Cyclones exceed expectations in 09-10

CINCINNATI, Ohio – First of all, the Kelly Cup was supposed to be residing in any number of places other than the Queen City this off season. No one had any expectation of such an improbable playoff run by the Cyclones. By most standards this was a grind-it-out , blue collar work ethic type of squad. They had to be; due to untimely injuries, ill timed call-ups to the AHL, and at times scrambling just to put enough bodies on the bench for a game. The Cyclones began the season with a young team; a few veterans, rookie goaltending tandem, and lots of question marks for Coaches Weber and Stork. Early season trades brought more veteran help, while the team chased division leading Kalamazoo, early in the season. The Cyclones developed a pattern of win one then lose one, a win streak just not occurring. Then, in mid-December, the squad caught on to Webers’ system and the wins began to come more frequently.
 
A month passed and the Cyclones found themselves in first place, in a battle with K-Zoo to reign supreme in the division. The penalty kill unit remained strong and had contributed to the scoring. The power play unit awoke and wreaked havoc on the opposition, picking up where the PK group left off. The battle within the division was fierce and protracted with only Wheeling trailing everyone else all season.
 
In early February, team Captain Barret Ehgoetz claimed the franchise’s all-time scoring leader title. The ‘Clones continued to battle for first place in the division as South Carolina led the American conference by as much as ten points at the time. Kalamazoo rekindled the fires and surged back into the lead in March.
 
As the trade deadline approached, Weber sealed a deal for fan favorite Mathieu Aubin to return to don the Cyclones sweater. Also giving up two promising players in the transaction but receiving a veteran of the 2008 Kelly Cup winning squad. March brought the return of the up and down win-loss cycle again, coupled with the resurgence of the K-Wings, resulting in the Cyclones losing the division race. This dropped the team to a fifth seed in the playoffs, a daunting task indeed.
 
All season long, this had been a hard-working group of players, who dealt with adversity on a regular basis. These players truly stepped up when needed, providing a true group effort, as a different man each game came through to score the winning goal.
 
The post season was to be no different. Three newcomers were given amateur tryout contracts at the end of their college hockey season. All were instrumental in the team concept successfully functioning. Weber melded grizzled vets such as Doug Krantz, with first and second year pro Jeremy Smith and Max Lacroix. Then he added recent college players to the mix for the Kelly Cup run.
 
South Carolina provided the first test for this seemingly disparate group. The series see-sawed every other game until a winner-takes all game five win on the road in the Stingrays arena. The Cyclones won all of the odd numbered games in winning the series 3-2, thus eliminating the defending Kelly Cup Champions in the first round.
 
Never slowing down to rest, the team next faced the American Conference regular season champions, the Charlotte Checkers. Again, a series of odd numbered wins and even numbered losses, culminated in a desperate game seven, which was won by the Cyclones. So far having dumped the previous champs and the conference number one seed in the tournament the Cyclones continued to struggle on with injuries to key players to boot.
 
The turning point series was next against the rival Reading Royals. This was a chippy, hard played group of games with wild swings in scoring on both sides from the beginning to the end; a barn burner.
 
Reading came in as the hottest team in the east. The Royals continued their winning ways to take a 3-0 series lead over the ‘Clones. A sweep seemed imminent and the Reading fans prepared for the celebration. A funny bounce of puck fate and the Cyclones came awake to win game four and game five in Reading. Returning home to US Bank arena, the most unlikely comeback in hockey occurred. The Cyclones won games six and seven, and thus the series, clinching their second conference title in three years. The Cyclones are the first team in ECHL history to accomplish this feat and only the sixth team in pro hockey to have done it.
   
This set the Kelly Cup Finals between the National Conference winner the Idaho Steelheads and American Conference winner Cincinnati. The Steelheads were the number one seed in the ECHL and with home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
 
As tired as the squad was, the Cyclones trekked to Boise for the beginning of the series. The Cyclones scored a 2-1 victory in game one, and a 1-0 win in game two, to take the series lead back home to Cincy.
 
Idaho got up, off of the ice, to come back to win game three and gain some respectability back. The Cyclones smelled blood and went for the kill as they won both game four and five in front of the home fans to secure the Kelly Cup Title.
 
Congratulations to the players, coaches and staff of the Cyclones on the second Kelly Cup in three years, to reside in Cincinnati. Congratulations to co-MVPs Jeremy Smith and Robert Mayer for their stellar performance in goal during the playoffs.
 
The next home game is October 30^th and two championship banners will be raised to the rafters at US Bank arena.
 
Contact the writer and photographer at Rob.Huelsman@prohockeynews.com