CINCINNATI, Ohio – So far this round the home ice has been a definite advantage for the Cyclones. Thanks to home ice the club is up two games to none over the Elmira Jackals after a thrilling come-from-behind overtime win in front of the home crowd.
Photo by Rob Huelsman
Elmira scored first on a shot by Pierre-Luc Faubert who notched his seventh of the playoffs. The Cylcones appeared to rally back on an apparent goal by Mark VanGuilder that was not seen by the referee, nor did the goal light go on as play continued.The home team tallied their first score at 12:43 by Mac Faulkner to tie the game at one each. Elmira the scored the next three goals to take what appeared to be a safe lead. At the 15:45 mark of the first Faubert scored his eighth playoff goal to retake the lead at 2-1.
The second period saw the Jackals up the ante by scoring two more to take a 4-1 lead. At 1:53 Steve Yetman notched a goal to give the New Yorkers a 3-1 edge. Cyclones Coach Chuck Weber sent Ryan Nie in at goal to relieve Loic Lacasse at that point. Elmira’s Benoit Doucet would welome Nie with a goal, but Nie would go on to secure the win in overtime, playing just under forty minutes of the contest. At 10:52 of the second Mac Faulkner scored his second goal on a penalty shot. The shot was awarded for a slash on a breakaway. The goal closed the deficit closed to two at the end of the period.
The third plodded along as both defenses tightened up. Both Nie and Elmira netminder Michael Teslak stopped hard shots from every angle as the home fans fretted that the score would remain 4-2.
But Cincinnati would get back in the game when Faulkner excited the crowd with the final goal of his hat trick at 11:31. Then Dustin Sproat tied the game on a tally at 17:52 and sent the game to overtime.
Photo by Rob Huelsman
The overtime went quickly as Jimmy Kilpatrick scored his second goal of the playoffs just 1:48 into the period to seal the seventeenth come-from-behind win of the season for the Cyclones.
The Cylones penalty kill unit was crucial to the team’s success as it wiped out eight man and some two man advantages Elmira was given. The home team was one for seven on the power play.
Game 3 is set to be played in Elmira on Wednesday, April 29.
Contact rob.huelsman@prohockeynews.com
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