For Immediate Release: January 25, 2019
Game 41 (Road Game 21)
Vs. Toledo Walleye (24-10-3-2, 53 pts)
Friday, January 25, 2018 – 7:15pm ET
Huntington Center – Toledo, OH
Overview: The Cyclones exit the All-Star Break with the top spot in the ECHL Central Division, seven points ahead of the Toledo Walleye who are in second. They trail the Florida Everblades by one point for first place in the ECHL overall. Cincinnati is 5-0-1-1 in their last seven games, and are currently on a four-game winning streak.
Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (27-7-3-3) defeated the Indy Fuel, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon. Forwards Spencer Dorowicz, Pascal Aquin, and Mike Marnell, along with defenseman Tobie Bisson netted the goals for Cincinnati, who enter the All-Star Break in second place in the ECHL. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel, 30-28, with goaltender Jonas Johansson steering aside 26 in the win.
Saturday 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 Dorowicz tallied the goals for Cincinnati, while Mike Marnell netted the lone marker in the shootout. Cincinnati outshot Indy, 35-33 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser steering aside 30 in the win.
Last 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 Johansson stopping 31 in the win.
Previewing Toledo: The Walleye are seven points back of the Cyclones for first place in the ECHL Central Division, and they snapped a five-game skid (0-3-0-2) with a 3-2 shootout win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Sunday afternoon. Toledo is currently fourth in the ECHL with 3.67 goals scored per game, however they have scored three or fewer goals in each of their last seven games. They are led by League-points leader TJ Hensick who has accounted for 14 goals and 35 assists through 39 games. He is followed by forwards Shane Berschbach (16g, 27a) and Greg Wolfe (12g, 22a) who round out the top three. In goal, Pat Nagle has shouldered the bulk of the load with a 14-7-1-0 record through 23 games along with a 3.12 goals-against average and a.898 saver percentage.
Inside the Series: This will be the fourth game of a nine-game season series between the Cyclones and Walleye, with Cincinnati holding a 2-0-1-0 lead through the first three games.
Next Game Preview: The Cyclones welcome in the Rapid City Rush on Friday night to begin a two-game homestand. This will be the one and only meeting between the two sides this season, and the Rush have won the only other meeting between the two back in the 2016-17 season.
Johansson Recalled: Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Jonas Johansson has been recalled by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate for the third time this season. He has appeared in three games with Rochester this season, posting a 2-1-0-0 record along with a 2.97 GAA and an .891 SV%.A native of Galve, SWE, Johansson have wins in three of his four games, allowing two of fewer goals in each of his last two starts. He has a 13-5-1-2 record this season along with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage, with two shutouts. The second-year netminder led Cincinnati to a pair of wins during the week of November 12, recording a 0.50 goals-against average and a .981 save percentage along with one shutout, earning ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors for his efforts. Drafted by the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Buffalo Sabres in the third round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the third-year pro appeared in 27 games with Cincinnati last season, accounting for a 14-11-1-0 record along with a 3.13 GAA and a .909 SV%. He has also skated in 17 career games with the Americans where he has a record of 9-7-1-0.
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 19 of his last 24 games, accounting for 11 goals and 20 assists in that time. He is now fourth in ECHL scoring with 44 points (12g, 32a).
Piling up the Points: The Cyclones have points in 19 of the last 21 games (15-2-0-4) and wins in 20 of their last 27 games (20-4-0-3). Cincinnati has outscored the opposition, 80-53, in the last 20 games.
Defensively Offensive: The Cyclones defensive corps have been contributing to the Cyclones offensive success as of late, accounting for 12 goals and 22 assists in the last 21 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 two goals and nine assists. Additionally, Devante Stephens (3g, 1a), Anthony Florentino (2a), Andrew DeBrincat (1g, 1a), and Mitch Jones (1a) have also found the score sheet.
Good in All Areas: The Cyclones are second in the ECHL in both team defense (2.45 GA/GM) and in offensive production (3.80G/GM). The Cyclones are outscoring teams, 152-98, and have allowed two or fewer goals in 15 of the last 24 games. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they are outscoring teams 56-32 in the first period, and have allowed 22 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 49-22, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 20-1-0-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just six times this season.
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!
