Cincinnati Cyclones update

CINCINNATI, Oh – The Cyclones came out flat from their All-Star break and promptly lost two games to division rivals. Toledo and Kalamazoo delivered high scoring early periods that the ‘Clones could not recover from.
 
The bright spot is the power play has come alive with fourteen tallies in the last eleven games. On January 23, the Cyclones exacted revenge for the previous nights 7-1 loss to the K-Wings with a 6-1 shellacking. The power play was three for twelve, a team record for number of opportunities. There were two 5 on 3 advantages, that produced back-to-back scores by Jimmy Kilpatrick and Barret Ehgoetz.
 
Kilpatrick scored two power play goals for the night. Kalamazoo was on their heels at that point and Ryan Nie was no longer as invincible, as his previous evening effort. Cyclone rookie, Matt Pierce notched his 21 and 22 goals of the season, to the delight of the home crowd.
 
On January 25, the Cyclones played the second, of a four-game home stand against the Johnstown Chiefs resulting in a 5-1 losing attempt, which lacked team effort. The Cyclones were flat from the beginning, only managing a single tally in the third.
 
Johnstown is a team the Cyclones should have been able to handle easily, yet could not execute Coach Weber’s system to any effect. The pattern of win, loss, win, loss that plagued the team early, has returned after ending 2009 on a positive streak of wins.  
 
On January 27, the Charlotte Checkers came to town. Cincinnati had lost the previous two meetings at home against the Checkers and looked to reverse the trend.
 
Currently the Cyclones remained tied for first with K-Zoo in the division race and in the hunt for out right ownership of first place. It was a “wet Wednesday” promotion so the crowd was sure to be raucous and well fueled by adult beverages, leading to “beer-a-mids” along the glass.
 
The Cyclones scored first at 3:42 into the opening stanza. The tally was the third of the season by Chris Morehouse. The game winning goal was the 23^rd of the season by Matt Pierce. Insurance goals were scored by Scott Reynolds and Barret Ehgoetz. The Cyclones had put up a three spot on the Checkers by 9:12 into the game and never looked back.
 
The Charlotte squad answered with one last tally of the game. The Cyclones won 4-1 on a chilly, snowy night in the queen city. The win placed the ‘Clones in sole possession of first place in the North division.
 
The final game of this home stand was   against the league leading South Carolina Stingrays. This tilt was up-tempo from the start, with 5,857 fans in the stands, it was rowdy at the arena tonight.
 
This was the first regular season match up between the two clubs; previous meetings have been in the conference finals the last two seasons, with the winner having gone on to win the Kelly Cup.
 
The Cyclones tallied first, to open the scoring at 16:03. Jimmy Kilpatrick netted the goal with assists given to Brock Sheahan and Barret Ehgoetz. South Carolina evened the score with six seconds remaining in the first. The Cyclones regained the lead at 1:43 into the second period, and held onto it until Keith Johnson rallied the Stingrays at 1:40 of the third to tie the score again.
 
Try as they might, neither team could crack the others defense for the remainder of the third period, leading to the extra frame. Cincinnati defenseman Brian O’Hanley solved the riddle at the now magical 1:42 minute mark, with the game winning goal; a blast from the upper slot.
 
The Cyclones ended the week with a three goal loss, on the road, at Kalamazoo. Again they displayed the up and down performance, spotting unanswered goals.
 
There still remains the fact that the team is in the top three or four in the conference and scrapping for the division lead on a nightly basis. The race is tight and with three strong contenders in the division, the last half of the season will be action packed and well worth following. South Carolina may well run away with the conference lead, if they continue to roll through their division. The Cyclones face Wheeling on February 3^rd and South Carolina on February 4^th at home. Then they travel north to Kalamazoo on the 5^th to round out the week.
 
Contact the writer at rob.huelsman@prohockeynews.com   All photos by Rob Hueslman.