Cincinnati Cyclones (0-0-0-0) at Elmira Jackals (0-0-0-0)
2010-2011 Season Opener - Friday, October 15 - 7:45 p.m.
First Arena - Elmira, NY
 
WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (Airtime 7:25pm)

 
Title Defense Begins Tonight: The Cyclones open up their 2010-11 regular season against Elmira in search of title defense. Cincinnati won their second Kelly Cup title on May 21, 2010 with a 2-1 win over the Idaho Steelheads - taking the series four games to one. After winning the ECHL’s top prize in 2008, the ‘Clones followed with a 41-26-2-3 record in the 2008-09 season, earning an North Division Championship in the process. That year, they fell in the American Conference Finals to eventual-champion South Carolina.

Under New Leadership: The Cyclones will begin a new era of hockey tonight, as Head Coach Jarrod Skalde and Assistant Coach Scott Fankhouser will both stand behind the Cincinnati bench for the first time. Skalde takes over for Chuck Weber, who earned an AHL coaching job in Rochester this year. Both Skalde and Fankhouser have seen time in the NHL. Skalde played 115 games at hockey’s highest level, spending time with eight different teams during that stretch. Fankhouser, meanwhile, appeared between the pipes in 23 games for the Atlanta Thrashers.

Scouting the Jackals: The Cyclones and Jackals split the 2009-10 season series, 2-2. However, Cincinnati leads the All-Time series with Elmira, posting a 16-7-0-2 record over three seasons. Former Cyclones Head Coach Malcolm Cameron takes over the Jackals this year after spending the last two seasons behind the bench of the Florida Everblades. Coincidentally, Cameron’s 2009-10 team eliminated Elmira in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs - disposing of them in five games.