On Friday night, the Zinzinnati Steins faced off against the Wichita Thunder at the Heritage Bank Center and came away with a huge 5-1 victory. It was an exciting “Alternate Identity” night as the rebranded Cyclones put on a show for the home crowd, scoring three goals in the third period to extend their point streak to six games.
First Period:
The Cyclones came out firing on all cylinders in the first period, launching an onslaught of shots on the Wichita netminder, Trevor Gorsuch. However, despite controlling the offensive zone for most of the first twenty minutes, nothing came out of this great offensive period for the Cyclones. They hit the post three times in the period, getting most of the grade-A chances from winning the majority of puck battles.
Cincinnati goaltender Pavel Cajan had what was probably the easiest period of the season, facing only five shots on goal and stopping all of them as the game went into the second tied at 0-0.
Second Period:
Wichita’s luck eventually ran out just over two minutes into the middle frame, when Ryan McCleary fired the puck home into an empty net after a slick pass from Ty Voit, putting the Steins up 1-0. This was McCleary’s fourth goal of the season.
Right after a Braeden Kressler tripping penalty expired, the Cyclones broke out onto a four-on-two, where Braeden Kressler backhanded the puck home after two rebounds off goalie Trevor Gorsuch. Picking up the two assists were Mathieu Gosselin and Elijah Vilio, both of whom nearly scored the goal.
After two periods of play, the Cyclones led 2-0, with a shot total of 30 to 10, putting on an offensive clinic up to this point. Defensively, they were just as good, allowing zero grade-A looks through the first 40 minutes and holding strong at their defensive blue line.
Third Period:
Thunder forward Kobe Walker finally got Wichita on the board with 13:35 left in the third period, trimming the Cyclones’ lead to 2-1. Forward Michal Stinil displayed good stick work in the slot and centered a pass to Walker, who beat Cajan for the goal.
However, the Cyclones quickly struck back only 51 seconds later. Forward Lincoln Griffin capitalized on a 2-on-1 rush, scoring with a fantastic setup from defenseman Steven MacLean. This goal not only widened the Steins’ lead to 3-1 but also marked Griffin’s 20th goal of the season, extending his point streak to six games.
After that, it was all Cyclones. Chris Dodero added another goal, his eighth of the season, with a clever play assisted by Voit, who shone by contributing two assists and earning first star honors for the night.
Brayden Guy capped off the scoring for the Cyclones, netting his first goal since joining the team and marking his 12th of the season with a play right in front of the crease. Griffin assisted on that goal as well, achieving his fourth multi-point game in just six outings.
Ultimately, the Steins, also known as the Cyclones, secured a convincing 5-1 win, improving their record to 22-25-9-0 and keeping them tied with the Bloomington Bison for the last Central playoff spot.
Looking ahead, the Cyclones will head north to face a familiar rival, the Toledo Walleye, on Saturday night at the Huntington Center. Puck drop is set for 7:15 p.m. ET.
Three Stars of the Game:
- Lincoln Griffin – 1 G, 1 A
- Ty Voit – 2 A
- Braeden Kressler – 1 G (GWG)
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