CINCINNATI CYCLONES (32-28-6-4)

vs.

KALAMAZOO WINGS (38-23-2-6)

DATE: Wednesday, March 30, 2011
TIME: 10:30am
SITE: Wings Stadium - Kalamazoo, MI
RADIO: None
WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (American One)

NHL AFFILIATES
Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators
Kalamazoo Wings: New York Islanders

NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, April 1 vs. Kalamazoo Wings - 7:30pm
City Barbeque Fan Appreciation Night - $1 John Morrell Hotdogs / $1 Donatos Pizza / $1 Soda / $.50 Popcorn

TODAY'S MATCHUP: After picking up two crucial points on Sunday in Toledo, the Cyclones remain in control of their playoff destiny.  This morning, they will look to shrink their magic number to one as they wrap up their regular season road slate in Kalamazoo.  Cincinnati’s season record against K-Zoo stands at 5-5-3 after last week’s 1-0 victory at Wings Stadium, however Nick Bootland’s club has taken five of the six meetings in that old barn.
    
SCOUTING THE WINGS:  Kalamazoo has clinched the North Division title for the second year in a row and sits third in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  While they have the number three seed officially locked up, they still have an outside chance of climbing into second place.  In order to do that, they would have to win each of their remaining three games and have Reading earn no more than one point in its final three.  The Wings sport two of the ECHL’s top five scorers; Trent Daavettila ranks third in the league with 78 points (30 goals, 48 assists) in 68 games while Kory Karlander sits right behind him in fourth with 77 points (32 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games.  Karlander’s goal totals are fifth-most in “AA” hockey.  Despite holding the third-most home wins in the Eastern Conference this season, the Wings are just 3-3 in K-Zoo this month - including a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Cyclones one week ago.  Goaltender Ryan Nie has maintained his ECHL lead in wins (29) and also leads the league in saves (1505).  In addition, the former Cyclone ranks second among all goalies in minutes-played (3006).  Nie has fared well against his old team, posting a 6-2-1 record against the Cyclones this season.

Magic Number Tracker:  As it stands now, the Cyclones “Magic Number” to clinch a Kelly Cup playoff spot sits at 3.  That number will shrink by two for each Cincinnati win and each Toledo loss.

Instant Impact: Rookie forward Cory Conacher had a four-point game on Sunday afternoon in his Cyclones debut.  He registered a pair of goals and a pair of assists (including the game-winning goal).  It was the first time this season that a Cincinnati player had registered a four-point night.  The last time it happened was April 2, 2010 when Jimmy Kilpatrick posted 4 assists against Johnstown.

Foster-ing a Winner:  Cincinnati netminder Brian Foster is having a historically good month.  He has posted an 8-5-0-1 record in March with a 2.42 goals-against average - which is the most March wins by a Cyclones goaltender since the team resumed ECHL play in 2006-07.  Coming into the day, he has started in 11 consecutive games.  Last week in this building, Foster earned a 47-save shutout.

SEASON SERIES (15 Meetings - 2 Remaining)
Oct. 23 Cincinnati 2 at Kalamazoo 3 Final OT
Oct. 24 Cincinnati 3 at Kalamazoo 4 Final SOL OT
Nov. 3 Kalamazoo 4 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Nov. 16 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 2 Final OT
Nov. 19 Kalamazoo 2 at Cincinnati 5 Final
Jan. 12 Kalamazoo 2 at Cincinnati 3 Final OT
Jan. 21 Cincinnati 2 at Kalamazoo 4 Final
Jan. 22 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 4 Final
Feb. 21 Kalamazoo 4 at Cincinnati 2 Final
Feb. 23 Kalamazoo 3 at Cincinnati 4 Final SOL OT
Feb. 26 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 5 Final
Mar.  6 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 4 Final
Mar. 23 Cincinnati 1 at Kalamazoo 0 Final
Mar. 30 Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 10:30 am EDT
Apr.  1 Kalamazoo at Cincinnati 7:30 pm EDT