CINCINNATI CYCLONES (25-22-6-3)

vs.

WHEELING NAILERS (29-25-0-3)

DATE: Friday, March 4, 2011
TIME: 7:35pm
SITE: WesBanco Arena - Wheeling, WV
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
Saturday, March 5 vs. Toledo Walleye - 7:30pm
Kevin Roeder Kids Jersey T-Shirt Night - The first 2,500 fans ages 2-12 receive a FREE Kevin Roeder Kids Jersey T-Shirt courtesy of Sun Drop.

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP:  Tonight the Cyclones have an opportunity to climb back into second place of the North Division standings for the first time in three weeks as they visit the free-falling Wheeling Nailers.  In the conference race, meanwhile, Cincinnati is currently in a three-way tie with Gwinnett and Elmira for the seventh seed in the East.  The Nailers have taken seven of the ten season meetings coming into the night, but have split four of those games at WesBanco Arena.

SCOUTING THE NAILERS: After being one of the most dominant teams in the Eastern Conference for much of the season, Wheeling has dropped its last ten games, going 0-9-0-1 in that stretch and have been outscored by a combined total of 36-16.  Likley a major reason for their recent struggle is the absence of their top two scorers; Nick Petersen and Ben Street have combined for 108 points this year and are both currently playing in the American Hockey League.  Mikael Bedard is the Nailers active leader in points, posting 14 goals and 21 assists in 35 games this season.  Peter Delmas has been the go-to guy for Wheeling in net against Cincinnati over the last few games - going 3-0-0 with a total of 84 saves.

A Pair of New Faces:  On Monday, the Florida Panthers acquired the minor league rights to second-year forward Jake Hauswirth, who was under contract with the Washington Capitals.  Since he’s now a member of the Panthers organization, they have assigned him to the Cyclones.  In 37 games this year with the Stingrays, Hauswirth had 14 points (10 goals, and 4 assists).  Also, on Thursday, the ‘Clones added rookie defenseman Garrett Suter to the blue line.  Brother of Nashville’s Ryan Suter, Garrett begins his pro career after four seasons with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The Ides of March:  Cincinnati will need a solid month on the ice to solidify a Kelly Cup Playoff spot.  Over the last two seasons, the Cyclones have earned a 27-13-2 record in the March.

Zabotel's Return:  For the first and only time in the 2010-11 regular season, Casey Pierro-Zabotel will visit his former team.  Before being traded away from "The Wheel," he posted 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 42 games.  Despite having been with Cincinnati for the last week, those numbers would rank him fourth on their team in scoring.  It will also be the first time that Christiaan Minella and Sam D'Agostino face the Cyclones since they were dealt on February 10.

SEASON SERIES (11 Meetings - 1 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 6 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Jan. 15 Cincinnati 3 at Wheeling 2 Final
Jan. 18 Wheeling 7 at Cincinnati 1 Final
Feb.  4 Wheeling 6 at Cincinnati 3 Final
Feb.  5 Cincinnati 2 at Wheeling 6 Final
Mar.  4 Cincinnati at Wheeling 7:35 pm EST