The Cincinnati Cyclones are finally rolling 32 games into the season, securing their third consecutive win on Sunday on the road in Fort Wayne. They have moved out of last place in the ECHL standings, pulling one point ahead of the Utah Grizzlies with a record of 9-19-4 eight points and four games out of the final playoff spot). While there is still much work to be done, it’s encouraging to see this younger team finding cohesion and playing well for a full 60 minutes.
The winning streak began on the road in Bloomington, Illinois, on Friday night with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Bison. Lincoln Griffin led the way, scoring two goals, including the game-winner, while goaltender Vyacheslav Peksa stopped 28 of 30 shots.
Back home on Saturday night, the Cyclones defeated the Indy Fuel 4-2, with Dante Sheriff and Lincoln Griffin each contributing multi-point performances. Pavel Cajan had a solid outing, stopping 14 of 16 shots, aided by improved defensive efforts, which led to their first win over the Fuel this season, holding them to only 16 shots.
They capped off the weekend with a closely contested 3-2 road win against the Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday, thanks to goals from Chas Sharpe, Kyle Bollers, and Adam Tisdale. Mathieu Gosselin added two assists, while Vyacheslav Peksa performed admirably, saving 33 of 35 shots, including 13 in the third period.
Following these victories, the Cyclones improved to 9-0-0 when leading after two periods of play.
More Goals!
The Cyclones have won four out of their last five games, thanks to their improved defensive play and offensive contributions spread throughout the lineup. Lincoln Griffin has been impressive lately, leading the forwards with 20 points this season, scoring nine goals and 11 assists over 20 games. Ty Voit (18 points), Mathieu Gosselin (18 points), and Dante Sheriff (17 points) have also made significant contributions during this recent stretch, along with newcomer Braeden Kressler. Kressler scored the game-winning goal in overtime last weekend against Toledo, helping secure a huge 6-5 win. He has already tallied three goals and three assists in just six games, showing promise as a key offensive player moving forward.
Improved Defense = Better Goaltending
During this three-game winning streak, the Cyclones’ defensive play has significantly improved, particularly on the blue line. By preventing opponents from setting up in the offensive zone with hard-checking, they have limited grade-A scoring chances, especially while killing penalties, which currently stands at 77% for the season.
Vyacheslav Peksa and Pavel Cajan are expected to continue as the goaltending tandem unless Cajan receives a call-up to Cleveland, at which point Jon Gillies would step in as the second goaltender. Cajan has been the clear number one goalie for Cincinnati this season, with a 2.38 GAA and a .905 save percentage, despite holding a losing record of 3-7-1 in 11 games. Peksa follows with a 3.21 GAA and a .874 save percentage over 15 games.
If the defense continues to limit goals against, this team has a solid chance to maintain their winning ways and maybe even climb back up the ECHL standings.
What’s Up Next?
The Cyclones will now embark on a three-game road trip, facing the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Wednesday night, followed by a two-game series against the Atlanta Gladiators on Friday and Saturday. This is a crucial stretch for the team to continue their upward trajectory in the standings, but it will be challenging against the Ghost Pirates and Gladiators, both of whom have records above .500.
The Cyclones have struggled on the road this season, particularly against Eastern Conference opponents, having been swept in Norfolk and losing multiple times to the Wheeling Nailers on the road. Hopefully, this young team is finally turning a corner almost halfway through the season.
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