TRENTON, New Jersey – Cincinnati goaltender Chet Pickard turned aside all 24 shots he faced while Adam Comrie added a goal and an assist as the Cincinnati Cyclones (1-2-0-0) blanked the Trenton Titans (1-3-0-0) by a 3-0 final score in front of 2,543 at Sun National Bank Center on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati’s first victory of the year was also Pickard’s third-career professional shutout.

For the second consecutive night, Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead as rookie Joe Devin buried his first professional goal at the 2:38 mark to give his team a 1-0 cushion. And thanks to a solid 10-save first period for Cyclones goalie Chet Pickard (W, SO, 24 saves, 1-2-0-0), Cincinnati carried the advantage after 20 minutes of play.

Cincinnati’s defense was incredibly stingy in the second period, as they allowed only one shot on net. Although the Cyclones peppered Titans goaltender Brad Phillips (L, 32 saves, 0-2-0-0) with 13 shots in the middle frame, nobody could light the lamp; so at the end of two periods, Cincinnati clung to the 1-0 lead.

The Titans responded with 13 shots on net in the third period, but Pickard continued to keep Cincinnati’s 1-0 lead stand up. Then, at the 15:11 mark, Wacey Rabbit fed Adam Comrie who blasted a shot past Phillips for a huge two-goal Cyclones cushion. In the final minute, Garrett Wilson buried an empty-netter to seal the 3-0 victory.

Pickard said watching his team grab an early lead really helped tonight’s cause.

“The guys were great today,” said Pickard. “We came out hard and got a goal early in the first period which made things easier for us. At this point I would have taken a 9-8 win if I had to, but a shutout works as well. Tonight was by far our best game as a whole.”

“I thought everybody contributed tonight,” said Cyclones Head Coach Jarrod Skalde. “There was a first effort, a second effort and at times a third effort. Chet played absolutely terrific again. He looked comfortable, relaxed, and in charge. Everyone stuck to the game plan to get two points.”

The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:

First Star: Chet Pickard (24 saves, third professional shutout)
Second Star: Joe Devin (Game-winning goal for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Adam Comrie (1 goal, 1 assist for Cincinnati)


Cincinnati will be back on the ice next Saturday night as they will once again visit the Kalamazoo Wings for the second time in three weeks. The opening faceoff from Wings Stadium will be at 7:30pm with pre-game coverage on the Cyclones Radio Network (1050-AM, America One) starting at 7:15pm.

Secure your seats for the 2011-12 Home Opener on Saturday, November 5 when the Cyclones welcome the Chicago Express to U.S. Bank Arena for the first time at 7:30pm. Contact a ticket representative today at 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com for more information. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here for tonight's box score.