ECHL Announces Fines and Suspensions l 02/06/2025

The ECHL Department of Player Safety made two fines and suspensions today regarding last night’s Central Division matchup between the Iowa Heartlanders and Cincinnati Cyclones. In two separate incidents, two Heartlanders players found themselves in hot water.

Nathan Noel has been handed a two-game suspension and has also received an undisclosed fine for a match penalty stemming from an illegal check to the head he executed at 13:58 in the second period. This dangerous play resulted in a five-minute power play for Cincinnati, but they unfortunately struggled to capitalize on the man advantage, finishing the game 0-for-4 on the power play.

Later in the game, Iowa’s Nico Blachman kneed Braeden Kressler of Cincinnati at the neutral zone, resulting in Kressler needing assistance to leave the ice, which has left many concerned about the extent of his injury. Here’s hoping for a swift recovery for Kressler, who is a key speedster for the Cyclones in the top six forward group.

As a consequence of his actions, Blachman will also sit out for two games and face an undisclosed fine under Rule #28 – Supplementary Discipline. Frankly, I believe this decision is warranted given the severity of the check to the head.

Both Blachman and Noel will be absent from the upcoming matches against the Kalamazoo Wings this Friday and Saturday.

Despite having the advantage on special teams, Cincinnati still fell 2-0, with Iowa’s Kyle McClellan standing strong, saving all 25 shots that came his way. This victory improved Iowa’s record to 24-14-4-3, while Cincinnati’s record dropped to 16-22-7-0. Will Zmolek and Matthew Sop (who was just recalled to the Iowa Wild of the AHL) provided the goals for Iowa in Wednesday night’s game.