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jevers
Administrator
USA
1367 Posts |
 Posted - 05/03/2010 : 5:28:13 PM
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CYCLONES BACK TO CONFERENCE FINALS
Cincinnati Back On Road Looking For Second Kelly Cup Finals Trip In Three Years
COMING UP: The Cincinnati Cyclones, the ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators, are back on the road this week against the Reading Royals. The third game of the best of seven American Conference Finals is tomorrow night (May 4) with a 7:05pm start. The fourth game of the series happens on Saturday (May 8), again with a 7:05pm start. Should a fifth game be needed--it would be played on Sunday (May 9) at 7:05pm. All of these games will be carried on ESPN 1530, as well as the club's website at: www.cycloneshockey.com. The winner of this round of the USA Collision Centers postseason advances to the Kelly Cup Finals against the National Conference champion--either Idaho or Stockton.
THE REST OF THE SERIES: Should the best of seven need the last two games, they would be played at U.S. Bank Arena. Game six would be on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:30pm. There would be a Big Beer Tuesday tied to the evening with two dollar twenty-four ounce Molson, Molson Ice and Labatts beers. If a seventh game were needed, it would be played on Wednesday, May 12 at 7:30pm. It would be another Wet Wednesday with one dollar Miller High Life and Pabst Blue Ribbon beers.
ABOUT SATURDAY NIGHT...: Goaltender Matt Dalton stopped a career playoff-high 45 shots in a 3-1 win over the Cyclones. Brett Robinson had the lone goal for Cincinnati.
ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHT...: The Reading Royals grabbed a 5-2 win from the Cyclones to open the American Conference Finals. Brett Robinson had a pair of goals in the defeat, as Jeremy Smith steered aside 23 shots in taking the loss.
ABOUT WEDNESDAY NIGHT...: The Cyclones finished off their best of seven series with the Charlotte Checkers in a 2-1 decision in the seventh game. Mark Van Guilder had both Cincinnati goals and Jeremy Smith stopped 33 shots in picking up his seventh victory of the USA Collision Centers postseason for the club.
SEVENTH HEAVEN: The Cyclones were a part of the ECHL's 20th game seven in league history on Wednesday night. Cincinnati has been a part of five seventh games--which also is a league record. While the Cyclones have a 3-2 record in these decisive games--it was the first time the club had ever taken one on the road.
STORK A SEVENTH GAME VETERAN: Cyclones Assistant Coach Dean Stork has been involved with eight of the 20 seventh games in ECHL history. Playing in four as a player and coaching four others with the Cyclones, Stork has a 6-2 record in these contests.
BACK TO THE CONFERENCE FINALS: For the third straight season, the Cyclones are involved in the American Conference Finals. Cincinnati becomes only the third team in ECHL history to go to the league semifinals in three straight campaigns. Greensboro (1989-90-91) and Alaska (2004-05-06) are the others to accomplish the feat.
COMEBACK KIDS: The Cyclones have five come-from-behind victories in the Kelly Cup playoffs. The two games that were not comeback wins were game three of the South Carolina game, when Josh Heidinger scored in the 17th minute of overtime to break a scoreless tie and game seven on Wednesday.
DIRECTOR OF COMEBACKS: Cyclones Head Coach Chuck Weber has guided the club to five come-from-behind wins in these Kelly Cup playoffs and 15 in his four playoff seasons at the helm. In the four regular seasons under Weber's direction, Cincinnati has recorded 64 regular season comeback wins.
SPEAKING OF WEBER: Head Coach Chuck Weber has won 37 playoff games in his first four seasons as a mentor in the ECHL. Only Davis Payne (2004-07) with Alaska has won more games in that four year window--having notched 38th triumphs.
GOING THE DISTANCE. Wednesday was the sixth time in club history that the squad played in a winner-take-all game in the postseason. In the opening round against South Carolina, the Cyclones won in five games of a best of five and went the full seven games against Charlotte in the second round. Cincinnati is 4-2 when going to the full extent of a playoff series.
ELIMINATION GAMES: Under Head Coach Chuck Weber, the Cyclones are 5-2 in games that require a win to keep a playoff season alive. On the other side of the coin--in the past four years Cincinnati is 8-5 in games when it can eliminate its opponent from the postseason. Since the start of the 2008 Kelly Cup playoffs that record is 7-2.
THAT IS ODD: The Cyclones were perfect in all the odd numbered playoff contests (games one, three and five) prior to Friday night, posting a 7-0 record (which is now 7-1). However, the club is winless in the even numbered playoff games (two, four and six)--turning in a 0-5-1 slate.
CYCLONES AMONG THE POSTSEASON LEADERS: Besides Brett Robinson being tied for the league lead in goal scoring among rookies in the playoffs, several other Cyclones players are at the near top of the leaderboard. Jimmy Kilpatrick is tied for sixth in the league in scoring with eleven points and holds the lead for shots on goal (40). Hans Benson is third with 44 penalty minutes. Ryan Del Monte is second in the postseason with two fights. Maxime Lacroix and Robinson are tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with two apiece. Ian McKenzie is second in the ECHL in shooting percentage at 40.0. Robinson is seventh among rookies in scoring with seven points and is third among first-year players in shots with 31. Matt Pierce is tied for second in shorthanded assists by a rookie with one. Brian O'Hanley is fifth among defensemen with six points, while Brett Motherwell has three power play assists to tie for second among rearguards.
LIFE IN THE AHL: The Cincinnati Cyclones playoff roster features 23 players with a combined total of 542 games of American Hockey League experience. That is just 16 games more than Reading forward Gavin Morgan has collected in his eleven season playing career. The Royals, who feature two eleven year pros and an eight year veteran, have 1548 games of AHL experience on their roster.
GET SHORTY: With three shorthanded goals in the Charlotte series, the Cyclones lead the Kelly Cup playoffs with four man-disadvantage goals. Maxime Lacroix and Brett Robinson each have two apiece. Cincinnati led the ECHL during the regular season with 16 shorthanded goals.
ROBINSON RISES: Cyclones rookie forward Brett Robinson has all three Cyclones goals in the series against Reading in the American Conference Finals. Robinson has six in the playoffs and is tied with former Cyclone and current Stockton forward Chris D'Alvise for most lamplighters by a rookie.
WE'RE ONLY AT HOME ON THE ROAD...: Under Head Coach Chuck Weber, the Cyclones are 21-8-2 (.677 winning percentage) in playoff games away from U.S. Bank Arena. The club is 17-6-2 away from home since the start of the 2007-08 Kelly Cup playoffs. Cincinnati is second in the 2010 Kelly Cup playoffs with four road triumphs. The Cyclones are 4-2-1 in postseason playoff action this season.
THE THIRD PERIOD IS GREAT!: Cincinnati turned in a 2-19 record when trailing after two periods in the regular season. The Cyclones are 2-6 in the postseason when trailing after a pair of frames. Cincinnati is the only team in these playoffs to come from behind at the start of the third period to win a game on two different occasions.
BEEN THERE...AND DONE THAT: The Cyclones trail the Reading Royals two games to none in their best of seven American Conference Finals. Ironically, this is the second straight year the club has gone on the road for three straight playoff games after losing the first pair at home. In the North Division semifinals last season, Wheeling came into U.S. Bank Arena and dropped Cincinnati with a pair of losses. The Cyclones rebounded with three straight wins at WesBanco Arena before being blanked, 6-0, in the sixth game. Matt Syroczynski scored in the second overtime of game seven to advance the club.
SLOW STARTERS: The Cyclones have surrendered 39 goals in 14 games to the opposition in the Kelly Cup playoffs. Sixteen of those scores have come during the first period. Cincinnati is 3-6-1 when allowing the first goal of the game during the postseason.
WEBER GOOD IN BONUS TIME: The Cyclones are 6-2 under Chuck Weber in the Kelly Cup playoffs when a game goes into overtime. The only losses have been to South Carolina.
SMITH PROVIDES THE ERASER: Cyclones rookie goaltender Jeremy Smith has been solid for the club in the playoffs. Already Smith has won a decisive game five and a game seven. His seven victories in the playoffs are second-most and his 2.79 goals against average in fourth-best among netminders. Jeremy also leads the Kelly Cup playoffs with 877 minutes played, is second in saves (383) and fifth in save percentage at .912.
TUNE IN: The Cyclones are pleased to offer fans the opportunity to listen to games inside U.S. Bank Arena during the USA Collision Centers postseason march. Games will be available inside the arena on 106.1 FM.
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