FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Cincinnati Cyclones were on a mission Friday night as they escaped the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum with a 3-2 game one victory over the Fort Wayne Komets in front of 5,119 fans.
Tommy Mele was the hero for Cincinnati, scoring twice in the second period to secure the win. The veteran forward scored short handed, then netted the eventual game winner late in the middle frame.
Fort Wayne led in the shots department 10-7 during a physical opening period that saw both teams combine for 14 penalty minutes. However, it would take until the closing minute of the period until the series would see the first goal.
The Cyclones found the back of the net on the power play at 19:03 of the first on a goal from Jack Downing. Taking a cross-ice pass from Garrett Noonan, Downing blasted a shot from the top of left circle that beat Fort Wayne netminder Pat Nagle high on the glove side. Andrew Yogan picked up the secondary assist on the goal that gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Troy Bourke evened the game mid-way through the middle frame, sailing a shot from the left dot over the left shoulder of Cincinnati goalie Brad Thiessen at 10:03. Kyle Thomas was credited with the assist after he lifted the puck off of Nick Huard’s stick in the neutral zone and raced it ahead before dumping it to Bourke who made it 1-1.
Tommy Mele scores his first of two goals on Friday night / Photo by Shawn Conkle (PHN)
Mele netted his first of the night just under four minutes later, scoring unassisted at 13:54 while the Cyclones were shorthanded. With the Komets trying to clear the puck out of the zone, Mele jumped on a poor pass and skated ahead through the slot and beat Nagle to make it a 2-1 Cincinnati lead.
The lead wouldn’t last long though, as the Komets tied it up on a power play goal by Trevor Cheek at 15:36. With the puck on the left side of the goal, Cody Corbett sent a centering pass to Cheek, who sent it through traffic and Thiessen’s five hole from the high slot. Garrett Meurs was credited with the secondary assist on the play.
Mele waited four minutes before he scored the would be game winner.
Colin Mulvey gained control of the puck on the boards near the Cincinnati blueline and raced it ahead down the right side before he sent a perfectly placed pass as Mele slipped around a defender and tapped it into the left side of the net to make it 3-2.
Fort Wayne increased the pressure in the second half of the third period, but Thiessen was up to the task and turned aside all 11 shots he faced in the period to secure the win.
The Cincinnati Cyclones celebrate their game one win over the Fort Wayne Komets / Photo by Shawn Conkle (PHN)
Thiessen, who was returned to Cincinnati on loan from the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL on Friday, was solid in net, stopping 33 of 35 shots on the night.
Fort Wayne out-shot Cincinnati 35-23, but the Cyclones were still able to claim a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Another road win at Fort Wayne on Saturday would be a huge momentum building for the seventh-seeded Cyclones as they look to knockout the second-seeded Komets from the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Game two is scheduled for a 7:30pm EDT opening face-off tonight in Fort Wayne.
Contact the writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer: Shawn.Conkle@prohockeynews.com
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