For Immediate Release: December 29, 2019
Game 31 (Road Game 17)
Vs. Toledo Walleye (16-9-3-0, 35 pts)
Sunday, December 29, 2019, 7:15pm ET
Huntington Center - Toledo, OH
Overview: The Cyclones hit the road for the final time in 2019 when they head to Toledo to take on the Walleye on Sunday night. Cincinnati is coming off a 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Mavericks on Friday night, snapping their seven-game point streak. The ‘Clones still maintain the top spot in the ECHL’s Central Division, sitting seven points clear of Toledo.
Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (19-7-4-0) fell to the Kansas City Mavericks, 3-2, on Friday night. Forwards Shaw Boomhower and Brady Vail scored the goals for the Cyclones, who see their point streak snapped at seven games. Cincinnati outshot the Mavericks, 36-18, with goaltender Michael Houser steering aside 15 in the loss.
Last Saturday Night Recap:The Cincinnati Cyclones (19-6-4-0) took down the Ft. Wayne Komets, 3-2 in overtime, on Saturday night. Forwards John Wiitala and Ben Johnson scored the goals in overtime, while defenseman Kurt Gosselin scored the winner in overtime for the ‘Clones. Cincinnati won the shot battle, 32-27, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 25 in the win.
Last Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (18-6-4-0) fell to the Kalamazoo Wings, 6-5 in overtime, on Friday night. Forwards Shaw Boomhower, Justin Vaive, Nate Mitton, and Jesse Schultz, along with defenseman Kurt Gosselin scored the goals for the Cyclones, who tied a season-high with three power play goals. Shots were tied, 37-37, with Cyclones goaltender Michael Houser stopping 31 in the loss.
Previewing Toledo: The Walleye snapped their two-game skid on Friday night with a 2-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers. Toledo finds themselves in the top five in several statistical categories, including power play (1st- 26.2%), penalty kill (4th- 86.5%), and goals per game (4th- 3.71), and they rank ninth in goals against with 3.04. Additionally, the Walleye have allowed three or fewer goals in six of their last seven games. They are led offensively by forward Josh Kestner who has accounted for a team-leading 13 goals along with 17 assists. He is followed by forwards TJ Hensick (7g, 19a) and Shane Berschbach (5g, 21a) who each have 26 points. In goal, Billy Christopoulos leads the way with a 7-1-2-0 record, along with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Inside the Series: Sunday is the third of 10 meeting this season between the Cyclones and Walleye. Cincinnati has won both of this season’s matchups by a combined score of 8-4, and the sides will not meet again until February 7, which will begin a stretch of five-of-nine games for Cincinnati against Toledo.
Next Game Preview: Cincinnati returns home on Tuesday to take on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in their annual New Year’s Eve game. This will be the first of three meetings this season between the Cyclones and Greenville, and the first of two games in Cincinnati. The Cyclones and Swamp Rabbits met once last season, with Cincinnati earning a 9-0 win on November 13.
Vail Signs Second 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) for the second time this season. Vail signed his first PTO on November 20, and appeared in seven games with the Americans this season, accounting for a goal and an assist in that time, before being returned to Cincinnati on December 8. Since his return, he has skated in six games for the Cyclones, accounting for two goals and eight assists. Overall, in 22 games for Cincinnati this season, Vail has amassed three goals and 13 assists.
Power Surge: The Cyclones power play is on a three-game scoring streak after going 1-for-6 in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Mavericks. The Cyclones power play scored five goals on their 13 chances last weekend, going 3-for-5 in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday before going 2-for-8 in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime victory against the Ft. Wayne Komets. The Cyclones are now 14th in the ECHL with a 16.9% conversion rate (21/124).
Home Cookin’: The Cyclones are one of the top home teams in the ECHL this season, and suffered just their second regulation home loss on Friday in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Kansas CityMavericks. Cincinnati has a record of 11-2-1-0 on home ice, and are outscoring teams, 52-30, at Heritage Bank Center. Cincinnati tied an ECHL record with 30 home wins last season against just two regulation losses, and they outscored teams 155-73 on home ice, which was the lowest goals-against margin at home in the League.
Strong D: Cincinnati is second in the ECHL with 2.50 goals allowed per game, and pace the League with 27.17 shots against per 60 minutes. The Cyclones have allowed two or few goals in 10 of their last 15 games, and have given up more than three on just six occasions. They are 18-4-1-0 this season when allowing three or fewer goals.
Streaky Behavior: Forward Jesse Schultz has points in seven-straight games, accounting for a pair of goals and nine assists in that time. He leads the team and is tied for third in the ECHL with 35 points (15g, 20a), and has a season high four points on two occasions this season.
Milestone Night: December 13 was the 1,000th professional hockey game for Cyclones forward Jesse Schultz. The 37-year-old had a big game, dishing out four assists in a 5-2 win over the Kalamazoo Wings. Schultz recently recorded his 900th professional point, and currently sits at 356 goals and 561 assists across 1,003 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.
Luukkonen Named ECHL Goaltender of the Month: Cyclones goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named the recipient of the Warrior Hockey / ECHL Goaltender of the Month for November. The rookie sensation posted a record of 6-2-1-0 and a 1.88 goals-against average along with a .925 save percentage. Hailing from Espoo, FIN, Luukkonen allowed more than two goals on just three occasions, and stopped 22 or more shots in seven of his nine contests. His month was highlighted by back-to-back shutouts on November 14 and 16, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 1-0 win over the Allen Americans, before steering aside all 23 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over the Ft. Wayne Komets two nights later. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, Cincinnati’s National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate, in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Luukkonen ranks second in the ECHL with a 1.97 GAA and is fourth in save percentage at .924.
Holding the Lead: Cincinnati has an 13-1-2-0 mark when scoring the game’s first goal, and they are perfect in regulation when leading through two periods this season, accounting for a mark of 13-0-2-0.
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!
