The Cincinnati Cyclones hosted their former Central Division rival, the Wheeling Nailers, on Wednesday night in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, where fans enjoyed $2 beer night. Historically, these two teams faced each other multiple times each season, but the Nailers have since moved to the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Nailers came into this game after a 2-1 victory over the Bloomington Bison at home on Saturday night. Pavel Cajan was starting in net for the Cyclones, making his third consecutive start, while Sergei Murashov took the net for the Nailers.
Beginning the first period, the action was back and forth in both zones, with both goaltenders making early saves. Just over five minutes into the period, Tristan Ashbrook was penalized for tripping, sending the Nailers to the power play. Shortly after the power play ended, Atley Calvert scored for Wheeling, netting his second goal of the season and giving the Nailers an early 1-0 lead. The Nailers quickly extended their lead when Sam Houde scored with a one-timer, making it 2-0. With a minute and a half left in the first period, Rhett Parsons tripped a Nailer as he attacked the net, resulting in a late power play for Wheeling, which carried over into the second period. The first period ended with a score of 2-0 in favor of the Nailers, and shots were 12 to 2 in favor of Wheeling, an unacceptable stat for the Cyclones.
The Cyclones came out of the locker room and successfully killed off a penalty, trying to regain momentum in the game. However, just three minutes into the second period, the Cyclones were assessed a bench minor for having too many men on the ice—another frustrating penalty—and Wheeling was unable to take advantage of it. Their bad luck continued when defenseman Matt Murphy received a questionable tripping minor with around twelve minutes left in the second period. Fortunately, the Cyclones’ PK units remained strong, helping them stay within reach. Midway through the second period, the Cyclones had managed a disappointing four shots and generated very little offensive pressure. However, Ty Voit fired a puck that was tipped in by Tristan Ashbrook, trimming the deficit to 2-1. The Cyclones continued to push in the offensive zone, and Mathieu Gosselin eventually tied the game, maneuvering around a defender and sliding a shot through the five-hole of Sergei Murashov for his first goal of the season. The Cyclones kept pressure on the Nailers for the remainder of the period, totaling eleven shots in the second. They went into the intermission tied at 2-2.
The Cyclones started the third with an early man advantage on the power play when David Drake was called for interference; however, they were unable to take advantage of the opportunity. About four minutes into the third period, Pavel Cajan made an impressive glove save on a Grade A chance from the Nailers. Just over five minutes into the period, Chris Ortiz of the Nailers received a high-sticking penalty, but the Wheeling penalty kill stood strong once again and successfully killed the penalty. Around ten minutes left in regulation, Kyle Jackson gave Wheeling a 3-2 lead by sneaking the puck past Cajan’s blocker. The Nailers continued to give the Cyclones chances, as Atley Calvert was called for tripping, sending the Cyclones back on the power play. Unfortunately, the power play remained lifeless, recording zero shots and generating no offensive zone pressure. With under five minutes left in regulation, the Cyclones found themselves in a desperate situation once again. The Nailers then put “the nail” in the coffin when Sam Houde scored his second goal of the match with four minutes remaining in the third period. Wheeling continued to press, with Jordan Martel getting around Pavel Cajan and sliding the puck past his blocker to extend the lead to 5-2 late in regulation. The game ended with the Nailers winning 5-2.
The Cyclones remain winless on the season as they fell to 0-5-2, and panic has started to set in here in Cincinnati.
Wednesday night was another sad performance from Cincinnati. They only had one good ten-minute stretch late in the second period. Defensive lapses again hung goaltender Pavel Cajan out to dry, as he gave up five goals. Throughout the other parts of the game, it appeared as if the team was going through the motions, which is not a great sign of what is to come.
Final Stats (Wheeling):
36 Shots on Goal
1/5 Power Play
3/3 Penalty Kill
Final Stats (Cincinnati):
20 Shots on Goal
0/3 Power Play
4/5 Penalty Kill
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Keep pushing and playing cyclones, it will go your way.