The Cyclones watched a three goal lead disappear, but Dajon Mingo scored with less than five minutes to play to help the 'Clones pull out of Fort Wayne with a 5-3 win Sunday night in the Hoosier State.
Cincinnati bumps up to 14-11-0-0 on the season, as they finish their pre-holiday weekend taking four out of a possible six points. The loss drops Fort Wayne to 13-7-3-0. The Cyclones sit a point out of second place in the Central Division.
- The Cyclones jumped out to a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes. Matt McLeod began the scoring with his second goal in as many nights, tipping a goal line drive by Gino Esteves 8:36 in.
- Nick Boka got the 'Clones up by a pair thanks to a power play goal, with the defenseman driving to the net to slam through a rebound by Komets goaltender Samuel Harvey. Just 12 seconds later, the Cyclones took the puck back into the offensive zone and Lincoln Griffin ripped a shot over the shoulder of Harvey, making it 3-0 late in the first.
- The Cyclones outshot the Komets 18-8 in the first, but Fort Wayne responded by tying the game with three unanswered goals in the middle period.
- The goals came 3:21 apart, with Tyler Busch getting the Komets on the board at the 5:42 mark. Cincinnati then earned another power play opportunity when Busch was called down on a roughing minor. During the power play, Kellen Jones received a cross-ice pass into the slot and flicked it by Cincinnati's Mat Robson for the shorthanded goal. 53 seconds later, Matt Murphy took a similar shot, beating Robson on the blocker side for a 3-3 score.
- Cincinnati went on to control the pace in the third period, again heavily outshooting Fort Wayne in the frame, 12-4. With 4:36 left, Dajon Mingo sent a puck from the right point toward the net. With traffic in front, the puck slid by Harvey, putting the Cyclones up, 4-3. The goal was reviewed for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood. Yushiroh Hirano added an empty net goal with 10 seconds left to make it 5-3. The goal is Hirano's 16th of the season, and sits Hirano atop the ECHL as the league's leading goal scorer.
- Robson made 23 saves for the win, while Harvey stopped 36 shots in what was the rookie goaltender's first regulation loss through 11 games.
The Cyclones resume play following Christmas with a December 26th evening matchup with the Wheeling Nailers.
Stay tuned all season for updates on important events, player signings, promotion and ticketing information and MORE! Call (513) 421-PUCK for tickets and more information, and stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
