CYCLONES FALL IN FINAL GAME BEFORE THE BREAK
For Immediate Release: December 23, 2017
CYCLONES FALL IN FINAL GAME BEFORE THE BREAK
Cincinnati Comeback Falls Short in Penalty-Filled Affair
Indianapolis, IN-The Cincinnati Cyclones (16-10-1-0) fell to the Indy Fuel, 7-4, on Saturday night. Defenseman Arvin Atwal, along with forwards Justin Danforth, Jesse Schultz, and Shawn O’Donnell scored the goals for Cincinnati, who see their four-game winning streak halted.
After the Fuel took a 1-0 lead on a goal from defenseman Anthony Cortese, Cincinnati evened the game at 1-1, when a hit from Atwal jarred the puck free in the right corner, and he banked a shot off the back of Fuel goaltender Matt Tomkins and in for his second of the season.
The Fuel managed to regain the lead with 18 seconds remaining in the opening frame when forward Darian Dziurzinski gave Indy a 2-1 edge through 20 minutes.
In the second Indy picked up where they left off in the first and extended their lead to 3-1, 3:15 in, when forward Johnny McInnis found the back of the net.
Cincinnati was not deterred and pulled back to within a goal, 3-2, when a point shot from defenseman Anthony Florentino was tipped in by Danforth for his 17th of the season, 4:34 into the middle frame.
The Fuel turned on the offense and added two more prior to the midway point of the period from forward Tommy Olczyk shorthanded, and former Cyclone Troy Vance to propel them to a 5-2 advantage, and forcing the Cyclones make a change in goal, replacing Jason Kasdorf with Anthony Peters.
Cincinnati managed to get one back at the 11:18 mark of the period, when Danforth won a faceoff back to Schultz, and he blasted in a shot from the right circle to bring the Cyclones back to within a pair, 5-3.
That 5-3 Indy Fuel lead held up throughout the remainder of the second, and in the third Cincinnati continued to chip away and pulled to within one, 2:24 in, when O’Donnell curled around the net and slid a wrap-around five-hole on Tomkins to cut the Cyclones deficit to 5-4.
The Fuel struck for a second shorthanded goal not long after when Olczyk found the back of the net again to regain their two-goal lead, 6-4.
The physicality ramped up midway through the third period as well, as the two sides combined for 52 minutes in penalties in the final frame. The third was also highlight by a fight between goaltenders Peters and Tompkins. Olczyk added a third shorthanded tally with the goaltender pulled with less than 10 seconds left to seal their 7-4 win.
The Cyclones outshot the Fuel, 44-38, with Kasdorf and Peters combining to stop 31 in the loss. The Cyclones have a few days off for the holiday break, before returning home Wednesday night to take on the Ft. Wayne Komets. Face-off is scheduled for 7:35pm ET.
The 2017-18 season is underway, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride! Call (513) 421-PUCK for information regarding Cyclones single game tickets, ticket packages, and Season and Group Tickets! Also, stay on top of the latest team updates on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!
