DULUTH, Georgia – Rookie David Pacan notched his second game winning goal of the playoffs as the Cincinnati Cyclones (5-2 playoffs) rallied from behind to defeat the Gwinnett Gladiators (4-1 playoffs) by a 3-2 final score in front of 3,517 at Gwinnett Center on Friday night.

After a scoreless first period, the Gladiators notched the game’s first goal at 2:32 of the middle stanza when Dallas Jackson’s point shot redirected past Michael Houser (W, 17 saves, 5-2 playoffs) to make it 1-0. And despite some great offensive chances of their own, the Cyclones couldn’t solve Louis Domingue (L, 22 saves, 4-1 playoffs) and trailed by one heading into the second intermission.

Cincinnati finally got on the board just 37 seconds into the final frame when Trevor Lewis sent a high wrist shot over Domingue’s glove to even the score at one. However, just 24 seconds later, Domenic Monardo raced down the left wing and beat Houser with a high wrist shot of his own to give his team another lead at 2-1. The Cyclones again were able to knot the score at the 4:25 mark, as Justin Vaive one-timed home his first professional playoff goal from the left circle, making it a 2-2 game. Then, during a delayed penalty on Gwinnett, David Pacan raced up the middle, cut into the Gladiators slot and backhanded home his fifth goal of the postseason to push his team ahead for the first time on the night at 3-2. And thanks to some solid defense down the stretch along with a late penalty kill, Pacan’s strike turned out to be his second game winner as the Cyclones earned the 3-2 victory in Game 1.

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

First Star: David Pacan (Game winning goal for Cincinnati)
Second Star: Trevor Lewis (1 goal, 1 assist for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Dallas Jackson (1 goal for Gwinnett)

After a practice day tomorrow, the Cyclones will reunite with Gwinnett Gladiators on Sunday evening for Game 2 of their best-of-seven series. Fans can hear all the action of the contest on the Cyclones Radio Network (FM 100 The FAN, CyclonesHockey.com, America One) at 5:45pm with the opening face-off to follow at 6:05pm.

The Cyclones will return to U.S. Bank Arena on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30pm for Game 3 of the series, featuring $1 PBR and Miller High Life!! Call 513.421.PUCK or visit CyclonesHockey.com to reserve your seats! On-air coverage of the action can be heard on the Cyclones Radio Network (FM 100 The FAN, America One, CyclonesHockey.com) starting at 7:15pm. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here to view tonight's box score