For Immediate Release: December 21, 2018
Game 28 (Road Game 13)
Vs. Allen Americans (6-23-0-2, 14 pts)
Friday, December 21, 2018 - 8:05pm ET
Allen Event Center – Allen, TX
Overview: The Cyclones extended their season-long winning streak to seven games following Wednesday’s series opener in Allen. The Cyclones now hold down the top spot in the ECHL overall; two points ahead of the Newfoundland Growlers. Additionally, the Cyclones hold a three-point advantage over the Toledo Walleye for first in the Central Division heading into Friday night.
Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (19-5-2-1) picked up their seventh win in a row, 6-2, over the Allen Americans on Wednesday night. Forwards Ben Johnson and Mike Marnell each netted a pair of goals, while forwards Shaw Boomhower and Brady Vail added lone markers for the Cyclones. The Cyclones outshot the Americans, 44-25, on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 23 in the win.
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.
Last 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.
Previewing Allen: The Americans enter Friday night having dropped eight in a row and 13 of their last 15, following a 6-2 loss to the Cyclones on Wednesday night. The Americans a currently allowing a League-high 4.06 goals per game, and rank 25thwith 2.45 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 10 assists in 26 games. He is followed by defenseman Alex Breton (5g, 18a), and forward Spencer Asuchak (9g, 12a) who round out the top three.
Inside the Series: Friday is the second of a three-game season series between the Cyclones and Americans, with Cincinnati taking Game 1 on Wednesday. The sides have met three times prior to this week- back in 2015-16, with the Cyclones taking two of those three games.
Next Game Preview:Cincinnati concludes their series with Allen on Saturday night, in the final game before the Christmas holiday. The Face-off is slated for 8:05pm ET.
Powel, Stephens Reassigned:Cincinnati Cyclones forward Myles Powell and defenseman Devante Stephens have been reassigned by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Recalled on December, 11, Powell skated in five games with the Americans, however did not record a point. A native of Comox, BC, Powell has appeared in 17 games for the Cyclones this season, accounting for 10 goals and eight assists in the process. He is currently riding a four-game point streak, totaling two goals and three assists, and he also had a seven-game point streak from November 7-21, totaling eight goals and three assists in that time. 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.
Fanning the Flames: Despite Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz seeing his goal-scoring streak snapped at six games following Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Allen Americans, he extended his point streak to nine games with a pair of assists. He has accounted for six goals and five assists on his current nine-game heater, and has points in 10 of his last 11 games overall (7g, 7a). He leads the Cyclones with 27 points (8g, 19a) in 27 games.
Seeing Double: Forwards Mike Marnell and Ben Johnson each tallied a pair of goals in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Allen Americans. For Marnell, it marked his fourth multi-point and first multi-goal outing of the season, and places him in a tie for third on the ‘Clones in goals with six. Johnson’s pair mark his first goals as a Cyclone, and he also added an assist for a three-point night.
We’re Going Streaking: The Cyclones are currently riding a season-high seven-game winning streak, and have outscored their opposition, 27-11, 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 11 assists in the last 10 games. Eric Knodel has a goal and five assists in that time following a pair of assists in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Allen Americans, and is currently tied for fourth in ECHL defenseman scoring with five goals and 15 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 (3.78G/GM). The Cyclones are outscoring teams, 102-59, and have allowed two or fewer goals in nine of the last 11 games. The Cyclones are 17-4-0-1 in their last 22 games, outscoring their opponents 83-43 in that span, including 60-22 in their 17 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, 35-10, in the final 20 minutes of play. Additionally, the Cyclones are 15-1-0-1. 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 possess the ECHL’s top penalty kill, having allowed just 11 goals in 95 shorthanded situations (88.4%). Additionally, Cincinnati also boasts the sixth-ranked home (88.7%) and second-ranked road (89.5%) penalty kills, and have only allowed nine power play goals on their last 76 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!
