The Cincinnati Cyclones extended their win streak to four games on Saturday night, improving to 25‑23‑3‑0 with a 4-2 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings. The win moves Cincinnati to within one point of the final Central Division playoff spot, with two games in hand over Bloomington (4th) and now three points of separation from Kalamazoo (6th).
Ryan Kirwan and Marko Sikic each scored twice for the Cyclones, both on AHL deals with Toronto. Tommy Scarfone turned in another solid performance, stopping 21 of 23 shots to earn his seventh win of the season.
Jackson Kunz scored both goals for Kalamazoo, striking twice late in the second period. Aku Koskenvuo made 32 saves on 35 shots in the loss.
Below is the audio format of Weselowski’s full postgame comments for fans who want to listen along.
Game Recap
The Cyclones controlled most of the offensive zone in the opening 20, outshooting Kalamazoo 16–6, but the game remained scoreless.
Kirwan opened the scoring early in the second after forcing a turnover on the forecheck and snapping a shot past Koskenvuo for a 1–0 lead. Head coach Riley Weselowski said that play is exactly what Kirwan brings.
“He is a goal scorer. In that situation, it is not necessarily your standard finding a soft space and scoring a goal. He creates with a good stick and good energy. He means a lot to this team, and he is always an important piece of it. On a night like tonight, we had four lines going, and it was like wave after wave in terms of what the whole group brought.”
Kunz responded with two unanswered goals for the K‑Wings, giving the visitors a 2–1 lead heading into the third.
Sikic tied the game early in the final frame, ripping a shot from the right side to make it 2–2.
Sikic struck again minutes later, cleaning up a rebound off a shot from Jaxson Murray, who was recently acquired out of USports.
Weselowski said Sikic deserved a night like that with all the work he’s put in.
“He is a guy that does the right things pretty much all the time. To see him get rewarded was exciting. He is a guy that probably does not get the credit he deserves in terms of recognition, but he did tonight, and that was special. That is something he will remember for a long time, and I think there are about twelve thousand people that will remember that for a long time as well.”
Kirwan sealed the win with an empty‑netter to make it 4–2, his 20th of the season, leading the team.
A crowd of 9,354 was on hand, something Weselowski said made a real difference.
“It was a really good turnout from the fan base tonight. A lot of energy. It is exciting to play in front of this fan base, and a lot of new hockey fans in the last few years that are excited about having a young, exciting team that we have right now. It is a lot of fun for them, and our guys feed off that. You could feel that in the third. We put a lot of pressure on that team out there, and when Marko Sikic scored that big goal, that place erupted. It was a lot of fun.”
With the Cyclones in the middle of a three‑in‑three, he harped on consistency.
“They (Kalamazoo) have lost two in a row now, so they are going to come out hungry. Whether we are up in a game, whether we are down in a game, whether it is the third game of the weekend or the first game of the weekend, we want to see the same team out there from our end. The stuff we have been harping on and the stuff they have been working on since day one of the season still all pertains. We are going to enjoy this tonight. Our guys are going to get home and reset, and they will be coming with energy tomorrow afternoon.”
He pointed to habits and details as the reason for the team’s now four-game winning streak.
“We have a young team. We probably have the youngest team in the ECHL. A lot of rookies, a lot of first year guys, and really only one veteran in Justin Vaive. It takes guys a little while to figure it out. It is habits, it is details, it is stick detail, it is body position. It is all those little habits our guys have been working on since day one that are now starting to come together. You are seeing the evolution of our group right now, and hopefully we can carry that into tomorrow afternoon.”
Cincinnati’s recent additions have also made an immediate impact
“They play a big role. Two guys on the back end are huge additions. That really changes the entire level of our decor, adding those two on the back end like Felton and Henry. Up front, there is energy and skill. You see, Gabriel Bernier is a true pro out there in the way he competes and his skill set. And Jackson Murray is just scratching the surface. He has been playing CIS hockey and junior A hockey before that. You can see the skill set he has. Those guys are hopefully Cyclones for years to come. They deserve it, and I think it is going to be a fun ride with this group.”
He also explained the work that goes into recruiting players from USports players out of Canadian college hockey.
“You have to be on top of it. You have to be on top of every team and every player that is available. It is something we started three months ago, identifying players. We have great scouts up in Canada watching hockey games for us, communicating with us, recommending players. It is a full team effort, and we put a lot of work into it. On nights like tonight, when you get that talent on the ice, that is what it is all about. We are going to continue to build every single day and try to get a little bit better tomorrow, and then take it one day at a time.”
Game three of the weekend against Kalamazoo is set for Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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