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jevers
Administrator
USA
1367 Posts |
 Posted - 05/09/2010 : 10:16:04 PM
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READING, Pennsylvania - The Cincinnati Cyclones got a pair of goals from Mathieu Aubin and a 29 save shutout from Robert Mayer to collect a 5-0 win from the Reading Royals on Sunday night. The win brings the Cyclones closer in the best of seven series, now trailing just three games to two.
This was the fifth game of the American Conference Finals, a series that the Cyclones have advanced into three consecutive seasons-joining Greensboro (1989-91) and Alaska (2004-06) as ECHL teams to accomplish this. The sixth game in this round of the USA Collision Centers postseason for the Cyclones occurs Tuesday night (May 11) in a 7:30pm clash on a Big Beer Tuesday promotion at U.S. Bank Arena. Two dollar twenty-four ounce Molson, Molson Ice and Labatts are the specials. The winner of this series will play the winner of the National Conference Finals (where Idaho currently leads Stockton, three games to two) for the Kelly Cup. If a seventh game is needed in this series, it would be played at U.S. Bank Arena on Wednesday night (May 12) at 7:30pm. That would be a Wet Wednesday with one dollar Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller High Life being the specials.
The victory is the 39th for Chuck Weber in the postseason, marking the most by any coach in the ECHL over any four year stretch in league history. Previously, Davis Payne of Alaska had 38 wins between 2004-07.
This was the fourth time in the Kelly Cup playoffs that the Cyclones won a game when a loss would end their season. In elimination games over the four seasons under Weber, Cincinnati is 7-2.
The Cyclones scored the opening goal of the game at 2:59 of the first period. Mathieu Aubin netted his second goal of the postseason with a blast from the left wing side even with the top of the circle. Brett Motherwell and Dustin Sproat had the assists on the score. Cincinnati outshot the Royals, 7-4, in the opening frame.
For the fifth time in the Kelly Cup playoffs, the Cyclones registered three or more goals in a period. Ryan Del Monte collected his third score of the postseason at eleven seconds of the stanza after ripping a shot from the left faceoff circle. Ian McKenzie and Mark Van Guilder had the assists on the power play score. The lead went to 3-0, when Josh Heidinger poked a loose puck out of a scrum from in front of the Reading net for his third goal. Maxime Lacroix and Van Guilder had the assists on the tally at 6:13. Late in the period, at 17:23, Sproat picked up his sixth score of the playoffs and third in the past two gamesripping a shot from the left faceoff circle. Barret Ehgoetz and Brian O'Hanley had the helpers on the score. The shots favored the Royals, 17-15, in the frame.
In the third period, the fireworks continued. Aubin picked up his second score of the night and third of the playoffs at 14:28 on the power play, taking passes from Reid Cashman and Jason Jozsa. Frustration for the Royals boiled over and during the final four minutes of the game, as three fights were penalizedincluding one scrum that involved all five Cyclones skaters and sieven players of Reading. A total of 58 penalty minutes were whistled in that fray that happened with 2:45 remaining. The shots on goal in the third period again favored Reading, 8-7, and for the game the shots total was even at 29 each. The penalty minutes were skewed Reading's way for the night, 64-30.
Robert Mayer collected his first victory in his first professional playoff start. He stopped all 29 shots he faced. Matt Dalton stopped 18 of the 22 shots he faced in the first two periods before yielding to Andrew Engelage, who kicked away six of the seven shots he faced. Cincinnati was two for seven on the power play, while Reading was shutout in three tries with the man-advantage.
The Cyclones posted a 44-25-3 record in the regular season and entered the postseason as the fifth placed team in the American Conference. Cincinnati upset fourth-seeded and defending Kelly Cup champion South Carolina in the opening round. The best of five series went the full five contests-the last three being decided in overtime, all at Charleston. In the semifinals, the Cyclones went a full seven games before knocking off Charlotte-the regular season American Conference champion. This is Cincinnati's fourth trip to the conference finals, the club has won one of the other three visits.
The Royals turned in a 37-29-6 record to finish in seventh place in the American Conference standings. Reading upended North Division champion Kalamazoo in five games and then swept sixth-seeded Florida in four games. This is the club's second trip to the conference finals-having lost to Florida in its other trip in 2005.
Tickets for the 2010-11 Cincinnati Cyclones season are now on sale, as will as games in the American Conference Finals round. The Cyclones Sales Department can be reached at 513-421-PUCK, extension 3. All road Kelly Cup playoff games will be carried on ESPN 1530 and on the club's website at: www.cycloneshockey.com.
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