Cyclones take game one over Checkers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Cyclones opened the series with the Checkers facing veterans with playoff experience and a regular season Conference title. The Cyclones returned to action Max Lacroix, Brett Motherwell and Jason Jozsa. These additions to the lineup gave Chuck Weber more versatility in his defensive pairings. “We are a boring, defensive hockey club,” said Weber.
 
The Cyclones gave up a league low two-hundred goals during the regular season. Trainer Bob Case has worked to return to health most of the walking wounded for this series.
 
Checker T.J. Reynolds and Cyclone Hans Benson spent a few minutes pre-game getting to know each other. Cooler heads intervened before the shoving match escalated further.
 
Mid-first period the Checkers were given a power play, while Brett Robinson sat in the sin bin. David Marshall tipped a shot from the point that eluded Cyclones netminder Jeremy Smith and the Checkers had a one to zip lead.
 
Kenny Roche scored on the second power play of the period, to increase the lead to 2-0. The game was beginning to go the home teams way. The Cyclones answered with four minutes left in the period, on a tally by Dustin Sproat. This cut the deficit in half, at the end of the stanza. Animosities arose again, near the period end, requiring referee Gino Binda to maintain order by distributing penalties.
 
The second period began with veteran netminder Ryan Munce trying to sell an interference penalty on Lacroix, to no avail, to continue four-on-four hockey. Two minutes into the period, Charlotte regained a two goal lead. Max Taylor slid the biscuit past the Cyclones defense for the score. Lacroix chased down and redirected a Matt Pierce pass, for a shorthanded tally, to bounce back and cut the lead to 3-2.
 
Cincinnati ’s Motherwell took a feed from Kevin Roeder midway through the third, to tie the score at three apiece. Late in the game, the Cyclones took their first lead of the night, on a goal by Brett Robinson with four minutes left in regulation. The fifth seeded Cyclones grabbed a great win on the road finishing 4-3. The Cyclones lead the series 1-0. Game two is Saturday night in Charlotte.
 
  Contact the Author/photographer at Rob.Huelsman@prohockeynews.com