CINCINNATI, Ohio – Pierre Luc-Faubert’s third period goal broke a 3-3 tie and turned out to be the game-winner as the Chicago Express (17-15-4-2) defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones (15-13-0-5) by a 4-3 final score in front of 3,893 at U.S. Bank Arena on Friday night.  

Chicago needed only 38 seconds to grab the lead as Scott Witecha received a pass from Chad Painchaud in the Cincinnati slot and buried his third goal of the season, giving the Express a 1-0 edge. The Cyclones pulled even a few minutes later, at the 4:49 mark, when Matt Sisca slammed a rebound past Chicago net minder Peter Mannino (W, 23 saves, 1-1-0-1). But the Express then rattled off another pair of goals to pull ahead by two; Devin DiDiomete slid a puck underneath Cyclones goalie Chet Pickard (L, 22 saves, 6-9-0-1) at the 10:48 mark followed by a power play marker from Chaz Johnson at 15:14 to extend Chicago’s lead to 3-1 after 20 minutes.

In a penalty-filled middle frame, the Cyclones penalty kill unit stayed busy; they were forced to kill off a five-minute power play to start off the second period followed by another pair of Chicago man-advantages. After successfully extinguishing all of the infractions, the Cyclones were given a late power play of their own and they made it stand up; Mathieu Aubin blasted home a one-timer at 19:23 to pull his team within a goal at the second intermission.

In the third period, Cincinnati continued to hold the momentum and it paid off when Sisca batted in another rebound left in front of the net after a Justin Vaive shot to knot the score at 3-3. Sisca became the seventh Cyclone this season to register a multi-goal game. However, with less than seven minutes to play, Chicago’s Johnson worked a loose puck into the Cincinnati slot and fed Pierre-Luc Faubert who tucked in the go-ahead, and eventual game-winning goal at 13:12. The Cyclones’ comeback hopes were given a brief charge as they drew a power play with just over two minutes left in regulation. However, Vaive was later whistled for an infraction of his own, snuffing out the would-be Cincinnati rally.

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

First Star: Pierre Luc Faubert (Game-Winning Goal for Chicago)
Second Star: Matt Sisca (2 goals for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Tyler Donati (3 assists for Chicago)

The same two teams will battle again tomorrow night at U.S. Bank Arena with a 7:30pm opening face-off. It will also be another Kids Eat FREE Night where all fans ages 2-12 will receive a FREE meal courtesy of Donatos, Snack Healthy, and Sunny D! Secure your seats now by calling 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here to view tonight's box score.