The Cincinnati Cyclones picked up an important 4-2 win for the standings on Saturday night against the Iowa Heartlanders. It was the third straight win for the Cyclones, and they are now tied for fourth place in the Central Division standings. Depending on the outcomes of the other games tonight involving Bloomington & Kalamazoo, Cincinnati could either stay in fourth or drop back down.
Cincinnati took care of business with two straight wins over Iowa, the bottom team in the Central Division. John Jaworski, Gunanrwolfe Fontaine, Jackson Murray, and Gabriel Bernier scored for Cincinnati. Ken Appleby stopped 19 of 21 shots and picked up his 18th win of the season.
Game Recap
Cincinnati had a strong start and cashed in just over midway through the opening 20 minutes. Jaworski one timed a pass from Aaron Bohlinger from the faceoff circle to give the Cyclones a 1 to 0 lead.
Early in the second period, Fontaine extended the Cyclones’ lead to 2-0 off a dish from behind the net from Max Helgeson.
It was the second assist of Helgeson’s pro career after joining the team out of Miami University in the NCHC. Helgeson joined Cincinnati this past Thursday after Miami’s season ended last weekend. He talked about what the transition has been like and what stands out so far in the ECHL.
“I would say coming out of the NCHC, some of those teams you are playing are filled with NHL draft picks, but they are playing exactly to a system and how their coach wants them to do things. And I would say out here, it is obviously still system-based, but it is a little more open for you guys to hold onto the puck and make plays. But the speed of the game is about the same.”
With just under 30 seconds left in the middle frame, Murray sniped one past Mercer on the man advantage to make it 3 to 0.
Iowa did not go down without a fight. The Heartlanders scored two unanswered in the third period. Jaxon Nelson and Thomas Stewart made it 3 to 2, but Iowa could not tie it up.
Bernier capped the game off when he broke out and sniped it into the empty net to make it 4-2. It sealed the game and was his second goal of the season and of his professional career.
Cincinnati is back in action on Wednesday against Bloomington at home. Puck drop is 7:35 p.m. ET. It is going to be a big matchup with implications in the playoff race.
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