The Cincinnati Cyclones hosted the Kalamazoo Wings on Thanksgiving Eve in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, following a long ten-day break without a game. The Wings entered the matchup after being swept in a three-game series against the Florida Everblades last weekend, looking to get back on track. Similarly, the Cyclones desperately needed a win, having won only once in their first twelve games. Vyacheslav Peksa started in net for the Cyclones, while Jonathan Lemieux was in goal for the Wings.
First Period:
The Cyclones jumped out to an early lead after Remy Parker one-timed a pass from Dante Sheriff into the net, giving the Cincy an early 1-0 lead, scoring his first goal of the season.
Peksa continued to make saves in tight, holding onto the 1-0 lead midway through the first. With just nine minutes left in the first, defenseman Phillip Beaulieu of Kalamazoo took an interference penalty in their defensive zone, and the Cyclones’ power play came close but could not add to the lead. Just under four minutes left in the period, Mathieu Gosselin stole a puck from two Wings defensemen, leading to a breakaway where he completely faked out Lemieux with a backhand goal, giving Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.
The Cyclones led 2-0 heading into the first intermission, leading the shot total 16-10.
Second Period:
Throughout the first half of the second, Peksa made a flurry of saves, keeping the lead at two goals for Cincinnati. With 6:15 to go in the middle frame, Kyle Bollers fired a shot past Lemieux, extending the lead to 3-0 with his third goal of the season.
Around a minute left in the second, Nick Isaacson of Cincy took a slashing penalty, which later carried over into the third as the period ended 3-0 in favor of the Cyclones.
Third Period:
The Cyclones were back at full strength just into the final period of regulation, killing their second penalty of the game. Around seven minutes into the third, Ayden MacDonald of the Wings took a roughing penalty in front of their net, stopping the Cyclones from easily scoring a goal. During the power play, Jaden Shields of the Wings was caught slashing, sending the Cyclones back on the power play right after the previous one ended. Right after the power play expired, Lincoln Griffin stole a puck behind the net and fed a perfect pass to Tristan Ashbrook, who slapped it into the net, scoring his second goal of the season and extending the lead to 4-0.
Having no mercy, the Cyclones added to their lead, making it 5-0 as Mason McCarty threw a puck toward the net, which Lemieux could not handle as he fell backward with the puck in his glove.
The game later ended 5-0 in favor of the Cyclones, improving their record to 2-8-3, while the Wings fell to 6-8-1.
The Cyclones looked like a completely different team on Wednesday night, laying checks and firing tons of shots, which had been missing from their game so far this season. Defensively, they limited the Wings’ offensive possession time, stopping their rushing attack at the blue line the entire game. Goaltender Vyacheslav Peksa was outstanding for Cincinnati, saving all 25 shots he faced, earning his first win and shutout of the season. Hopefully, this performance is something to build off of for the Cyclones as they aim to turn their season around and climb the standings, now sitting with a total of 7 points in the standings. Next up, they will host the Wheeling Nailers for a Black Friday matinee game, where they will debut their Peanuts jerseys. The puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 PM EST.
Three Stars of the Game:
1) Vyacheslav Peksa – 25/25 Saves, 5-0 Shutout
2) Tristan Ashbrook – 1 Goal, 1 Assist
3) Dante Sheriff – 1 Assist
Cincinnati Team Stats:
Final Shots: 36
Power Play: 0/3
Penalty Kill: 2/2
Kalamazoo Team Stats:
Final Shots: 25
Power Play: 0/1
Penalty Kill: 3/3
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