The Cincinnati Cyclones delivered a massive 6-1 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday night. This much-needed win improved their record to 23-29-10-0 and brought them within five points of the Central Division’s final playoff spot. While their playoff hopes remain slim, the Cyclones aren’t out of the race just yet, with 10 games remaining on the season.
The game was filled with standout performances, highlighted by four Cyclones with multi-point nights. Lincoln Griffin led the charge with an impressive four points—one goal and three assists—while Mathieu Gosselin contributed two goals of his own.
First Period:
The Wings struck quickly, opening the scoring just 1:34 into the game. Drake Pilon fired a shot through traffic that snuck past Cyclones goalie Vyacheslav Peksa, giving Kalamazoo a 1-0 lead. Phil Beaulieu and Luke Morgan earned assists on Pilon’s fourth goal of the season.
Cincinnati answered back with a stunning breakaway goal from Ty Voit. The forward snapped a “bar-down” shot over the shoulder of goalie Jonathan Lemieux, tying the game 1-1. Elijah Vilio was credited with an assist, marking Voit’s first goal in 24 games.
Second Period:
In the second period, the Cyclones grabbed their first lead of the game. Mathieu Gosselin capitalized on a lucky bounce when a shot from Chas Sharpe missed the net but ricocheted off the end wall, landing right in front of a scrambling Lemieux. Gosselin buried the rebound for his 11th goal of the season. Voit also earned an assist on the play.
Later in the period, Gosselin struck again just as a Cyclones power play expired. Lincoln Griffin set him up beautifully with a pass to the slot, and Gosselin made no mistake, notching his second goal of the game. Elijah Vilio earned his second assist of the night on the play. The Cincinnati Cyclones went into the intermission up 3-1.
Third Period:
Cincinnati kept their foot on the gas in the final period, starting with Chas Sharpe. The defenseman joined the rush and finished a crisp passing play involving Griffin and Dante Sheriff, extending the lead to 4-1.
Lincoln Griffin then added another highlight to his night, scoring his 22nd goal of the season—a career-best—off a pass from Steven MacLean. Griffin’s tally gave Cincinnati a commanding 5-1 advantage.
To wrap things up, Remy Parker scored a power play goal with assists from Griffin and Curtis Hall. This marked Griffin’s 47th point of the season, setting a new career-high and surpassing his previous best of 46 from the 2021-22 season. Parker’s goal sealed the Cyclones’ 6-1 triumph.
Cincinnati goaltender Vyacheslav Peksa made 23/24 saves on the night to pick up his eighth win of the season, improving his record to 8-13-3.
Three Stars of the Game
1) Lincoln Griffin – 1 G, 3 A
2) Mathieu Gosselin – 2 G
3) Ty Voit – 1 G, 1 A
The Cyclones will meet the Wings again on Sunday afternoon at Heritage Bank Center for another crucial matchup. The puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. ET.
ITR 43: It's Winning Time – Inside The Rink
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