For Immediate Release: December 19, 2018
Game 27 (Road Game 12)
Vs. Allen Americans (6-22-0-2, 14 pts)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 - 8:05pm ET
Allen Event Center – Allen, TX
Overview: The Cyclones take their six-game winning streak to Allen, TX, to take on the Americans for a three-game series beginning Wednesday night. Cincinnati is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Wichita Thunder on Saturday night, and still possess a three-point lead over the Toledo Walleye for first place in the ECHL’s Central Division.
Saturday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (18-5-2-1) edged out the Wichita Thunder, 4-3 in a shootout, on Saturday night. Defensemen Devante Stephens and Arvin Atwal along with forward Jesse Schultz netted the goals in regulation, while forward Mike Marnell tallied the lone goal in the shootout for the Cyclones, who push their winning streak to a season-high six games. Cincinnati outshot Wichita, 26-24, on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 21 in the win.
Thursday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (17-5-2-1) edged out the Norfolk Admirals 2-1, on Thursday night. Defenseman Arvin Atwal and forward Jesse Schultz netted the goals for Cincinnati, who have now won five games in a row. Cincinnati outshot Norfolk, 38-20, with goaltender Michael Houser steering aside 19 in the win.
Last Wednesday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (16-5-2-1) took down the Tulsa Oilers, 4-1, on Wednesday night. Forwards Brady Vail, Jesse Schultz, Vas Glotov, and Justin Vaive netted the goals for the Cyclones, who push their winning streak to four games. Cincinnati was outshot, 23-20, on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 22 in the win.
Previewing Allen: The Americans enter Wednesday night having dropped seven in a row and 12 of their last 14, and are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Reading Royals on Saturday night. The Americans a currently allowing a League-high 4.00 goals per game, and rank 25thwith 2.47 goals scored per game. Despite their struggles this season, the Americans have played well with the lead, posting a 4-0-0-1 mark when leading after two periods. They are led offensively by forward Zach Pochiro, who has accounted for 14 goals and 9 assists in 25 games. He is followed by a pair of 21-point scorers in forward Spencer Asuchak (9g, 12a) and defenseman Alex Breton (5g, 16), along with forward Braylon Shmyr (7g, 12a).
Inside the Series: Wednesday begins a three-game series between the Cyclones and Americans. The sides have met three time before- back in 2015-16, with the Cyclones taking two of those three games.
Next Game Preview:Cincinnati continues their series with Allen on Friday night. The Face-off is slated for 8:05pm ET.
Stephens Recalled: Cincinnati Cyclones defenseman Devante Stephens has been recalled by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Hailing from White Rock, BC, Stephens is second on the Cyclones in defenseman scoring with five goals and 10 assists in 24 games, and he leads the ECHL with a plus-22 on-ice rating. Currently in his second pro season, Stephens accounted for four goals and nine assists in 26 combined games between the Cyclones and Americans last season. Prior to turning pro, the White Rock, BC native spent three seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kelowna Rockets. In 203 WHL game, the Buffalo Sabres draft selection posted 19 goals and 38 assists, along with 166 minutes in penalties, and helped lead the team to a WHL championship in 2015.
I Wish That I had Jesse’s Goals: Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz pushed his goal-scoring streak to six games and his point streak to eight games with a goal in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Wichita Thunder. He has accounted for six goals and three assists in that time, and has points in nine of his last 10 games overall (7g, 5a). He leads the Cyclones with 25 points (8g, 17a) in 26 games.
We’re Going Streaking: The Cyclones are currently riding a season-high six-game winning streak, and have outscored their opposition, 21-9, in that time. This is Cincinnati’s second winning streak of five or more games this season (November 13-23).
The Puck Stops Here: Cyclones goaltender Michael Houser leads the ECHL with a 1.78 goals-against average along with a .938 save percentage, while posting an 10-2-1-0 record in the process. He has won six of his last seven starts, and has allowed one goal in four consecutive games, and three or fewer goals in seven straight games.
Defensively Offensive:The Cyclones defensive corps have been contributing to the Cyclones offensive success as of late, accounting for five goals and nine assists in the last nine games. Eric Knodel has a goal and three assists in that time, and currently ranks fifth in ECHL defenseman scoring with five goals and 13 assists. Additionally, Devante Stephens has added three goals and an assist while Tobie Bisson (4a), Arvin Atwal (1g), and Andrew DeBrincat and Mitch Jones (1a) have also found the score sheet.
Leading the Way: The Cyclones currently lead the ECHL team defense (2.19 GA/GM) and are third in the League in offensive production (3.58G/GM). The Cyclones are outscoring teams, 96-57, and have allowed two or fewer goals in eight of the last 10 games. The Cyclones are 16-4-0-1 in their last 21 games, outscoring their opponents 77-41 in that span, including 54-20 in their 16 wins. Closing out games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have only allowed nine goals in the third period, and are outscoring the opposition, 31-10, in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 14-1-0-1. when leading through two periods, and have given up more than three goals in regulation just three times this season.
Taking Away the Power: The Cyclones posess the ECHL’s top penalty kill, having allowed just 10 goals in 92 shorthanded situations (89.1%). Additionally, Cincinnati also boasts the fifth-ranked home (88.7%) and second-ranked road (91.4%) penalty kills, and have only allowed eight power play goals on their last 72 chances.
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!
