For Immediate Release: November 7, 2018
Game 10 (Home Game 5)
Vs. Wheeling Nailers (1-4-0-0, 2 pts)
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - 7:35pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones return home on Wednesday for the first of two games this week, following a pair of wins this past weekend in the season’s first three-in-three. Cincinnati enters their tenth game of the season just three points back of the first place Toledo Walleye.
Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (5-2-2-0) took down the Brampton Beast, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon, in the finale of their three-game weekend. Forward Brady Vailled the way with a pair of goals, while forwards Vas Glotov, Mike Marnell, Justin Vaive, and Alex Wideman recorded lone tallies for the Cyclones. Cincinnati outshot the Beast, 29-26 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johansson denying 23 in the win.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (4-2-2-0) fell to the Brampton Beast, 6-1, on Saturday night. Forward Justin Vaive scored the lone goal for Cincinnati. The Cyclones outshot Brampton, 35-22, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 20 in the loss.
Friday Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (4-1-2-0) earned a 7-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night. Forward Judd Peterson led 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.
Previewing Wheeling: The Nailers enter Wednesday with a 1-4-0-0 record through a League-low five games played this season. They are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Indy Fuel on Saturday night, and have been outscored, 21-12, through the first five games of the season. Despite the early season struggles, the Nailers have seen success on the power play, ranking third overall in League power play with a 22.7% conversion rate, and are sixth in the ECHL with a 23.6% road power play clip. They are led offensively by forward Zac Lynch who has accounted for a pair of goals and four assists through five games played. He is followed by forwards Troy Josephs (3g, 1a) and Eliot Grauer (2g, 2a) who round out the top three.
Inside the Series: This will be the second of eight meetings between the two teams this season, following Cincinnati’s 4-1 win over the Nailers on October 20. Cincinnati was 5-1-0-0 against Wheeling in 2017-18, having outscored the Nailers, 25-15 in those games.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati takes on the Indy Fuel on Friday night at home, in the opener of a weekend home-and-home between the teams. The Cyclones dropped the opener of the 12-game season series on October 19, 4-1.
NEED-TO-KNOW
Offensive Explosion: The Cyclones went 2-1-0-0 in three games this past weekend, outscoring their opponents 13-4 in their two wins. Forward Brady Vail led the way with a pair of goals and two assists and defenseman Eric Knodel who had a goal and three helpers, while forward Justin Vaive netted two goals and recorded an assist. Vaive also tallied the lone goal in Saturday’s 6-1 loss to Brampton Beast on Saturday night.
Shutting it Down: Through nine games this season, the Cyclones have allowed three goals in the third period, and are outscoring the opposition, 10-2 in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 4-0-0-0 when leading through two periods. Cincinnatiranks ninth in the ECHL with 2.89 goals allowed per game, and have given up more than three goals in regulation just two times this season.
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.
On the Leaderboard: GoaltenderMichael Houser ranks fourth amongst ECHL goaltenders with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage, while posting a 3-0-1-0 record this season. Defenseman Eric Knodel currently sits fifth in League defenseman scoring with a pair of goals six assists, and is second amongst ECHL rearguards in power play scoring with five (2g, 3a).
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).
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!
