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jevers
Administrator
USA
1367 Posts |
 Posted - 05/08/2010 : 10:01:27 PM
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READING, Pennsylvania - The Cincinnati Cyclones staved off postseason elimination with a 6-4 win over the Reading Royals at the Sovereign Center on Saturday night. A crowd of 5502 was ready to launch its team into the Kelly Cup Finals with a victory that was stymied by a three point night from Dustin Sproat, who also recorded a pair of goals. Reading now leads the best of seven series, three games to one.
The victory ended an eight game winning streak for the Royals and was the first time in the Kelly Cup playoffs this season that Reading had lost in regulation time. The Royals were 10-0-2 entering the contest.
This was the fourth game of the American Conference Finals, a series that the Cyclones have advanced into three consecutive seasons-joining Greensboro (1989-91) and Alaska (2004-06) as ECHL teams to accomplish this. The fifth game in this round of the USA Collision Centers postseason for the Cyclones occurs tomorrow night at 7pm. The game will be carried on ESPN 1530. The winner of this series will play the winner of the National Conference Finals (Idaho v. Stockton) for the Kelly Cup. If a sixth game is needed, it would be played at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday night (May 11) in a 7:30pm clash on a Big Beer Tuesday promotion. Two dollar twenty-four ounce Molson, Molson Ice and Labatts are the specials.
For the fifth time in the postseason, the Cyclones scored the opening goal of the game. Dustin Sproat slipped his fourth lamplighter of the playoffs past Reading goaltender Matt Dalton at 10:08. Barret Ehgoetz and Mathieu Aubin had the assists on the score. A power play goal from Ryan Cruthers evened things up at one apiece at 18:29. Cruthers stuffed the puck just inside the left post in a scramble next to Cincinnati netminder Jeremy Smith, Andrew Sarauer had the assist. Just 27 seconds later, at 18:56, rookie Josh Heidinger's second professional goal gave Cincinnati the lead. Reid Cashman passed up a shot from the center point and fired it to the bottom of the left circle for Heidinger, who walked the goal line, stick handled to his backhand at the top of the crease and pushed it under Dalton. Mark Van Guilder had the second assist on the score. The Royals would tie the game with 15.4 seconds left in the frame as Alex Berry cut across the slot and took a feed from Stefano Giliati and Cruthers. Reading outshot Cincinnati, 10-9, in the period.
Cincinnati would score three unanswered goals to open the lead up to 5-3 after two periods. Ryan Del Monte would streak up the left wing side, slide past the Royals defense, cut to the front of the net and slip his second score of the postseason past Dalton. Hans Benson and Dustin Sproat had the assists. Three and a half minutes later, at 6:54, Ian McKenzie received a puck at the bottom of the right circle and collected his third tally of the postseason from Heidinger. Brian O'Hanley's shot in the slot over the shoulder of Dalton made it a 5-2 score. O'Hanley's third goal came from Van Guilder and Brett Motherwell. Six seconds after a Reading power play expired, Giliati netted his fourth score from Andrew Sarauer and Marc Cavosie at 13:54. The Royals won the shots battle, 14-10, in the second stanza.
Sproat's second goal of the night, and fifth of the playoffs, at 1:32 of the third made the score 6-3. Motherwell and Ehgoetz had the assists on the tally that equaled the playoff high for goals permitted by the Royals Reading closed out the scoring at 4:36 when Rob Kwiet netted his second of the postseason from Jared Ross and Giliati. The shots favored Reading, 8-3, in the period and 32-22 for the game.
Jeremy Smith stopped 28 shots in picking up his eighth win of the postseason, while Matt Dalton took the loss with a 16 save performance. The Cyclones were one for three on the power play, while Reading was one for four with the extra attacker.
The Cyclones posted a 44-25-3 record in the regular season and entered the postseason as the fifth placed team in the American Conference. Cincinnati upset fourth-seeded and defending Kelly Cup champion South Carolina in the opening round. The best of five series went the full five conteststhe last three being decided in overtime, at Charleston. In the semifinals, the Cyclones went a full seven games before knocking off Charlotte-the regular season American Conference champion. This is Cincinnati's fourth trip to the conference finals, the club has won one of the other three visits.
The Royals turned in a 37-29-6 record to finish in seventh place in the American Conference standings. Reading upended North Division champion Kalamazoo in five games and then swept sixth-seeded Florida in four games. This is the club's second trip to the conference finals-having lost to Florida in its other trip in 2005.
Tickets for the 2010-11 Cincinnati Cyclones season are now on sale, as will as games in the American Conference Finals round. The Cyclones Sales Department can be reached at 513-421-PUCK, extension 3. All road Kelly Cup playoff games will be carried on ESPN 1530 and on the club's website at: www.cycloneshockey.com.
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tamg4393
(The Next Level!)
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2010 : 10:02:49 PM
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| They win! BUT, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Tomorrows game referee is none other than Jarrod Ragusin:( Have we won any games under his watch? |
2008 Kelly cup champs, the best Cyclones team ever! |
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SCUBA
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
584 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2010 : 10:18:46 PM
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Prior to this game the Clones needed to be more afraid of themselves rather than the ref. Hopefully we can at least get back home for another game.
More importantly the Clones got through that invisible fence that was Dalton, to coin a phrase from the Predator movie, "if it bleeds, then we can kill it"...cheers to the greatest comeback |
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tjpavlik
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2010 : 10:19:19 PM
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I'm less concerned about the officials than I am with the defense. Our defense was very porous tonight with Smith playing an outstanding game having to make spectacular saves on chances that should have been stymied by our defensemen. Reading's powerplay looked pretty potent. (Hint: here comes the forward crashing the net from the weak side looking for a redirect/contact with the goaltender...)
It was nice to see the offense show up again and make Dalton look human. (Way to give up half a dozen!)
One game at a time now. |
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hrc666
(Loves To Post!)
1363 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2010 : 03:56:04 AM
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Good character win for the Cyclones.
They could have just packed it in and been satisfied with a decent season when Reading got the two quick goals in the first period.
The team has been in a deep offensive slump for quite some time and Dalton has been playing way over his head the entire post season. Reading had not lost a game in regulation throughout the entire playoffs. I'll call this game a testament to the law of averages.
I've counted this team out in both of the previous rounds. Hopefully my track record will remain perfect |
"The only way David Desharnais will see an NHL game is if he buys a ticket".
--donnie hockey
"David Desharnais will be invisible during 5 on 5 hockey. IN THE AHL"
--donnie hockey
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Edited by - hrc666 on 05/09/2010 03:57:04 AM |
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cycfanforever
(The Next Level!)
154 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2010 : 08:01:34 AM
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It was nice to see the offense show up again and make Dalton look human.
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Maybe there is still hope, but it depends on which Cyclones team decides to show up!
I've said all along that the Cyclones can beat the best of the best, but they have to come out and play like they all capable of, not like what I've seen in the first 3 games against Reading!
Lets hope that same team shows up tonight so we can all be back at USBA Tuesday!!! |
You Miss 100% of the Shots You Never Take.
Wayne Gretzky!
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git er done
Larry the Cable Guy
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"LETS GO CYCLONES"
2007-2008
2009-2010
"KELLY CUP CHAMPS"
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