Written by Braden Ramsey
Following a monumental comeback to claim game one a night ago, the Cincinnati Cyclones came out as the aggressor and snagged game two of their first round Kelly Cup Playoff series in much less strenuous fashion, defeating the Fort Wayne Komets 2-1 in front of 5,389 fans at Heritage Bank Center Saturday night.
Both ‘Clones goals came in the opening period, a drastic shift of form from just 24 hours earlier:
- Zach Berzolla (1 – 6:59) provided the early surge, corralling a Lee Lapid deflected puck just before it would have slipped out of the attacking zone. The AHL-contracted defenseman pushed his way into the slot and ripped a shot under the glove of Komets goalie Ryan Fanti for the first postseason goal of his career.
- Late in the frame, Lapid found himself with the biscuit on his tape once more, this time while on the penalty kill. After ushering a stickless Tye Felhaber past his bench and into the Fort Wayne defensive zone, 'Laps' suddenly found himself isolated on goal. His initial shot and rebound attempt were both knocked away, but a net-crashing Patrick Polino (1 – 19:24) found the loose disc and flipped it over Fanti to double the lead.
- The lone Komet tally came off the stick of Matt Alvaro on the power play with 5:38 remaining in regulation. Stretching back to game one, the score ended a streak of six unanswered Cincinnati goals.
NOT WARM; HOT
The Cyclones got stellar play for a second consecutive game from Beck Warm, who celebrated his 24thbirthday with a 32-save performance Saturday evening. The ECHL regular season wins leader has made 56 stops through five periods and a brief overtime session thus far in the series. He has also anchored a penalty killing unit that has held Fort Wayne’s power play to just one conversion on 14 opportunities across two games.
“Special teams is going to be a real determining factor when it comes to this series,” Cincinnati head coach Jason Payne said prior to game one. “You know it’s going to be a battle out there.”
With two goals on the power play Friday evening and a shorthanded one tonight, the ‘Clones have outscored the Komets, 3-1 on special teams. That difference is matched by the total goal differential (6-4) between the two clubs thus far.
“To go up 2-0 is huge,” Berzolla said postgame Saturday. “[But] we know the job isn’t finished.”
This opening round series of the Kelly Cup Playoffs shifts three hours northward next week, with games three, four and five (if necessary) taking place at Fort Wayne’s Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Puck drop for game three is set for Tuesday, April 25 at 7:35pm.
