Release from the Cyclones: CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Cincinnati Cyclones wiped out a three goal deficit and used a short overtime to claim a 5-4 win over the Elmira Jackals on Saturday night. Jimmy Kilpatrick’s second playoff goal at 1:46 of the extra session off a rebound gave Cincinnati a two games to none edge in the best of seven series for the North Division title. The winner of the series advances to play the winner of the Florida-South Carolina series in the South Division for the American Conference championship.
Frederic St. Denis started the game winning play with a feed to Ian McKenzie at the Elmira blueline.
McKenzie hustled down the slot and fired a shot that Michael Teslak knocked away. The rebound came back into the slot and Kilpatrick, who was trailing the play, rifled the shot home.
Elmira grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Pierre-Luc Faubert netted his first goal of the period and seventh of the playoffs at 1:44. Chaz Johnson and Travis Gawryletz had the assists. Mac Faulkner evened the scores at 1-1 with his second playoff goal at 12:43, re-directing an Ian McKenzie feed from the top of the goal crease. Faubert’s second of the period at 15:45, put the Jackals ahead once again.
Johnson and Slavomir Tomko had the assists on the score. Elmira had four power play chances to Cincinnati two and the Jackals outshot the Cyclones, 12-7.
The Jackals extended the lead to 3-1 when Steve Yetman picked up his fourth goal of the playoffs at 1:44 from Benoit Doucet and Tomko. Elmira made it a three goal bulge at 7:05 when Doucet collected his second of the postseason from Derek Couture and Wes Cunningham. With the Cyclones shorthanded, Faulkner got loose on a breakaway and was chopped down by an Elmira defender. The result was a penalty shot opportunity that Faulkner converted and closed the deficit to 4-2. It was Faulkner’s second of the night and third of the playoffs. The shots again favored Elmira, 10-9.
Cincinnati scored a pair of third period goals to force the overtime. Faulkner completed his hat trick at 11:31 grabbing a rebound at the left post and jamming it into the net for his fourth of the playoffs. Felix Petit and Bryan O’Hanley had the helpers on the score. Then, after killing off a 1:16 five-on-three shorthanded situation—which included a Jackals goal that was waved off after it was ruled kicked in by referee Ryan Sweeney—Cincinnati launched its comeback. Dustin Sproat’s sixth goal of the playoffs on the power play with 2:08 to play knotted the scores. Sproat got to a loose puck in the slot on the right side and shoveled it in, as Jimmy Kilpatrick and Mark Santorelli handed out the assists. Cincinnati controlled the shots, 13-5, in the third period.
In the overtime, Cincinnati outshot the Jackals, 2-1.
For the game, the Cyclones held the upper hand in shots, 31-28. Ryan Nie took the victory, stopping 14 shots in relief of starter Loic Lacasse. Teslak absorbed the defeat for Elmira, stopping 26 shots.
Game three of the series will be played at First Arena in Elmira, NY on Wednesday night (April 29) at 7:05pm. That contest will be carried on MAX-FM (97.7 and 99.5) at 6:45pm. Game four will also be in Elmira on Friday night (May 1), again on MAX-FM, starting at 7:35pm. If a fifth game is necessary, it would also be played at First Arena on Saturday (May 2) at 7:35pm, also on MAX-FM. Should a sixth game be needed, it would occur at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased at the U.S. Bank Arena box office or by contacting TicketMaster at 1-800-745-3000 (www.ticketmaster.com). This will be game ‘G’ of the season ticket package. Fans are asked to bring that ticket with them for admission to the sixth game that night.
Tickets for the 2009-10 Cincinnati Cyclones season are now on sale. The Cyclones Sales Department can be reached at 513-421-PUCK, extension 3. For the latest news, notes and information on the team, visit: www.cycloneshockey.com . Ask about the Family Four Pack (four tickets, four hot dogs, four Pepsis, four Cyclones winter hats, four public skate passes at SportsPlus and a SportsPlus game card) for just $77!
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