For Immediate Release: January 20, 2019
Game 40 (Home Game 20)
Vs. Indy Fuel (20-17-2-1, 43 pts)
Sunday, January 20, 2018 – 3:05pm ET
U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones close out the first half of the season with a matinee against the Indy Fuel on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati collected a 4-3 shootout win over Indy on Saturday evening, pushing their division lead over the Toledo Walleye to seven points.
Last Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (26-7-3-3) collected a 4-3 shootout win over the Indy Fuel on Saturday night. Forwards Alex Wideman, Justin Vaive, and Spencer Dorowicztallied the goals for Cincinnati, while Mike Marnellnetted the lone marker in the shootout. Cincinnati outshot Indy, 35-33 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Housersteering aside 30 in the win.
Friday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (25-7-3-3) collected a 4-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night. Forwards Mike Marnell, Justin Vaive, Myles Powell, and Pascal Aquin netted the goals for the Cyclones, who earn points for the 17thtime in the last 19 games. The Cyclones were outshot, 32-23 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johanssonstopping 31 in the win.
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.
Previewing Indy: The Fuel currently hold down the fourth and final playoff spot in the ECHL’s Central Division, and are just one point back of the Ft. Wayne Komets in third. Indy is coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Cyclones on Saturday night, and they have points in 10 of their last 14 games overall (7-4-2-1). The Fuel have been playing a lot of extra hockey as of late, as four of their last five games have gone into an extra session or a shootout. This comes after just three of their first 35 contests went past 60 minutes. They are led by forward Matt Rupert who has amassed 36 points (11g, 25a) through 40 games this season. He is followed by former Cyclone Josh Shalla (14g, 19a) and his twin brother Ryan Rupert (17g, 15a) who round out the top three. In goal, Matt Tomkins has a 16-11-2-1 record, along with a 3/07 goals against average along with a .910 save percentage.
Inside the Series: This will be the seventh of 12 meetings between Cincinnati and the Fuel, with each team winning three of the first six games. All three of Cincinnati’s losses have come at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum (1-3-0-0), and the ‘Clones and Fuel will play three of the final six in Indianapolis
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati skates in their only game of the week Friday in Toledo against the Walleye, in the fourth game of a nine-game season series. Cincinnati has a 2-0-1-0 lead through the first three games.
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 stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Indy Fuel for his second-consecutive victory. He pitched a 32-save shutout in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Kansas City Mavericks for his first clean sheet of the season, and is now 8-0-1-1 in his last 10 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 13-2-2-1 and leads the ECHL with a 1.84 GAA and a .935 SV%, and he has allowed more than two goals just five times this season.
Fanning the Flames: Forward Jesse Schultz has points in 18 of his last 23 games, accounting for 11 goals and 19 assists in that time. He is now fourth in ECHL scoring with 43 points (12g, 31a).
Piling up the Points: The Cyclones have points in 18 of the last 20 games (14-2-0-4) and wins in 19 of their last 26 games (19-4-0-3). Cincinnati has outscored the opposition, 76-51, in the last 19 games.
Defensively Offensive: The Cyclones defensive corps have been contributing to the Cyclones offensive success as of late, accounting for 10 goals and 25 assists in the last 20 games. Eric Knodel has four goals and eight assists in that time, and is currently tied for sixth in ECHL defenseman scoring with eight goals and 18 assists. Additionally, Arvin Atwal has three goals and nine assists, while Tobie Bisson has a goal and eight 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 lead the ECHL team defense (2.46 GA/GM) and are tied for second in the League in offensive production (3.79G/GM). The Cyclones are outscoring teams, 148-96, and have allowed two or fewer goals in 14 of the last 23 games. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they are outscoring teams 54-32 in the first period, and have allowed a League-low 21 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 48-21, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 19-1-0-2. 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 Payne and 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 38 points (12g, 26a). 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!
