On Friday night, the Bloomington Bison (1-2-1) will face off against the Cincinnati Cyclones (0-2-2) for the first time in franchise history. The game will take place at the Heritage Bank Center, where the Cyclones will celebrate “Shutout the Hate” Pride Night with their annual Pride Jerseys. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 PM EST. Both teams have had a challenging start to the season, with the Cyclones still seeking their first win, having lost two games in regulation and two in overtime. Meanwhile, the Bison have managed one win in regulation but still hold a record 1-2-1. Both teams will be looking to secure a victory on Friday night and get their seasons back on the right track.
The Bison are off to a rough start this season on the power play, only capitalizing on 2/16 chances, while their PK units have killed 7/9 penalties. The power play has been dreadful for the Cyclones, only scoring 1/11 times, but their PK units are a perfect 11/11 on the season. Goal scoring for both teams has been average, with the Cyclones at seven goals and the Bison at ten on the season.
This upcoming game is crucial for the Cyclones, as they have yet to win this season. They must continue their strong performance on the penalty kill but will need to generate more offense by firing more shots on goal this weekend when they face the red-hot Toledo Walleye on the road on Saturday. Generating offense has been a persistent issue, largely due to a lack of chemistry among the forward lines. Hopefully, the top and bottom six forward groups will be back on track come Friday, with practice this week.
In terms of goaltending, Pavel Cajan has performed the best among the three goalies on the team. He has started only one game so far, the home opener, where the Cyclones lost 1-0 overtime to the Fuel. In that game, Cajan made 31 saves on 32 shots, keeping them in the game. I expect both Cajan and Peksa to start this weekend, but it will depend on Coach Jason Payne’s decision regarding who starts on each day.
Potential Lineup
Vaive – Boudens – Ashbrook
Griffin – Sherrif – Voit
Howdeshell – Isaacson – Gosselin
Frasca – Sikic – Bollers
Parsons – Murphy
Burnside – McCleary
Knyzhov – Sharpe
Cajan
Peksa
Players to Watch (Cincinnati)
Pavel Cajan: 0.99 GAA, 0.968 Save %, 0-0-1 Record
Nick Isaacson: 2 Goals, 0 Assists
Ryan McCleary: 1 Goal, 0 Assists
Players to Watch (Bloomington)
Mark Sinclair: 1.47 GAA, 0.949 Save %, 1-2-0 Record
Danny Katic: 3 Goals, 1 Assist
Case McCarthy: 2 Goals, 1 Assist
Where to Listen
Cincinnati Audio: Cincinnati Cyclones
Bloomington Audio: Bloomington Bison Audio Network
