Cincinnati, Ohio - The Zinzinnati Steins took down the Wichita Thunder, 4-1. on Friday night at Heritage Bank Center. On their Alternate ID night, the rebranded Steins scored three goals in the third period to defeat Wichita and extend their point streak to six games.
- Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the opening period. The Steins more than doubled the Thunder in shots on goal at 14-5.
- The lid came off for the Steins in the middle frame with a goal from defenseman Ryan McCleary just over two and half minutes into the second period. Marko Sikic started the play in the offensive zone and with a 3-on-2 man advantage, he passed the puck to forward Ty Voit. Voit found McCleary back door, and was able to put his fourth goal of the season, making it 1-0.
- Forward Braeden Kressler extended the lead for the Steins. With a Thunder power play expiring, Kressler, who just exited the penalty box was able to get into position in the slot. After the initial shot from defenseman Elijah Vilio was stopped, and a shot from forward Mathieu Gosselin went off the post, Kressler cashed in to double the lead.
- Kressler earned his ninth goal of the season and has five points in his last six games for Zinzinnati. Kressler also has points in back-to-back games for the Steins. With his assist, Mathieu Gosselin became the fourth player to record 30 points this season. The Steins, still dominating shots on goal at 30-10, took their 2-0 lead into the final period.
- Thunder forward Kobe Walker scored with 13:35 left to go in the third period, trimming the Steins lead to 2-1. Forward Michal Stinil had good stick work in the slot and centered a pass to Walker who beat Cajan for a goal.
- The Steins gave a quick response to the Thunder’s lone goal, scoring 51 seconds later. Forward Lincoln Griffin scored on a 2-on-1 man rush off an assist to defenseman Steven MacLean. Griffin extended the Steins lead to 3-1 and extended his point streak to six games while scoring his 20th goal of the season.
- It was all Steins after the response. Forward Chris Dodero scored his eighth goal of the season off a crafty play from Voit. Voit recorded two assists in the game and was awarded with first star honors following tonight’s game.
- Brayden Guy closed out the scoring for the Steins, scoring his first goal since arriving to Zinzinnati and notching his 12th of the season off an awkward play in front of the crease. Griffin notched the primary assist, giving him four multi-point performances in his last six games.
The Cyclones will head north tomorrow to play a familiar foe the Toledo Walleye on Saturday night at the Huntington Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET and can be streamed on FloHockey and the Cyclones Radio Network.
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.
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