For Immediate Release: March 30, 2019
Game 68 (Home Game 34)
Vs. Indy Fuel (33-30-2-2, 70 pts)
Saturday, March 30, 2019 – 7:35pm ET
Indiana Farmers Coliseum – Indianapolis, IN
Overview: The Cyclones begin a two-game road trip on Saturday evening in Indy against the Fuel. Cincinnati is coming off a 5-3 win over the Kansas City Mavericks on Wednesday night, and find themselves in a position to claim their second-ever Regular Season League Championship on Saturday. A Cyclones win coupled with a Florida Everblades loss OR a Cyclones overtime/shootout win and a Florida loss will clinch Cincinnati’s first Brabham Cup since the 2007-08 season.
Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (48-12-4-3) collected a 5-3 win over the Kansas City Mavericks on Wednesday evening. Forwards Pascal Aquin, Jesse Schultz, Vas Glotov, and Brady Vail, along with defenseman Arvin Atwal scored the goals for the Cyclones. Cincinnati outshot Kansas City, 31-25 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser steering aside 22 in the win.
Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (47-12-4-3) fell to the Indy Fuel, 7-6, on Sunday afternoon. Forward Myles Powell led the way with a pair of goals, while forwards Judd Peterson and Pascal Aquin, along with defensemen DeVante Stephens and Kurt Gosselin scored the goals for the Cyclones, who nearly overcame a five-goal, third-period deficit. Cincinnati was outshot, 46-38 on the afternoon, with goaltenders Ty Rimmer and Michael Houser combining to stop 39 in the loss.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (47-11-4-3) earned their 20throad win of the season with a 3-2 victory over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Cincinnati received goals from forwards Mike Marnell, Ben Johnson, and Myles Powell, and have now won seven of their last eight games. Cincinnati was outshot, 24-22 on the evening, with goaltender Ty Rimmer stopping 22 in the win.
Previewing Indy: The Fuel have win three in a row and have points in seven of their last 10 games (6-3-0-1), and are coming off a 2-1 shootout win over the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night. Indy has won five-straight at home and are 22-9-1-1 overall on home ice, including 4-2-0-1 against the Cyclones. They are led by forward Ryan Rupert who has accounted for 23 goals and 38 assists through 66 games. He is followed by team-goals leader and former Cyclone Josh Shalla (29g, 27a), and Spencer Watson (22g, 25a) who round out the top three. In goal, Matt Tomkins has a mark of 28-18-2-2, along with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Cincinnati wraps up their season series with the Indy Fuel on Saturday evening. The Cyclones are 7-4-0-0 through the first 11 games of the 12-game season series, however Indy is 4-2-0-1 against the Cyclones on home ice.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati heads to Toledo to take on the Walleye on Sunday afternoon. The Cyclones are 4-2-0-1 against the Walleye this season, including 2-1-0-0 on the road. The sides will wrap up their eight-game season series on Wednesday evening in Cincinnati.
Brabham Cup Within Reach: The Cyclones find themselves in a position to claim their second-ever Regular Season League Championship on Saturday. A Cyclones win coupled with a Florida Everblades loss OR a Cyclones overtime/shootout win and a Florida loss will clinch Cincinnati’s first Brabham Cup since the 2007-08 season. Cincinnati clinched the ECHL’s Central Division title a couple of weeks ago, and also locked up the top record in the Western Conference, and are guaranteed home ice advantage through the first three rounds of the Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Smile Direct Club. Cincinnati last won a division title during the 2012-13 season, ultimately falling to the eventual Kelly Cup champion Reading Royals in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cyclones have won three division championships since returning to play in 2006-07 (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13), and have a pair of Kelly Cup championships in 2008 and 2010.
Atwal Called to Rochester: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cincinnati Cyclones have recalled Cyclones defenseman Arvin Atwal. This is the first call to Rochester for the season for Atwal, who ranks second on the Cyclones in defenseman scoring with 10 goal and 29 assists, and he leads the team and is tied for fourth in the ECHL with 214 minutes in penalties. Additionally, he is tied with Cyclones forward Myles Powellfor second in the League with a plus-44 on-ice rating. A native of Delta, BC, Atwal is in his third season with the Cyclones, and was signed to anAHL contract last summer by the Americans. He has skated in 131 career games with Cincinnati, accounting for 15 goals and 52 assists, along with 369 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 14 games with the Americans, tallying a pair of goals and an assist.
Peterson, Gosselin Called Up: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cincinnati Cyclones have recalled forward Judd Petersonand defenseman Kurt Gosselin. This will be the second call up of the season for Peterson, who has appeared in 48 games for the Cyclones this season, accounting for 11 goals and 17 assists, along with 31 minutes in penalties. He recorded a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 7-6 loss to the Indy Fuel, and has multi-point efforts on seven occasions this season. He has also appeared in a pair of games for the Americans this season, registering and assist. Hailing from Duluth, MN, Peterson is in his first full pro season, after appearing in a pair of games for the Americans in 2017-18. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, the National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate of the Cyclones in 2012, Peterson enjoyed a successful collegiate career at St. Cloud State University, accounting for 65 points (37g, 28a) in 151 career games. He helped the Huskies to an NCHC League championship in 2015-16, and a Regular Season Championship in 2017-18. Signed by the Cyclones on March 13, Gosselin has five goals and a pair of assists in his first seven games as a pro. He netted his first pro goal, the game-winner, in his first pro game in a 5-4 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on the March 13, and scored a pair of goals in a 4-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers last Wednesday.A native of Brighton, MI, Gosselin just completed a successful collegiate career at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. While with the Chargers, Gosselin appeared in118 career games, accounting for 20 goals and 38 assist, along with 173 minutes in penalties across four seasons.
Point Men: Forward Myles Powellhas points in 11 of his last 14 games, amassing eight goals and 12 assists, and is currently second in League rookie scoring with 28 goals and 34 assists. Brady Vail has found the score sheet in 13 of his last 17 games, accounting for nine goals and 11 assists in that time, and is tied for second on the Cyclones in scoring with 26 goals and 36 assists. Forward Jesse Schultz has points in 14 of his last 20 outings, totaling nine goals and 19 assists in that time, and he leads the ECHL in scoring with 78 points (22g, 56a). Forward Vas Glotov has points in 15 of his last 21 contests, totaling nine goals and 12 assists, while forward Pascal Aquin has points in nine of his last 12 games (6g, 7a) and is tied for fifth in League rookie scoring with 26 goals and 30 assists.
Man Advantage: The Cyclones are 34 for their last 98 on the power play and now ranks seventh in the ECHL with a 19.2% conversion rate on the power play (55/287).
Good in All Areas: The Cyclones boast the League’s top offense, averaging 4.01 goals per game, and the top defense, having allowed a miniscule 2.43 goals per 60 minutes and outscoring teams 269-163. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have a League-leading 95 first period goals while only allowing 49, and have allowed 44 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 88-44, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 36-1-0-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just nine times this season.
Cyclones Clinch Playoff Spot: The Cyclones are the first team to clinch a spot in the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Smile Direct Club. This will the 10th trip to the postseason for the Cyclones since the 2006-07 season, and the third berth in the last four seasons. Cincinnati has two Kelly Cup Championships to their credit; a 4 games to 2 series win over the Las Vegas Wranglers in 2008, and a 4 games to 1 victory over the Idaho Steelheads in 2010. The Cyclones made a third trip to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2014 where they lost to the Alaska Aces in six games.
Packed Schedule: The Cyclones are in the midst of a stretch of 29 games in 59 days. Cincinnati will play three games in three days on four separate occasions during that time, a pair of four-game-in-five-days stretches, two stretches of seven-games in 10 days, and one of 10 games in 17 days.
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!
