CYCLONES OPEN SECOND WEEK OF SEASON-LONG ROAD TRIP TUESDAY IN GWINNETT
Cyclones wrap up southern swing with four games in five days

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THIS PAST WEEK:

About Sunday Afternoon in South Carolina: Mathieu Aubin’s goal in the fourth round of the shootout capped off an incredible come-back by the Cyclones, as they rally from a two-goal deficit to beat the Stingrays 5-4 at North Charleston Coliseum.  It was Cincinnati’s fourth shootout victory of the season and the first for Brian Foster, who stopped all five South Carolina shooters in the shootout.  With the win, Cincinnati also concluded its season series with the Stingrays - earning a 5-0-1 record this year.

About Saturday Night in South Carolina: Dustin Sproat’s 20th goal of the season and a 29-save effort from Brian Foster helped the Cyclones pick up a 2-0 shutout win over the Stingrays at North Charleston Coliseum.  It was Foster’s first professional blanking and Cincinnati’s fifth of the season.  Sproat also added an assist in the game, earning his eighth multi-point game of the season.

About Wednesday Night in South Carolina: The Cyclones opened their road trip in style by disposing of the Stingrays by a 4-1 score at North Charleston Coliseum.  Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Dustin Sproat and Brady Calla each had two points apiece while Brian Foster earned his fourth win of the season with a 23-save performance.


STORYLINES:

Beware the Ides of March:  After wrapping up a three-game sweep of the South Carolina Stingrays on Sunday afternoon, the Cyclones kick off the second leg of their three-city road trip with tomorrow’s one game stop in Gwinnett, Georgia.  The ‘Clones took the only other 2010-11 meeting with the Gladiators back in mid-November with a 4-3 shootout win.  Over the last five seasons, Cincinnati and Gwinnett have split four meetings.  Coming into the night, both teams are tied with 65 points apiece, which ranks 8th in the Eastern Conference Playoff race, however, the Gladiators own the tie-breaker (overall wins) and would take the final slot if the season ended today.

Scouting the Gladiators:  Gwinnett has been playing some very solid hockey of late, winning seven out of their last ten games and are fighting with several teams (including the Cyclones) for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.  Michael Forney ranks among the league’s top scorers, amassing 58 points (16 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games.  His assist totals also place him fourth among all ECHL players.  Gladiators rookie back-stop Chris Carrozzi has been a busy man this year, playing in a league fifth-most 2120 minutes while racking up 987 saves in the process.

An Eye on the East:  As of today, here is a quick snapshot of how the Eastern Conference playoff race shapes up:
  6 - Elmira*            67 points      
  7 - Wheeling*        67 points
  8 - Gwinnett*        65 points
  9 - Cincinnati*       65 points
10 - Toledo             61 points
*Gwinnett holds the tie-breaker with Cincinnati while Elmira owns it against Wheeling.

Tearing It Up:  Among all the relatively new faces to the Cincinnati locker room, Dan Eves has continued to produce on the scoresheet.  The third-year forward has put up points in 10 of his first 12 games in a Cyclones jersey.  He’s already surpassed his 2010-11 numbers with South Carolina in half the time.

The Ides of March:  Cincinnati will need to continue a solid month on the ice to solidify a Kelly Cup Playoff spot.  Including games this season, the Cyclones have earned a 30-16-2 record in the March since 2008.

Southern Success:  The Cyclones continued their dominance of the South Division this past weekend, sweeping the Stingrays in three straight.  Cincinnati now owns an astounding 11-3-1 record against those teams in 2010-11.  Perhaps more surprising, though, is their goals-for/goals-against breakdown;  this year, Cincinnati has outscored the South Division by a combined total of 57-39 while outshooting them by an average of 34-25 per game.


UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

Friday, March 25 – 7:30pm Kids Eat FREE Night:  All fans ages 2-12 will receive a FREE meal courtesy of John Morrell and Sunkist.

Saturday, March 26 - 7:30pm Child Abuse Awareness Night:  The Cyclones will wear special-edition blue jerseys to raise awareness for child abuse prevention which will be auctioned off after the game to benefit the Northern Kentucky Children's Advocacy Center. The first 2,500 fans will receive a Reminderband.

Friday, April 1 - 7:30pm Fan Appreciation Night: $1 John Morrell Hotdogs / $1 Donatos Pizza / $1 Soda / 50¢ Popcorn.


PRACTICE SCHEDULE
(All practices are closed to the public)

Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 11:15am Morning Skate - Game at Gwinnett 7:05pm.
Wednesday: Travel to Greenville, 10:00am Pratice.
Thursday: 11:15am Morning Skate - Game at Greenville 7:05pm.
Friday: 11:15am Morning Skate - Game at Greenville 7:05pm.
Saturday: 11:15am Morning Skate - Game at Greenville 7:05pm.
Sunday: OFF



TICKET INFORMATION

For tickets to all games this season, log onto CyclonesHockey.com, call 513.421.PUCK (7825) or visit the U.S. Bank Arena Box Office.



UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Cincinnati vs. Toledo
Friday, March 25
7:30pm
KIDS EAT FREE

Cincinnati vs. Toledo
Saturday, March 26
7:30pm
CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS NIGHT

Cincinnati vs. Kalamazoo
Friday, April 1
7:30pm
FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT