For Immediate Release: January 18, 2019
Game 38 (Road Game 19)
Vs. Kalamazoo Wings (17-18-0-2, 36 pts)
Friday, January 18, 2018 – 7:35pm ET
Wings Event Center – Kalamazoo, MI
Overview: The Cyclones head back into divisional play on Friday night when they travel to Kalamazoo to battle the Wings. Cincinnati split with the Kansas City Mavericks last weekend, and are coming off a 2-0 shutout win on Saturday. The ‘Clones still sitting atop the ECHL’s Central Division, four points ahead of the Toledo Walleye, and are only five points back of the Florida Everblades for first place in the ECHL overall.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (24-7-3-3) shutout the Kansas City Mavericks, 2-0, on Saturday night. Defenseman Andrew DeBrincat and forward Jesse Schultz buried the goals for Cincinnati, while goaltender Michael Houser was a perfect 32-for-32 for his first shutout of the season. Kansas City outshot Cincinnati, 32-22 on the evening, while the Cyclones’ penalty kill was a perfect 7-for-7.
Last Friday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (23-7-3-3) fell in overtime to the Kansas City Mavericks, 7-6, on Friday night. Forwards Alex Wideman, Myles Powell, Pascal Aquin, and Mike Marnell, along with defensemen Arvin Atwal and Eric Knodeltallied the goals for Cincinnati. Shots in the game were tied, 30-30, with goaltenders Jonas Johansson and Michael Houser combining to stop 23 in the loss.
Last Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (23-7-2-3) dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Utah Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Forwards Defensemen Arvin Atwal and Tobie Bisson, along with forward Mike Marnell netted the goals for Cincinnati. The Cyclones were outshot, 36-32, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 32 in the loss.
Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings are still in the playoff hunt in the ECHL’s Central Division, four points back of the Wheeling Nailers and Indy Fuel who are tied for fourth. Kalamazoo has won two in a row following a five-game skid, and are coming off a 10-8 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Wednesday night. Kalamazoo’s offense has started to pick up as of late, as they are seventh in the ECHL with 3.41 goals scored per game, and have four or more goals in seven of their last 11 games. The third period is where the Wings do most of their damage, outscoring teams, 46-36, in the final 20 minutes. Conversely, Kalamazoo has struggled in the second period of games, having been outscored 63-36. Forward Reid Gardner leads all active scorers with 21 goals and 20 assists through 27 games. He is followed by forward’s Tanner Sorenson (10g, 19a) and Justin Taylor (21g, 6a). In goal, Jake Hildebrand has appeared in 26 games this season, posting a record of 9-13-0-1, along with a 3.86 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Friday will be the eighth of 11 meetings this season between the ‘Clones and Wings, with Cincinnati holding a 6-0-1-0 record through the first seven games.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati wraps up their four-game road stretch on Saturday night in Indy, in the front-end of a home-and-home with the Fuel. This will be the sixth of 12 meetings between the two teams, with the Cyclones standing 2-3-0-0 against Indy this season. All three of their losses coming at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum (1-3-0-0), and the ‘Clones and Fuel will play four of the final seven in Indianapolis.
Glotov Selected to All-Star Accuracy Shooting Competition: Cyclones forward Vas Glotov has been selected to perform in the Accuracy Shooting Competition at Monday’s CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic in Toledo. This is the third-straight season a Cyclones representative has participated in an all-star skill event (Eric Knodel- Hardest Shot, 2017; Justin Danforth- winner of Fastest Skater, 2018). Glotov, who will also appear in the All-Star Classic, has appeared in 34 games for the Cyclones this season, accounting for seven goals and 17 assists in that span. A native of Barnaul, RUS, Glotov is in his first full pro season, after making his pro debut last season. He appeared in six games between the Cyclones and Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones, registering a goal and an assist. He spent the prior two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) appearing in 128 games between the Shawinigan Cataractes and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, amassing 44 goals and 49 assists in 128 career games. He was a 2016, seventh-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres.
He’s a Brick….HOUSE!:Goaltender Michael Houser pitched a 32-save shutout in Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Kansas City Mavericks for his first clean sheet of the season. A native of Youngstown, OH, Houser is 7-0-1-1 in his last nine games, allowing two or fewer goals in eight of them. He was named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December after a perfect 6-0-0-0 record along with a 1.17 goals against average and a .950 save percentage during the month. Overall, Houser has a record of 12-2-2-1 and leads the ECHL with a 1.78 GAA and a .936 SV%, and he has allowed more than two goals just four times this season.
Fanning the Flames: Forward Jesse Schultz has points in 17 of his last 21 games, accounting for 11 goals and 18 assists in that time, including a goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Kansas City, and three assists in last Friday’s 7-6 overtime loss to the Mavericks. He is now tied for fourth in ECHL scoring with 42 points (12g, 30a).
Piling up the Points: The Cyclones have points in 16 of the last 18 games (12-2-0-4) and wins in 17 of their last 25 games (17-4-0-3). Cincinnati has outscored the opposition, 68-47, in the last 18 games.
Defensively Offensive: The Cyclones defensive corps have been contributing to the Cyclones offensive success as of late, accounting for 10 goals and 23 assists in the last 19 games. Eric Knodel has four goals and seven assists in that time, and is currently fifth in ECHL defenseman scoring with eight goals and 17 assists. Additionally, Arvin Atwal has three goals and seven assists, while Tobie Bisson has a goal and seven assists. Additionally, Devante Stephens (3g, 1a), Anthony Florentino (2a), Andrew DeBrincat (1g), and Mitch Jones (1a) have also found the score sheet.
Good in All Areas: The Cyclones are second in ECHL team defense (2.49 GA/GM) and are tied for second in the League in offensive production (3.78G/GM). The Cyclones are outscoring teams, 140-92, and have allowed two or fewer goals in 13 of the last 21 games. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they are outscoring teams 50-31 in the first period, and have allowed a League-low 20 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 46-20, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 17-1-0-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just six times this season.
Thomas Named Western Conference All-Star Coach: Cincinnati Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas has been selected as the head coach for the Western Conference All-Stars for the upcoming 2019 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic. He was selected as the Western Conference bench boss by virtue of the Cyclones having the top winning percentage in the conference at the conclusion of All-Star voting, as the Cyclones were 23-7-2-2, and led the Central Division with 50 points while owning the league’s top winning percentage at .735. This year’s All-Star Classic is being hosted by the Toledo Walleye on Monday, January 21 at 7 p.m. ET at the Huntington Center, and the game will air live exclusively on NHL Network. A native of Maple Ridge, BC, Thomas was hired by the Cyclones in early August, replacing former head coach Matt Macdonald who was named assistant coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins; American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas is coaching in the All-Star Game for the third time, after previously earning the honor in 2005 with Atlantic City and 2009 with Stockton, which is tied for the most in ECHL history, joining Chris Cichocki, Glen Gulutzan, Davis Payneand Jeff Pyle.
Wideman Named ECHL Co-Plus Performer of the Month: Cincinnati Cyclones forward Alex Wideman has been named the co-recipient of the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for December, after posting an on-ice rating of plus-16 through 12 games during the month. He shares this monthly honor with Wheeling Nailers forward Nick Saracino. A native of St. Louis, MO, Wideman had an even or better rating in every game in December, including a high of plus-3 in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Toledo Walleye, and he posted a plus-2 rating on six other occasions during the month. He ranks second on the team in scoring with 32 points (9g, 23a), and is currently on a seven-game point streak where he has totaled five goals and six assists in that time. He has a goal and an assist in each of his last four games, as well. Wideman is in his first season as a member of the Cyclones after signing an American Hockey League (AHL) contract this past summer by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s AHL affiliate. Wideman accounted for 38 goals and 65 assists in 123 games with the Indy Fuel over the last two seasons, and has also seen ECHL time with the Evansville Icemen, accounting for 15 goals and 24 assists in 58 games. He has 24 career AHL games to his credit with the Binghamton Senators and Rockford IceHogs, totaling four goals and 14 assists. Prior to turning pro, the St. Louis, MO, native spent four season at Miami (OH) University, where he amassed 24 goals and 32 assists in 140 career games.
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!
