Coralville, Iowa - The Cincinnati Cyclones claimed a 4-2 victory on Wednesday night in the first of three games against the Iowa Heartlanders at Xtreme Arena. After being down two goals, the Cyclones scored four unanswered goals to secure the road victory over their divisional opponent.
-
Despite a strong start from Cincinnati, Iowa was able to score the lone goal of the opening period. Forward Will Calverley was able to redirect a shot from defenseman Mike Koster for the opener. Calverley’s 14th goal of the year came with just 58 seconds remaining in the first period and gave the Heartlanders a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
-
The Heartlanders had a 5-on-3 to start the second period. Forward Matthew Sop was able to poke the puck into the back of the net giving the Heartlanders a 2-0 lead with 18:39 left in the middle period.
-
Defenseman Ryan McCleary put the Cyclones on the board after scoring with 11:58 left in the second. McCleary’s fifth goal of the season trimmed the Iowa lead to one, making it 2-1. Lincoln Griffin and Elijah Vilio recorded assists on the goal. With the assist, Griffin recorded his 50th point of the season.
-
Captain Justin Vaive scored the equalizer on a redirected shot with the Cyclones on a power play with 4:18 left in the second period. Vaive redirected a slap shot from defenseman Chas Sharpe. Forward Ty Voit earned the secondary assist on Vaive’s fifth goal of the season that made it 2-2.
-
After a scrum following the expiration of the second period, the Cyclones would be given a power play to start the third. Forward Mathieu Gosselin took advantage of the opportunity and scored a little over two minutes into the period, giving the Cyclones their first lead of the game.
-
Vilio was awarded his second assist of the evening on Gosselin’s 16th goal of the season, giving him two multi-point performances in his last four games. Forward Dante Sheriff contributed with an assist as the Cyclones took the lead.
-
Forward Remy Parker iced the game on a power play goal with five seconds remaining. Gosselin fed Parker backdoor for his 10th goal of the season as the Cyclones iced the game with a 4-2 final score.
The Cyclones and the Heartlanders will play game two of three in Iowa to finish the season on Friday night at Xtream Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 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.
###
