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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
 Posted - 05/12/2013 : 07:26:02 AM
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Okay I guess I'll try starting the topic on what happened. First off the
team we started the year with was not the team we finished with. Early
on we had some AHL level players that gave us speed and shooting ability.
At the end, we had ECHL level players that couldn't keep up with Reading.
Last night we couldn't keep up and when we did get a break away chance,
Reading chased us down before we got a shot off. Gill outplayed a tired
Houser that in the end was scrambling all he could to feed pucks back to
our defensemen. I won't even talk about game 4 because I hope to never
see a Cyclone team play like that again. Here's the final game:
http://www.echl.com/stats/text-game-report.php?game_id=10590
Good luck Reading. You outplayed us and showed why you were the #1 seed. |
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Hakeedude
(Been Here Awhile)
524 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 08:44:22 AM
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1st of all, not to take away Reading's achievements in the slightest, I believe we outplayed them but ran into an extremely hot goalie. Without someone like Riley Gill, I believe we win the series, especially as close as all of the games were. But since he's part of the team, that means that Reading played the better series.
Congratulations to Reading and its fans. Good luck in the finals! |
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King Of The Monkeys
(Finally Got A Star!)
70 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 09:31:23 AM
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My take is different from yours. I think the Cyclones ran out of gas in the series. They DOMINATED shots on goal at the beginning of the series, but that offensive aggressiveness wore off as the series continued.
Once the Royals got a two goal lead last night, their defense locked us up tight. The last period Reading played a 5-man penalty kill defense and we couldn't get good passing lanes or quality shots.
I will grant you that perhaps there were some lucky goals for Reading early in the series, but when you beat a team 4 games to 1, with three of them on the road, you can't deny that the best team won.
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Reggie Dunlop
(The Next Level!)
USA
399 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 10:13:24 AM
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| For much of the series, the two teams seemed pretty evenly matched. However, last night Reading was the better team. They asserted themselves with speed and physical play. They won the majority of loose pucks and board battles, as well as used their speed to disrupt the Cyclone in their own zone and recover on the backcheck. And Gill was going to stop everything he saw. Ultimately, I believe the better team won, however, they were not invincible and could have been beaten with a couple of breaks and a goaltender who could have stolen a game. |
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Donnie Hockey
(Loves To Post!)
USA
1514 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 10:21:57 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by bags
First the team we started the year with was not the team we finished with. Early on we had some AHL level players that gave us speed and shooting ability. At the end, we had ECHL level players that couldn't keep up with Reading.
Same for every other team in the ECHL. |
www.twitter.com/donhelbig |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 11:21:21 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Donnie Hockey
quote:
Originally posted by bags
First the team we started the year with was not the team we finished with. Early on we had some AHL level players that gave us speed and shooting ability. At the end, we had ECHL level players that couldn't keep up with Reading.
Same for every other team in the ECHL.
Crawl back under the rock DH. What I'm saying was the first month of the
season we were dominating play. When the NHL settled we lost our AHL level
players and the remaining players at the end were not the same level. You
love to stir the pot but the season is over. By the way, my opinion- and
my opinion only- is Weber still is a better ECHL coach than Skalde. I'm
not talking AHL because Skalde has never coached that level !
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tamg4393
(The Next Level!)
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 12:08:36 PM
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I agree with bags on this one!
quote:
Originally posted by bags
quote:
Originally posted by Donnie Hockey
quote:
Originally posted by bags
First the team we started the year with was not the team we finished with. Early on we had some AHL level players that gave us speed and shooting ability. At the end, we had ECHL level players that couldn't keep up with Reading.
Same for every other team in the ECHL.
Crawl back under the rock DH. What I'm saying was the first month of the
season we were dominating play. When the NHL settled we lost our AHL level
players and the remaining players at the end were not the same level. You
love to stir the pot but the season is over. By the way, my opinion- and
my opinion only- is Weber still is a better ECHL coach than Skalde. I'm
not talking AHL because Skalde has never coached that level !
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2008 Kelly cup champs, the best Cyclones team ever! |
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dbc
(Been Here Awhile)
865 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 12:35:19 PM
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Two evenly matched teams which should be the case in conference finals. What that means is that unless a super hot goaltender emerges--which it didn't- the series is decided by which team is able to take advantages of bounces, and breaks etc like a puck bouncing off a leg or skate which are normal parts of the game. Reading did this better than we did. This series though was tremendously influenced by a break that is not a normal part of the game which was the tying goal in game one which was one of those freak plays bouncing off the glass into the open net instead of continuing around the boards to behind the net where Hauser was headed to stop it. Take that away and the Cyclones win game one and the whole series dynamics and strategies is changed. This is what makes hockey such a great game. It is 60 minutes of grinding and being constantly ready to take advantage of slight breaks etc. You can't let up a minute.
I also think the series was influenced greatly by the loss of Trevor Lewis. He was playing great in the playoffs-perhaps better than anyone- with more than a point a game and his ability to find the open man and make things happen was a big big loss.
All in all a good season of entertainment and especially watching the effort demonstrated by the team playing as a team. Hope the boys are proud of what they accomplished. Thanks to all the players and coaches. Nothing to be ashamed of. It was a pleasure watching you play and grow throughout the year. Thanks. See you in October |
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SCUBA
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
584 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 1:46:26 PM
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| I wonder if starting Foster sometime in the series might have changed a game or two? I don't think Reading out played us, It was said before take a few lucky bounces out of the game and maybe we win a couple of those close games, but that is like saying "take the rain out of the forcast and it will be sunny". I've already placed a hex on Reading. I have NEVER been one to gracefully wish any team luck, quite the opposite. I hope that Reading will be cursed with all the unfortunate bounces that doomed the Cyclones |
Edited by - SCUBA on 05/12/2013 1:57:20 PM |
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Shorty_Rock
(Finally Got A Star!)
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 3:02:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by SCUBA
I wonder if starting Foster sometime in the series might have changed a game or two? I don't think Reading out played us, It was said before take a few lucky bounces out of the game and maybe we win a couple of those close games, but that is like saying "take the rain out of the forcast and it will be sunny". I've already placed a hex on Reading. I have NEVER been one to gracefully wish any team luck, quite the opposite. I hope that Reading will be cursed with all the unfortunate bounces that doomed the Cyclones
I don't think Foster would have made any difference. Considering two OT goals were scored because there were 2 or 3 guys below their own goal line leaving a guy uncovered with time and space in front of your net.
I agree with DBC in that the biggest difference in this series was a ridiculous (and uncalled) slash on Lewis towards the end of the Gwinette series. |
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Catch22
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
676 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 4:50:52 PM
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Once you get to a conference finals series, especially against a team with a strong goaltender, you MUST convert opportunities to points and you can't make mistakes. The Cyclones didn't do the former and had a couple of issues with the latter.
The shorty from Reading last night was the back breaker. The Cyclones were deflated after than and never really recovered. Earlier in the game McFarland was looking at a wide open goal and couldn't convert.
When you are in an elimination game these little things add up, a missed chance here and a mistake there and you're packing up your locker. Reading deserves to move on and good luck to them.
Great season by the home team though. Hey, we won the division, will hang another banner next season, and were still playing well into May. That's a good year!
Too bad there still are less than 2000 hockey fans in Cincinnati though. Our attendance in the playoffs was disgraceful. I suppose people were busy paying 3x as much to watch the Reds not score any runs. :(
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Yes, I grew up playing hockey... In Alabama. |
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BP2011
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
531 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 5:48:04 PM
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I will say this, Skalde out of the three years he has been here had his best year this year. North Division Championship, ECHL Coach of the Year and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Yes he had great players, but he was able to get them to be together night in and night out. Now he is no Chuck Weber at this level but just look at the year 2012-2013 and he did a good job. Now obviously comments will come along but Skalde has a record of 110-90-27 in the ECHL regardless of what happens he will in all likely hood be back next year unless he is hired by the AHL, learn it, live it, deal with it. I for one was happy he was finally able to bring hockey back to May in Cincy once again.
Now the question is who will come back, who stays in the A, who goes elsewhere in the E and who takes the ship over to Europe????
And in a + note attendance wise not a single game under 1,000!!!! |
08, 10 Kelly Cup Champions
08, 10, 14 American Conference Champions
08, 09, 13 North Division Champions
08 Brabham Cup Champions |
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SinBin
(Rookie)
9 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 6:59:11 PM
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Why can't they get more than 2,000 fans to an elimination game, though? I know, the Reds had just finished, but come on Cincinnati! Your Cyclones needed you to step up and be there for them, and you didn't do your job.
We've won two Kelly Cups and four division titles over seven years, and we still only get three or four articles a season in the Enquirer and paltry attendance. The Clones deserve more respect. End of story. |
OOOOOHHHH...C-YA! |
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Catch22
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
676 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 7:37:47 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by SinBin
Why can't they get more than 2,000 fans to an elimination game, though? I know, the Reds had just finished, but come on Cincinnati! Your Cyclones needed you to step up and be there for them, and you didn't do your job.
We've won two Kelly Cups and four division titles over seven years, and we still only get three or four articles a season in the Enquirer and paltry attendance. The Clones deserve more respect. End of story.
I've said it before, I'll say it again...
CINCINNATI IS NOT A HOCKEY TOWN!!!
Yes, attendance is better now than it was in 2007 when some games had maybe 500 people in the seats, but two championships later the town just doesn't support the team.
What we have is about 2000 (maybe less) actual hockey fans. The rest are there because the beer is $1 or kids eat free or for the stupid damned snow globe. So when the tickets go up $3 each, the parking is more expensive (thanks Reds), and the games aren't promoted well in advance due to the nature of the playoffs... All you get in the building are the real fans.
Which is about 1500 to 2000 people. It's sad, but just accept it because it's true.
In this town, even though we have one of the best franchises in their league, hockey slots in somewhere behind high school football in the pyramid of importance for local fans.
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Yes, I grew up playing hockey... In Alabama. |
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SinBin
(Rookie)
9 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 9:10:31 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Catch22
I've said it before, I'll say it again...
CINCINNATI IS NOT A HOCKEY TOWN!!!
Yes, attendance is better now than it was in 2007 when some games had maybe 500 people in the seats, but two championships later the town just doesn't support the team.
What we have is about 2000 (maybe less) actual hockey fans. The rest are there because the beer is $1 or kids eat free or for the stupid damned snow globe. So when the tickets go up $3 each, the parking is more expensive (thanks Reds), and the games aren't promoted well in advance due to the nature of the playoffs... All you get in the building are the real fans.
Which is about 1500 to 2000 people. It's sad, but just accept it because it's true.
In this town, even though we have one of the best franchises in their league, hockey slots in somewhere behind high school football in the pyramid of importance for local fans.
Yes, I agree with everything you said.
I just checked the league's attendance records, the Clones were 14th in the league for both the regular season and the playoffs, but had the highest average regular season attendance of their 7 years with 4,447, which isn't too bad.
I know our attendance will never be like that of the IHL days, but we should be able to get more people in the door. These guys play their hearts out and deserve more than 1,858 people cheering them on in a win-or-die home game. Maybe they should have offered a discount for those leaving the Reds game (yesterday's attendance: 41,678). I would have gladly stood outside of the Reds game in order to entice people into going to last night's game. I'm not sure if the crowd would have made a difference, but it would have been awesome to have 10,000 people there coming from the Reds game. |
OOOOOHHHH...C-YA! |
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Cyclonesdiehard
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
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