For Immediate Release: November 22, 2019
Game 17 (Home Game 8)
Vs. Kalamazoo Wings (5-5-2-0, 12 pts)
Friday, November 22, 2019, 7:35pm ET
Heritage Bank Center - Cincinnati, OH
Overview: The Cyclones begin a three-game homestand on Friday night when they welcome in the Kalamazoo Wings in the back end of a home-and-home. Cincinnati is coming off a 4-3 win over the Wings on Wednesday night, and maintain a three-point lead over the Ft. Wayne Komets for the top spot in the ECHL’s Central Division.
Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (10-5-1-0) came back to defeat the Kalamazoo Wings, 4-3, on Wednesday night. Forward Mason Mitchell had a big night for the Cyclones with a goal and three assists, while forwards John Edwardh, Nate Mitton, and Ben Johnsoneach recorded goals for the Cyclones, who overcame a 3-1, first period deficit. Kalamazoo outshot the Cyclones, 26-25, with goaltender Sean Romeo stopping 23 in the win
Tuesday Morning Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (9-5-1-0) fell to the Wheeling Nailers on Tuesday morning, 4-3. Forwards Darik Angeli and Cody Milan, along with defenseman Tobie Bisson scored the goals for the Cyclones, who see their four-game winning streak snapped. Cincinnati outshot Wheeling, 30-23, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 19 in defeat.
Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (9-4-1-0) earned a 5-0 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets on Saturday evening. Forward Jesse Schultz led the way with a pair of goals and two assists, including his 900th career professional point, while forwards Mason Mitchell, Ben Johnson, and Darik Angeli each added lone tallies for the Cyclones. Additionally, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 23 shots he faced, earning his second-consecutive shutout. The Cyclones outshot the Komets, 27-23 on the evening, while the power play went 3-for-8 on its chances.
Previewing Kalamazoo: The Wings enter Friday night in a tie withe the Indy Fuel for fifth place in the ECHL’s Central Division, and have dropped five of their last six games following a 4-3 loss to the Cyclones on Wednesday night. The Wings have been finding success on the power play this season, especially at home where they rank fourth at 30.3% (10-for-38), and ninth overall at 20.8% (10-for-48). On the other end of the spectrum, Kalamazoo’s penalty kill finds themselves near the bottom of the League, ranking 24th at 74.2%. Kalamazoo ranks eighth in the ECHL with 3.58 goals per game, and are led by forward Dylan Sadowy who is tied for second in the ECHL in scoring and with 12 goals and seven assists. All of his points have come on his current 11-game point streak. He is followed by forwards Yannick Veilleux (4g, 6a) and Kyle Blaney (2g, 8a) who round out the top three. In goal, Jake Hildebrand leads the way with a 3.61 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Friday marks the fourth meeting of the season between Cincinnati and Kalamazoo, and will be the conclusion of a home-and-home between the sides. Cincinnati has points in all three meetings this season (2-0-1-0), and four games will be played in Cincinnati.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati welcomes in the Indy Fuel on Saturday night, for the fourth of 11 matchups this season. The Fuel have taken two of the first three meetings this season, and Saturday will be the lone game played in Cincinnati through the first six games.
Mitchell Breaks Out: Forward Mason Mitchell had a career-high four points on a goal and three assists in Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings. He is currently on a three game point streak (2g, 4a), and has points in four of his last five games overall (3g, 4a).
Luukkonen Named ECHL Goaltender of the Week: Cyclones goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named the Warrior Hockey / ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of November 11-17. Luukkonen was a perfect 2-0-0-0 on the week, recording a 0.00 goals-against average and a 1.000 save percentage in back-to-back shutouts. He is the first Cyclones goaltender to post back-to-back clean sheets since the team returned to action prior to the 2006-2007 season. He started his perfect week on Thursday night, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime win against the Allen Americans. He continued to hold the opposition off the board on Saturday night, turning aside all 23 Ft. Wayne Komet offerings in a 5-0 win over their Central Division Rivals. Luukkonen leads the ECHL with a 1.24 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage, while posting a 3-1-0-0 record in the process.
Vail Signs PTO with Rochester: The Rochester Americans, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Cyclones have signed Cyclones forward Brady Vail to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO). Vail has skated in 15 game with the Cyclones this season, ranking fourth on the team with eight points on a goal and seven assists. Vail ranked third on the team in scoring a season ago, accounting for 27 goals and 38 assists for 65 points in 68 games played, and was also tied for third-fewest penalty minutes with 20. Vail had 13 multi-point efforts, including a season-high three points on three separate occasions.
Achievement Unlocked: Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz recorded his 900th professional point in Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets. Point 900 came on an assist on Ben Johnson’s second period goal, and he added a pair of goals and an additional helper as a part of a four-point night. Schultz is closing in on a few more career milestones as well, sitting just 10 games away from 1,000 pro games played, and is just four points shy of 300 ECHL points, and 20 games away from 300 for his ECHL career. He currently sits at 351 goals and 552 assists across 989 games, in a career that has seen him spend time in North America in the ECHL, American Hockey League (AHL), and Central Hockey League (CHL), and he also skated in a pair of games for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also seen time overseas in Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Sweden.
Thomas Gets Win 400: Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas collected his 400th career win in last Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Allen Americans. Thomas now sits in fifth place all-time amongst ECHL head coaches with 402 career victories.
Oh Captain, My Captain!: Cyclones captain Justin Vaive recorded his second two-goal performance in the span of a week in last Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Allen Americans. Vaive has points in three-straight games and in five of his last seven contests (5g, 3a), and is second on the team in scoring with nine points (5g, 4a).
Finding Their Stride: The line of Justin Vaive, Darik Angeli, and Jesse Schultz have accounted for 17 goals and 18 assists over the last 11 games for the Cyclones. Schultz has points in eight of his last 11 games (8g, 7a), and leads the team in scoring with 16 points on the season (9g, 7a). Additionally, Vaive has five goals and three assists over his last nine outings, while Angeli has points in five of his last six games (3g, 3a).
Holding the Lead: Cincinnati is a perfect 7-0-0-0 when scoring the first goal and when leading through two periods this season, and are currently fourth in the ECHL with 2.57 goals allowed per game.
The 2019-20 Cincinnati Cyclones season is upon us! The defending Brabham Cup champion Cyclones are looking to build off of last season’s success, and we invite YOU to join us for the ride! Single game tickets, along with season and group ticket packages for every game this season are on sale now, and you can get more info 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!
