The Cincinnati Cyclones return to Heritage Bank Center this weekend for a big two-game series against the Fort Wayne Komets. The two teams have already met seven times this season, with Fort Wayne holding a 4-2-1-0 advantage.
Both clubs come in playing good hockey, with the Cyclones riding a four-game win streak. Cincinnati is 7-3-0-0 in its last 10 games and 12-0-3 in games that go past regulation. Fort Wayne has been one of the league’s most consistent teams all season, going 6-2-2-0 in its last 10 and an impressive 21-4-7-0 on the road.
The Komets sit second in the Central Division at 34-15-9-0 with 77 points, just three behind Toledo for first place. Cincinnati is 29-26-3-0 and holds fourth place. The Cyclones are one point ahead of Bloomington and three ahead of Kalamazoo, and trail Indy by four points for third.
Fort Wayne’s offense is led by forward Austin Magera, who enters the weekend with 25 goals/25 assists for 50 points.
Cyclones fans will also see a familiar face on the blue line this weekend. Former Cincinnati defenseman Jalen Smereck returns to town having put together a strong season to this point, totaling 44 points.
Sam Stevens and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine continue to lead the Cyclones with 37 points each. Fontaine leads the team with 19 goals, while Stevens has a team-high 25 assists. Cincinnati remains without Ryan Kirwan and Ben King, who are both with the Toronto Marlies and unlikely to return soon.
The Cyclones have leaned heavily into the undrafted college free agent market, adding eight NCAA/USports players over the past few weeks, four of them from the NCHC, widely regarded as the top conference in college hockey.
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One of the newest additions is goaltender Kaidan Mbereko, who arrives after four strong seasons at Colorado College. He is expected to make his pro debut this weekend.
“He’s gonna get to play for sure. He’s gonna get one of the games this weekend already. We don’t know exactly which game he’s gonna play yet, but he’s gonna play this weekend,” said Weselowski.
Forward Max Helgeson, added from Miami University (NCHC), has also made an immediate impact with his versatility.
“He’s tenacious. He’s hard on pucks. He’s got a really good stick. He creates turnovers,” Weselowski said. “He’s been at center, he’s been at the wing. He’s very versatile, and he fits in really well in our locker room.”
Special teams between the two clubs are nearly identical, with Fort Wayne holding a slight edge. The Komets come in with a 22.34% power play and a 79.19% penalty kill, while Cincinnati sits at 21.02% on the power play and 73.37% on the kill.
The out-of-town scoreboard will be busy and important. Iowa plays three at Bloomington, Utah plays three at Indy, and Rapid City plays three at Kalamazoo.
This weekend will be a good measuring stick for the new-looked Cyclones roster with a lot of new additions. Weselowski said, “This is a huge weekend. It’s a team that, to get anywhere in the playoffs, you’re probably gonna have to go through. So it’s important that you’re setting the tone with a team like this.”
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