Cyclones in Cellar of North Division

CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Cyclones have started the season trailing in the standings from day one. Points have been few and far between for the squad that Coach Jarrod Skalde put together for this campaign. Many nights the ‘Clones have tied the score, only to lose in overtime or shootouts, gaining only one point. The most common problem is losses in regulation where the opposition comes from behind to win.
The month of November saw the losses mount, as wins dwindled to a trickle. In spite of reinforcements from the AHL affiliates, the Cyclones were unable to solve the Chicago Express and Kalamazoo Wings for more than a couple of home wins. The first road win against Toledo did not come until early December. The Cyclones remained under .500 until December 9, with a win in Toledo by a single goal.
This division requires better than just average hockey to be played at this time of year. It is often said that points gained in December mean fewer points need to be made up in March. Too often, this club has had good defense, but the offense has been unable to generate the firepower to win games. The power play has been anemic to say the least and most nights have been non-existent. Penalty kill in the past month has been stressed due to untimely and ill-advised trips to the sin bin. It has been a difficult time to be a Cyclones fan as the team has not kept up with expectations since most of the Chuck Weber era players are now gone.
Goaltending has been a positive for the squad with Chet Pickard, Tyler Plante, and the return of Brian Foster just recently. Solid in net and defensively sound most nights, boil down to not enough offense generated to produce wins. The Chicago club seems to be most troublesome to defeat. The Express have a potent offense that the Cyclones cannot seem to overcome thus far in the season. Recently the Club gained a split with the Greenville Road Warriors. Dean Storks’ squad is always a challenge to confront. Even the Toledo Walleye have been difficult to deal with early in the season, as the fish have stymied the ‘Clones so far this early in the campaign.
Opening the season against the Kalamazoo Wings led to more losses against the Wings down the road. Nick Bootland seems to have brought back a good core of last year’s squad that went to the Finals and eventually lost the Cup. This was always the preseason favorite in the North division and the Cyclones have found them a tough nut to crack so far. The few games against conference rivals have shown weaknesses in the aforementioned power play where the Cyclones have been given a plethora of opportunities, but unable to convert them into goals. Pugilism duties have been primarily assigned to veteran Mike Liambas and he has fared well thus far.
So far this season has been a bit of a disappointment. There is always reason for hope that the team will rise from the basement, because of the success of the affiliates and the players who are assigned to our level. Hopefully the offense will mature and the power play will begin to generate the needed spark to win games.
Contact the Author/Photographer at Rob.Huelsman@prohockeynews.com