre – Brampton, ON
Overview: The Cyclones continue their three-in-three on Saturday night in Brampton against the Beast. The Cyclones are coming off a 7-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night, in their biggest offensive output of the season. The Cyclones have won two straight after dropping back-to-back overtime contests, and have lost just one game in regulation this season.
Last Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (4-1-2-0) earned a 7-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night. Forward Judd Petersonled the way with a pair of goals, while forwards Justin Vaive, Jesse Schultz, and Mike Marnell, along with defensemen Tobie Bisson and Eric Knodel netted lone tallies for the Cyclones, who record their highest goal output of the season. . The Cyclones outshot the wings, 38-28 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser making 27 saves in the win.
Last Saturday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (3-1-2-0) earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings in Saturday night. Forwards Alex Wideman and Pascal Aquin netted the goals for the Cyclones, who snapped their two-game skid. Cincinnati was outshot, 40-30, on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser putting together a stellar 39-save performance in the win.
Last Friday Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (2-1-2-0) fell to the Kalamazoo Wings in overtime, 4-3, on Friday night. Forwards Brady Vail, Vas Glotov, and Pascal Aquin netted the goals for Cincinnati. The Cyclones were outshot by Kalamazoo, 35-25, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 31 in the loss.
Previewing Brampton: The Beast enter Saturday having dropped two straight and three of their last four games, and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Manchester Monarchs on Wednesday night. Despite the recent struggles for Brampton this season, all three of their wins have come in one-goal affairs, as they are 3-1-1-0 in one-goal games. Brampton has also seen some early season success on the penalty kill, currently ranking fourth in the League at 91.2% (31/34). They are led by former Cyclone David Pacan who has accounted for a pair of goals and five assists on the season, followed by forward Nathan Todd who has two goals and four helpers. A trio of five-point scorers in forwards Jackson Leef (3g, 2a), and Erik Bradford and David Valloran i(1g, 4a each) round out the top three.
Inside the Series: Saturday will be the first of three meetings on the season between the Cyclones and Beast, and the first of a two-game series this weekend. Cincinnati won three of the four meetings between the teams in 2017-18, and are 2-1-0-0 all-time against the Beast in Brampton.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati and Brampton wrap up their weekend series on Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm ET.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Touchdown, Cyclones!: The Cyclones collected a 7-1 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night, marking their highest offensive output since a 7-4 win over the Quad City Mallards on December 22 of last season. Eleven different players recorded points in Friday night, including multi-point efforts from forward Judd Peterson (2g), forwards Mike Marnell and Jesse Schultz, along with defenseman Eric Knodel (1g, 1a each), and forwards Myles Powell and Brady Vail who each dished out two assists.
Milestone Night: Friday’s 7-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings saw three players record the first goals of their pro careers, as forwards Judd Peterson (2g) and Mike Marnell, along with defenseman Tobie Bisson each lit the lamp for the Cyclones.
Shutting it Down: Through seven games this season, the Cyclones have allowed one goal in the third period, and are outscoring the opposition, 8-1 in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 3-0-0-0 when leading through two periods. Cincinnatiranks fifth in the ECHL with 2.43 goals allowed per game, and have given up more than three goals in regulation just once this season.
Americans Reassign Powel: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones, have reassigned forward Myles Powell to the Cyclones. A native of Comox, BC, Powel has appeared in a pair of games for the Americans this season, however has yet to record a point. He began his pro career late in the 2017-18 season, skating in nine games between the Cyclones and Americans and recording a goal and two assists.
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.
Thomas Selects Payne as Assistant Coach: New Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas selected Jason Payne as the team’s assistant coach. Payne is no stranger to southwest Ohio, as he split the 1999-2000 season with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL and Dayton Bombers of the ECHL. A native of Toronto, ON, Payne served as the Player Development coach of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as well as General Manager of the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He also coached both the Toronto Patriots of the OJHL and the Mississauga Sens AAA program. Payne is also the owner of the Precision Skating School in Toronto. His school teaches the key dynamics of skating, puck handling techniques, defensive tactics, and other game-related skills. He has worked with all levels of hockey players- from pee wee all the way to professional players. Prior to his player development career, Payne enjoyed a successful 14-year pro career that saw stops in six different leagues, including 71 games in the AHL with the Mighty Ducks, Carolina Monarchs, Worcester IceCats, and Saint John Flames. He has also racked up 132 games of ECHL action and 140 games in the former United Hockey League (UHL).
Vaive Named Cyclones Player/Assistant Coach: The Cyclones have named returning forward Justin Vaive player/assistant coach for the upcoming season. A native of Buffalo, NY, Vaive is coming off a very successful 2017-18 campaign where led the ‘Clones in goals with 32 and was tied for fifth in points with 45. Vaive enjoyed 12 multipoint nights, including a pair of hat tricks along with a four-point performance (3g, 1a) in a 6-5 overtime win over the Quad City Mallards on January 21. Vaive’s best stretch offensively came between January 19 through March 2 where he accounted for 12 goals and four assists over a 16-game stretch. Additionally, Vaive enjoyed point streaks of four or more games on four separate occasions, including a season-long six-game point streak from December 13-December 27 (6g, 4a). Vaive continued his offensive prowess in the playoffs for the Cyclones, accounting for a team-leading five goals, and ranked second with six points in Cincinnati’s 4 games to 1 series loss to the Ft. Wayne Komets. Vaive has had three previous stints in Cincinnati back in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and his ECHL career has also seen a stop in Greenville with the Road Warriors during the 2013-14 season. In 108 career ECHL games entering the season, Vaive has accounted for 50 goals and 35 assists for 85 points, along with 202 minutes in penalties. Drafted by Anaheim in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Vaive has spent the bulk of his pro career in the AHL, accounting for 67 points (31g, 36a) in 280 games between the Americans, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Hartford Wolf Pack, and San Antonio Rampage.
Hello Again: The Cyclones return nine players from last season’s team, including forwards Vas Glotov, Jesse Schultz, Justin Vaive, and Dominic Zombo. Defensively, the ‘Clones return Arvin Atwal, Anthony Florentino, Eric Knodel, and Devante Stephens, and in goal Cincinnati sees Jonas Johansson back between the pipes. Additionally, `goaltender Michael Houser is back in Cincinnati after spending last season in Ft. Wayne. Overall, Cincinnati’s returners from a season ago accounted for 72 goals and 151 assists for 223 total points, while Johansson posted a 14-11-1-0 record along with a 3.13 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
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!
