CINCINNATI CYCLONES (15-13-5-2) vs. WHEELING NAILERS (19-14-0-2)

DATE: Friday, January 14, 2011
TIME: 7:30pm
SITE: U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH
RADIO: MAX-FM (99.5 FM)
WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (American One)

NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Wheeling Nailers: Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens

NEXT HOME GAME
Tuesday, January 18 vs. Wheeling - 7:30pm.
Big Beer Tuesday - $2 24-ounce Molson and Labatt Blue, $1 City Barbeque Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP:  The Cyclones will look to do something tonight that they have only accomplished one other time this season - string together five consecutive wins.  To do that, they must go through the North Division leading Wheeling Nailers in the first of three consecutive meetings.  Cincinnati is 2-3 this year against their division rivals, but have the statistical advantage over the last five years - posting a 34-24-1 record in that span.

TONIGHT’S PROMOTION:  Twister Bobblehead Night - The first 2,500 fans through the gates receive a Twister Bobblehead with Frame.

SCOUTING THE NAILERS: Wheeling has fought their way back to the top of the North Division standings and holds a three-point edge over Cincinnati.  Nick Petersen and Ben Street are tied for the ECHL rookie scoring lead with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) a piece.  Their totals are also good for a fifth-place tie on the overall ECHL scoring leaderboard.  Not surprisingly, the dangerous duo are the lead point-getters in their season series with Cincinnati.  The Nailers have benefited from some great goaltending this season as well; rookie Patrick Killeen ranks third in the league with 14 wins and ninth in goals-against average (2.63).

FAST HAS THE POWER: Cyclones D-man T.J. Fast continues to be an offensive weapon on the Cincinnati blue-line.  He registered his fifth power play goal of the season last Saturday, which places him in a second-place tie among all ECHL defensemen.  Overall this season, Fast has 7 goals and 8 assists.  On Wednesday night vs. Kalamazoo, he notched his first game-winning goal of the season just 41 seconds into overtime.

RETURN OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT:  Cyclones defenseman Benn Olson returns to the lineup tonight after missing the last five games with a lower-body injury.  He still leads the ECHL with 11 major penalties and has registered 24 PIMS in five meetings with the Nailers this season.  Ironically, his last fight was against the Nailers’ Ryan Schnell on December 17.

EXTRA, EXTRA TIME: With their shootout win on Saturday night in Florida and OT win over Kalamazoo on Wednesday, the Cyclones have now appeared in an ECHL-high 12 overtime/shootout games this year.  Their record in extra-session games stands at 5-7...and are 2-2 in shootout play.

SEASON SERIES (11 Meetings - 6 Remaining)
Oct. 30 Wheeling 7 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Nov. 6 Cincinnati 2 at Wheeling 0 Final
Dec. 17 Wheeling 1 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Dec. 18 Wheeling 7 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Dec. 26 Cincinnati 4 at Wheeling 5 Final
Jan. 14 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:30 pm EST
Jan. 15 Cincinnati at Wheeling 8:05 pm EST
Jan. 18 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:30 pm EST
Feb. 4 Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:30 pm EST
Feb. 5 Cincinnati at Wheeling 8:05 pm EST
Mar. 4 Cincinnati at Wheeling 7:35 pm EST