The Cyclones drew first blood 4:36 into the opening period when Wiitala snapped in a shot from the left circle in past Ft. Wayne goaltender Patrick Munson to put Cincinnati on top, 1-0. The Komets responded a little more than four minutes later when forward Brett McKenzie lit the lamp to tie the game, 1-1, after 20 minutes.
In the second, the Cyclones power play got in the mix for the fourth time in the last two games when forward Brady Vail sent a pass to Johnson on the back side while on a two-man advantage, and he slipped a shot past Munson to put the ‘Clones back on top, 2-1, 3:57 into the frame.
The 2-1 Cyclones lead held up throughout the remainder of the second, and in the third the Komets turned up the offensive pressure, outshooting the Cyclones, 15-7, in the frame. With about six and a half minutes left, Ft. Wayne received the game-tying goal from AJ Jenks to pull back even, 2-2.
The 2-2 score held up throughout the remainder of regulation, and in overtime the Cyclones and Komets traded chances throughout the first five minutes. With 2:11 remaining, Jenks was sent to the penalty box, and at the 5:33 mark the Cyclones came out on top when forward Jesse Schultz sent a pass to Gosselin in the right circle, and he snapped in the winner to propel the ‘Clones to a 3-2 overtime win.
Cincinnati won the shot battle, 32-27, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 25 in the win. The Cyclones are back home on Friday night following the holiday break when they welcome in the Kansas City Mavericks. Face-off is set for 7:35pm ET.
With Cincinnati Cyclones release