For Immediate Release: February 17, 2019

Game 51 (Home Game 25)

Vs. Adirondack Thunder (28-18-3-2, 61 pts)

Sunday, February 17, 2019 – 3:05pm ET

U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH

Overview: The Cyclones return home to close out a three-game weekend and begin a three-game homestand on Sunday against the Adirondack Thunder. Cincinnati is coming off a two-game, home-and-home sweep of the Toledo Walleye, and are now 11 points clear in the Central Division. 

Last Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (35-9-3-3) picked up their 35^thwin of the season with a 5-2 decision over the Toledo Walleye on Saturday night. Forwards Ben Johnson, Vas Glotov, and Jesse Schultz, along with defensemen Tobie Bisson and Mitch Jones tallied the goals for Cincinnati, who are now one point ahead of the Florida Everblades for first place in the ECHL overall. Cincinnati was outshot, 30-23 on the evening, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 28 in the win. 

Friday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Flying Pigs (34-9-3-3) collected a 2-1 win over the Toledo Walleye on Friday night. Forwards Alex Wideman and Vas Glotov scored the goals for Cincinnati, who are now nine points ahead of Toledo for the Central Division lead. Cincinnati outshot Toledo, 29-25 on the evening, with goaltender Michael Houser stopping 24 in the win. The

Wednesday Night Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (33-9-3-3) shut out the Indy Fuel, 5-0, on Wednesday night. Forwards Judd Peterson, Mike Marnell, and Nate Mitton, along with defensemen Mitch Jones and Eric Knodel scored the goals for the Cyclones, while goaltender Jonas Johansson earned his third shutout of the season, stopping all 30 shots he faced. The ‘Clones outshot the Fuel, 37-30 on the night, while the power play converted on two of its four chances. 

Previewing Adirondack: The Thunder enter Sunday in second place in the ECHL’s North Division, and third place overall in the Eastern Conference. They saw their three-game winning streak snapped last night in a 4-1 loss to the Kalamazoo Wings, however they have won six of their last nine, while outscoring teams 34-20 in that span, including 29-8 in their six wins. Defensively, they rank seventh with 2.90 goals allowed per game, and are 12^thoffensively at 3.18 goals scored. They are led by forward James Henry who has totaled 12 goals and 35 assists through 51 games this season. He is followed by forwards John Edwardh (19g, 25a) and team goals leader Mike Szmatula (22g, 15a) who round out the top three. In goal, Alex Sakellaropoulos leads the way with a 17-5-2-3 record along with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. 

Inside the Series: The Cyclones wrap up their four games in five days stretch at home on Sunday afternoon against the Adirondack Thunder, in the lone meeting of the season. The teams have met four time prior to Sunday, with Cincinnati posting a perfect 4-0-0-0 record. 

Next Game Preview: The Cyclones welcome in the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday night, in the ninth of 11 meetings on the season. The Cyclones have a 7-0-1-0 record in the first eight games, and are outscoring Kalamazoo, 35-17.

Shutting the Door: Goaltender Jonas Johansson stopped all 30 shots he faced in a 5-0 shutout of the Indy Fuel on Wednesday night for his third clean sheet of the season. He is now 10^th in the ECHL with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, and is on a six-game winning streak (6-0-0-0, 1.35 GAA, .955 SV%).

Point Men: Forward Alex Wideman has five goals and three assists in his last nine games, and is second on the team with 18 goals and 30 assists, while forward Pascal Aquin has points in eight of his last 10 contests, accounting for three goals and 11 helpers. Additionally, forward Ben Johnson has points in seven of his last nine outings (3g, 9a), and Brady Vail has points in 10 of his last 16games (5g, 9a). 

Power Surge: After snapping an 0-19 stretch on the power play, the Cyclones are now 10 for their last 40 on the man advantage. Cincinnati is now 22^ndin the ECHL with a 14% conversion rate on the power play (31/221).  

He’s a Brick….HOUSE!: Goaltender Michael Houser is  10-2-1-1 in his last 14 games, allowing two or fewer goals in nine of them. He was named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December after a perfect 6-0-0-0 record along with a 1.17 goals against average and a .950 save percentage during the month. Overall, Houser has a record of 16-3-2-1 and leads the ECHL with a 2.00 GAA and a .929 SV%, and he has allowed more than two goals just eight times this season. 

Fanning the Flames: Forward Jesse Schultz has points in 26 of his last 34 games, accounting for 13 goals and 28 assists in that time. He is second amongst all active ECHL players in scoring with 55 points (14g, 41a). 

Good in All Areas: The Cyclones boast the League’s top offense, averaging 3.92 goals per game, and the top defense, having allowed a miniscule 2.34 goals per 60 minutes, outscoring teams 196-117. Starting and finishing games have been a specialty for Cincinnati, as they have a League-leading 78 first period goals while only allowing 36, and have allowed 29 goals in the third period. Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition, 58-29, in the final 20 minutes of play, and are 26-1-0-2. when leading through two periods. They have given up more than three goals in regulation just six times this season.

Packed Schedule:The Cyclones are in the midst of a stretch of 29 games in 59 days. Cincinnati will play three games in three days on four separate occasions during that time, a pair of four-game-in-five-days stretches, two stretches of seven-games in 10 days, and one of 10 games in 17 days. 

Record-Setting Performance: With seven first period goals in last Friday’s 8-1 win over the Maine Mariners, the Cyclones set a franchise record for goals in a single period, and it now stands as the fifth-most for a single period in ECHL history. Additionally, with four goals in the opening 7:29, forwards Brady Vail (2), Judd Peterson and Myles Powell set a Cyclones record for the earliest four goals in Cyclones history, and with defenseman Devante Stephens goal at 17:45, and Vail’s hat trick goal at 18:18, Friday also saw new records set for the earliest five and six goals scored in Cyclones team history. 

Welcome Matt Thomas: The Cyclones enter the 2018-19 season with a new head coach. In early August, Cincinnati hired Matt Thomas as the team’s new bench boss. He replaced Matt Macdonald who was named assistant coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins; American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.  A native of Maple Ridge, BC, Thomas has extensive head coaching experience in the ECHL, spanning 11 seasons with the Atlantic Boardwalk Bullies, Fresno Falcons, and Stockton Thunder from 2002-2013. Thomas served two seasons as an assistant coach with Atlantic City, including helping the Boardwalk Bullies to a Kelly Cup Championship in 2003, before assuming the role of head coach and Director of Hockey Operations with the team prior to 2004-2005. He compiled a 42-22-8 mark in his lone season as Atlantic City’s bench boss, and served as the head coach for the 2005 ECHL All-Star Game. He then moved on to Fresno prior to the 2005-06 campaign, leading the Falcons to a 43-15-14 mark along with a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Over the next two seasons in Fresno, Thomas compiled a 76-41-17 record, with trips to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on both occasions. He coached the Falcons during the first half of 2008-09, leading the team to an 18-10-2 mark before the team ceased operations midseason. Thomas was not out of work for long however, as he was named head coach of Stockton shortly after, and finished the year with a record of 22-16-3, and a trip to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Thomas went on to coach the Thunder for four more seasons, amassing a mark of 141-111-36, reaching the post season each year, including a trip to the 2013 Kelly Cup Finals. He enters the 2018-19 campaign as the ECHL’s sixth-winningest coach with a career record of 342-225-80, just one win back of fifth place all time. He is also the all-time leader in playoff games coached with 97, and ranks third with 49 playoff wins. 

The 2018-19 season is HERE, and the Cincinnati Cyclones want YOU along for the ride! Single game, Group, and Season Tickets are on sale NOW by calling (513) 421-PUCK! Stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, www.cycloneshockey.com!