CINCINNATI, Ohio – Behind Josh Shalla’s third multi-goal game of the season, the Cincinnati Cyclones (11-4-2-0) moved back into the top spot of the North Division standings with a 4-1 victory over the Evansville IceMen (6-13-0-1) in front of 1,838 at U.S. Bank Arena on Wednesday night.

For the twelfth time this year the Cyclones took the early lead by tallying the first goal of the game. 13:35 into the opening period Brian O’Hanley fired a shot from the left point that bounced off Evansville goaltender Paul Karpowich (L, 27 saves, 3-6-0-1) and right to Josh Shalla, who slammed in his sixth lamplighter of the year. The 1-0 Cincinnati lead did not last long, however, as the IceMen took advantage of a power play opportunity; Nathan Moon’s shot at the 15:31 mark slipped past Cyclones net minder Brian Foster (W, 20 saves, 9-0-2) to even the score at one. The teams remained deadlocked going into the first intermission.

Mattias Lindstrom put the Cyclones back out in front 11:00 into the middle frame as he cut through the Evansville slot and batted home a puck for his second goal of the year. Shalla would extend the Cyclones advantage to 3-1 with just 1:23 left in the stanza when he again found himself in the right spot to shoot a rebound past Karpowich. And thanks to nine more saves from Foster, the Cyclones would hold onto their two-goal lead heading to the final period.

In the third, Cincinnati continued to play solid defensively and kept the IceMen from earning any great scoring chances. In the final minutes, Evansville pulled Karpowich in hopes of getting back on the board. However, Foster and company would deny those chances and Mathieu Aubin potted an empty net goal at 19:02 to seal Cincinnati’s 4-1 win.

Cincinnati’s penalty kill was solid in the victory, extinguishing five of the six IceMen power plays.

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

First Star: Josh Shalla (2 goals for Cincinnati)
Second Star: Mattias Lindstrom (Game-winning goal for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Garrett Wilson (2 assists for Cincinnati)

The Cyclones will return to the ice at U.S. Bank Arena THIS FRIDAY when they once again welcome in the Evansville IceMen at 7:30pm. The first 1,500 fans ages 18 and over will receive a FREE T-Shirt of Cyclones goaltender Brian Foster courtesy of Meijer! Call 513.421.PUCK or visit CyclonesHockey.com to reserve your seats! Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here for tonight's box score.