ANDRUSIAK SCORES HAT TRICK IN RETURN, HELPS CONEYS WIN

ANDRUSIAK SCORES HAT TRICK IN RETURN, HELPS CONEYS WIN

After a weekend in the AHL, Zack Andrusiak returned to Cincinnati and scored a hat trick to help the Coneys top the Wheeling Nailer, 8-5 inside Heritage Bank Center Friday night.    

The Cyclones have won four straight games at home and are 29-22-3-0 overall this season. Wheeling is 30-22-1-0

  • The Coneys netted a pair of goals 1:24 apart to start the game up, 2-0. Zack Andrusiak, who had spent the previous weekend on an AHL call-up to Tucson, fired home his 20th goal of the season. The winger collected a 2-on-1 pass from Wyatt Ege to blast it by Brody Claeys from the left circle.  
  • Matt McLeod found a rebound on top of Claeys' crease to slide his 14th goal of the season into the goal for the 2-0 advantage 7:32 into the first. 
  • Wheeling would tie the game before intermission, starting with a power play goal from Patrick Watling at the 10:20 mark. Bobby Hampton stole the puck for Wheeling three minutes later and walked his way to the front of the net, where he was able to get the puck by Michael Houser and tie the game at two.
  • A seven goal second period saw the Coneys grab five goals, all coming in a 6:12 span. After Wheeling took the lead early in the second, Jesse Schultz found the equalizer to make it 3-3 after collecting a pass from Andrusiak toward the slot. Gino Esteves followed that with a shorthanded goal 1:50 later to give Cincinnati the lead once more.
  • Wheeling's Sam Houde scored 26 seconds after Esteves' goal to tie it at four a piece, but the Cyclones yet again responded, this time when McLeod found his second goal of the game, whacking it past Claeys for the 5-4 lead. 
  • The Nailers took a pair of quick penalties resulting in a two man advantage for the 'Clones, who got back-to-back goals from Andrusiak just over two minutes apart, giving Andrusiak his second and third goals of the night and the Coneys a 7-4 lead.

  • Andrusiak's second goal of the game was assisted by Schultz, who collected his 190th assist as a Cyclones, pushing the veteran forward past Kelly Cup Champion Barret Eghoetz as the Cyclones All-Time Assists leader. 
  • Lincoln Griffin tallied the lone third period goal for the Cyclones via a shorthanded breakaway. Brandon Saigeon would score shortly after on the Wheeling power play, but the Coneys managed to hold on for the 8-5 win.
  • Michael Houser picked up the win in goal with 31 saves. Houser was busy early in the third with several quality stops while Cincy was on a a 5-on-3 kill. Brody Claeys surrendered six goals on 21 shots and took the loss. Hayden Lavigne came in relief to make his Nailers debut, stopping 14 of 16 shots.

The Cyclones hit an Indiana swing for the rest of the weekend, taking on the Fuel Saturday and Komets Sunday evening. 

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