GAME PREVIEW: 1/18 vs. Rapid City

GAME PREVIEW: 1/18 vs. Rapid City

For Immediate Release: January 18, 2020

 

Game 40 (Home Game 19)

Vs. Rapid City Rush (22-14-3-0, 47 pts)

Saturday, January 18, 2020, 7:35pm ET

Heritage Bank Center - Cincinnati, OH

VIDEO PREVIEW

 

Overview: The Cyclones continue their three-game homestand on Saturday night against the Rapid City Rush. The Cyclones are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night, marking just their third regulation home loss of the season. Due to the Toledo Walleye not playing on Friday night, Cincinnati maintains their  eight-point lead over their rivals up I-75 for the top spot in the ECHL’s Central Division. 

Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (23-10-6-0) dropped a 4-1 decision to the Ft. Wayne Komets on Friday night. Defenseman Justin Baudry scored the lone goal for the Cyclones, who limit the opposition to under 28 shots for the 11th consecutive game. The Cyclones dominated the shot totals on Friday night, outshooting Ft. Wayne, 36-12, on the evening, including 16-6 in the second, and 14-2 in the third. Cincinnati goaltender Michael Houser stopped eight shots in defeat.

Last Saturday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (23-9-6-0) collected a 6-2 win over the Rapid City Rush on Saturday night, in the finale of their three-game series. Forward Justin Vaive led the way with three goals, while forwards Nate MittonJohn Edwardh, and Darik Angeli each recorded lone tallies. Cincinnati outshot the Rush, 32-23, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 21 in the win.

Last Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (22-9-6-0) fell to the Rapid City Rush, 5-2, on Friday night. Forwards Jesse Schultz and Darik Angeli scored the goals for the Cyclones, who see their two-game winning streak come to an end. Cincinnati outshot the Rush, 34-27, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 22 in the loss

Previewing Rapid City: The Rush find themselves in fourth place in the ECHL’s Mountain Division, two points back of the Utah Grizzlies who are in third. They are coming off a 5-3 win over the Indy Fuel on Friday night, and are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games. Rapid City has had a lot of success when playing with the lead, as they are 12-1-2-0 when leading after one, and 14-1-1-0 when ahead through 40 minutes. Defensively, they rank eleventh with 3.13 goals-against per game, and they have the fourth-ranked penalty kill at 86.0% (154/179). They are led by forwards Tyler Coulter (15g, 13a) and Brennan Saulnier (14g, 14a) who each have 28 points. They are followed by forward Keegan Howdeshell (8g, 12a) who rounds out the top three. In goal, Alex Sakellaropoulos leads the way with an 5-8-0-0 overall mark, along with  a 3.55 goals-against average along with a .896 save-percentage. 

Inside the Series: This fourth of five meetings between the Cyclones and Rush this season, with Cincinnati taking two-of-three last week in Rapid City. Cincinnati has an overall mark of 3-2-0-0 all time against the Rush. 

Next Game Preview: Cincinnati wraps up their three-game homestand on Sunday afternoon in the season finale against Rapid City. Face-off is slated for 3:00pm ET.

Luukkonen Recalled to Rochester: The Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate have recalled Cyclones goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. This is the first call-up of the season for the rookie netminder.  Named the Cyclones’ representative for the upcoming 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic earlier in the week, Luukkonen has skated in 20 games for the Cyclones this season, accounting for a record of 12-5-3-0, and he ranks third with a 2.12 goals-against average, to go along with a .917 save-percentage. He is also tied for second in the ECHL with three shutouts. Luukkonen has allowed more than three goals on just five occasions this season, and has made 25 or more saves on 10 occasions. He was named the Warrior Hockey/ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December after posting a record of 6-2-1-0 and a 1.88 goals-against average along with a .925 save percentage.

Cyclones Acquire Hudon: The Cincinnati Cyclones have completed a three-way trade with the Adirondack Thunder and Norfolk Admirals. Cincinnati has acquired forward Philippe Hudon from the Thunder by way of the Admirals, in exchange for forward John Edwardh. Adirondack is also sending forward Alex Tonge and defenseman Gabriel Verpaelst to the Admirals to complete the deal. A native of Hudson, PQ, Hudon is in his first full pro season, and ranked fourth on the Admirals in scoring with seven goals and 10 assists in 33 games played. He made his pro debut late last season, appearing in 17 games between the Florida Everblades and the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), and accounting for three goals and five assists in that time. Prior to turning pro, the 2011, fifth round draft pick of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Detroit Red Wings, Hudon enjoyed a successful collegiate career at Concordia University in Montreal, PQ. In 105 career games with the Stingers, Hudon amassed 28 goals and 46 assists, and was also named team captain during the 2017-18 campaign. He played three years of junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Victoriaville Tigres from 2011-14, where he was responsible for 71 points (37g, 34a) in 156 career games. 

Hats Off: Cyclones forward Justin Vaive recorded his first hat trick of the season in last Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Rapid City Rush. It marked his sixth pro hat trick, and fifth of his Cyclones career. Vaive is now second on the team with 15 goals, and third with 24 points. 

PK Climbing: The Cyclones penalty kill has risen to eighth in the ECHL, having successfully killed off 84.1% (122/145) of oppositional power plays. Cincinnati has killed off 27-of-30 opponent power plays in 2020, and have allowed five power play goals on their last 41 shorthanded chances. 

Strong D: Cincinnati is second in the ECHL with 2.54 goals allowed per game, and pace the League with 26.18 shots against per 60 minutes. The Cyclones have allowed 27 shots or fewer in 11-straight games. The Cyclones have allowed two or fewer goals in 15 of their last 23 games, and have given up more than three on just nine occasions. They are 22-4-4-0 this season when allowing three or fewer goals. 

Home is Where the Wins Are:The Cyclones are one of the top home teams in the ECHL this season, posting a record of 13-3-2-0 on home ice, and are outscoring teams, 61-38, 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.

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 357 goals and 564 assists across 1,011 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.

Holding the Lead: Cincinnati has an 14-2-2-0 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 17-0-2-0.

 

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 websitewww.cycloneshockey.com