Cyclones pad division lead

CINCINNATI , Ohio – The Cyclones began the month with a game against the Wheeling Nailers, which in the end handed them the league lead with 13 short-handed goals. The energy level was high and the team was two for eight in the power play and tallied a short-hander to boot.
 
All the goals in this game, by both squads, were by special teams. Captain Barret Ehgoetz tied a club record for career points; 213, tied with Sheldon Gorski. Ehgoetz’ next point would give the fifth year pro the outright franchise lead.
 
On February 10, the Cyclones faced Kalamazoo at US bank Arena spotting the K-wings a two-goal lead before scoring three unanswered in the second stanza. Taking a 3-2 lead into the third period, the home squad continued to tally insurance markers.
 
After grabbing the franchise scoring record with an assist on goal number three, Ehgoetz added the next unanswered goal resulting in a two-goal lead. The Cyclones scored five unanswered, over two periods, to stun the K-wings by the midway point of the third. That was all it took for the night. The Cyclones could boast a four game win streak to date.
 
Again spotting the opponent goals, but finding ways to overcome the deficit handily on the night. The home squad has managed to overcome poor first period starts to surpass the competition when they are opportunistic and aggressive in the offensive zone.
 
The power play has come alive in the past several weeks and is no longer anemic. Taking care of the puck on special teams has helped to manage the damage of once wasted opportunities.
 
Currently the ‘Clones sit atop the division by five points, but Kalamazoo has four games in hand down the stretch. Continuing to face division rivals on almost a nightly basis the Cyclones faced off in the fish bowl against the Walleye on the twelfth.  
 
After a scoreless first period, Ehgoetz sent the Cyclones up with a tally at 2:55 of the second, his nineteenth goal of the season. The game continued as a defensive battle and turned into a solid outing by net minder Robert Mayer of the ‘Clones. Mayer recorded his fourth win in a row on the road.
 
The 1-0 win put the team at nine points ahead of the second place Kalamazoo, followed by Wheeling at present, in the division.
 
The rest of the weekend consisted of a home and away game series with the Johnstown Chiefs, starting in Cincinnati on Saturday night. It was a rowdy night with 6,423 in attendance to see if the Cyclones could pull off six wins in a row. The home team certainly did not disappoint; scoring a plethora of goals to the delight of the crowd.
 
Cyclones goaltender Mayer recorded his second win in a row allowing Johnstown only two tallies to the ‘Clones half dozen. Scott Reynolds began the onslaught with helpers to Brett Motherwell and Ryan DelMonte at the 6:32 mark of the opening stanza.
 
The Cyclones scored, seemingly at will, with four unanswered before the Pennsylvanians could respond. Dustin Sproat recorded goals two, three, and four between 10:34 of the first and 4:44 of the second, all on power plays. The power play unit has risen from dead last to eleventh in the ECHL.
 
Sunday the tilt moved to the Cambria County War Memorial arena. The Chiefs opened the scoring with a goal by Bryan Marshall. The Cyclones answered with a goal by Ehgoetz. The score knotted at one apiece after one period of play.
 
The Cyclones penalty kill ranks ninth in the ECHL at 82.1 percent. The Cyclones are seven of thirty-six on the power play against Johnstown thus far this campaign.
 
Ryan Delmonte gave the visitors a one goal lead, with a power play goal at 17:56 of the second period; his first against his former team. In the third period, another power play tally was scored by jimmy Kilpatrick during a five-on-three situation for the insurance marker. After a Johnstown bench minor resulted in a further five-on-three and another goal by the Cyclones’ Scott Reynolds moved the lead to three.
 
The Cyclones now three for eleven on the power play this contest. The festivities deteriorated from this point, as five players’ nights were ended early, after the referee had the final say.
 
The Cyclones ended the night with more scoring ending with a 5-1 lead with little more than four minutes remaining. This was the seventh win in a row, for the team that scored five unanswered this night, to the delight of Cyclones fans everywhere.
Contact the writer and photographer at rob.huelsman@prohockeynews.com