Playoffs in Full Swing

They Kelly Cup Playoffs are in full swing and we, here at CycWords, have been nowhere to be found. Sorry about that. To make up for it, here are some random notes and grumblings from the past few days.

- The playoff rosters were released Tuesday afternoon. The only real surprise to me was including both of the new guys over Chris Morehouse which could indicate that Chris is not 100%. If I hear anything more, I’ll let you know. Scott Reynolds, Dwayne Zinger and Jamie Coghlan are all injured. Cycwords wishes you all speedy recoveries.

- While he may not be on the Playoff Roster, Chris Morehouse is still making his presence felt with the Squad from behind the bench. Chris is a vocal player and according to Weber’s pregame interview from a few games back, he’s a good motivator for the Boys. Going a step further, he not only keeps the ‘Clones fired up, but he can also be seen running his mouth at the opposition and that should make things interesting should the Guys run into Elmira in the Conference Finals.

- FNG Will Ortiz has impressed me so far. He’s got good wheels and seems to have a solid hockey mind about him. Regardless of how this season ends, I hope he manages at least a try out for next years Squad.

-Games 1 and 2 are in the books with Series knotted at 1 a piece. Game 1 was a tight checking affair until the Cyclones offense exploded in the 2nd, ultimately resulting in a 6-1 victory. Game 2 was a different story. With the series being a condensed best of 5 the Stingrays couldn’t afford to go down 2 games to none and they came out of the gate flying. The Cyclones, on the other hand, looked sluggish and a bit befuddled by the jump in the South Carolina game. Jeremy Smith gave up 2 quick goals in the 1st, but hung in, surrendering only one more goal the rest of the way to give the Boys a chance. In the end the Stingrays took the victory to even the series. If any positive can be taken from the game 2 performance, I would say that the Cyclones looked much worse in a 3-1 defeat than the Stingrays did in game 1 when they played a decent game but gave up 6 goals.

- If Jean Hebert never officiates another Cyclones game again it will be too soon. The Cyclones had the edge in Power Play opportunities at 7 to 4 but the level of inconsistency in the game Hebert called was astounding. It’s not uncommon for referees to “let teams play” in the playoffs but at least be consistent; if it’s a slash for one team it should be for the other as well. Also, is it too much to ask for the referee to occassionally glance behind himself or away from the puck? I think that if the game had occured during the regular season the Power Play chances would have been closer to 12 to 6 in favor of the Cyclones.

- There was a good article on NHL.com about Jeremy Smith. Check it out if you haven’t already.

-Mike-

And So It Begins

The weekend didn’t workout quite the way we were hoping but we’re in the playoffs and that’s what matters. Before I look ahead to playoff rosters and the 1st round match up with South Carolina, I want to mention Johnstown again. Mike Mastovich, who has been covering sports for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, the Chiefs in particular, penned two more articles which I feel are a must read. The Chiefs history in the ECHL goes back to it’s inception and includes some “Slapshotesque” moments, as well as moments marking Johnstown’s longevity in the league. I was glad to read that Johnstown packed the War Memorial on Saturday night. There are a lot of memories in that old building and as I mentioned in a previous post, I’m glad I got to take in a game there. I’ll never forget seeing the Hanson brothers line up against our boys and the look on Cedrick’s face after being “taken out.” It was all a show and Ceddy played his roll perfectly and was grinning ear to ear. Nor will forget seeing David Desharnais negotiate the “step” the players had to manage to get to and from the ice each period (let me just say that it looked to be about half his height.) It’s not unusual for the back up goalie to sit somewhere besides the bench in the game of hockey but Johnstown took it to a whole new level putting the back-ups on a folding chair amongst the crowd. I can still picture Dov Grumet-Morris sitting in the crowd entertaining the youth of Johnstown while the Cylones won yet another game, I could go on and on and I only went to 2 games there. There is talk of Wheeling playing a handful of games in Johnstown next season. If you’re a fan of minor league hockey and you’ve never been, you should try to make it if the Wheeling deal goes through.

OK, now onto to what you’ve really surfed over to read about, THE PLAYOFFS!

The Cyclones ended the Season 44-25-1-2 for 91 points which was 3 points short of winning another North Division Banner. That honour will go to Kalamazoo this Season. I still think the inability to get the close games to OT really hurt the squad in the standings this season. Adding fuel to my argument is this little nugget; the only team with more wins than the Cyclones was Idaho, who won 48 and the Cyclones mere 3 points from OT rank dead last in the League. If there is a positive to take from this it’s that the Cyclones are great at winning games that go to extra time and in the playoffs where only the win matters.

The Boys 91 points earned them the 5th seed in the playoffs and a date with the South Carolina in the 1st round. Odds are the Cyclones will not have a home ice advantage for any round of the playoffs (I can not find information on how home ice will be determined for the Finals, whether it will be according to Conference seeding or more fairly based on point totals.) but for the 1st round best of 5 series I would rather not have home ice but get to open at home. It actually gives our Boys a bit of an advantage from a travel perspective as both teams will have to make the trip to South Carolina on Thursday but the Stingrays will have to make the trip north to start the series. In a condensed 5 game series that will see the teams potentially play 5 games in just 6 days the extra day of travel could be an issue.

As far as the match up goes, many were worried about a match up with Toledo, but I was concerned with South Carolina, despite the head to head records. It’s true the Cyclones went 3-1 against the Stingrays this season but we never really faced them with the full line up and goalkeeping that put them on top of the South Division early on. The Playoff rosters are due in Monday afternoon but they probably won’t be announced to the public until just before game time Tuesday. I’m not sure how many call-ups and injuries the Stingrays are dealing with right now, but if they are healthy and have players back from recall they will be a different team than the Boys have faced previously.

The Cyclones will have some decisions to make as far as Their roster goes. Chuck added two more college kids, Josh Heidinger and Will Ortiz,  for Saturdays game at Wheeling which I think raises some questions about the health of a few players. Since we are rolling into the Playoffs I’m not going to name any names other than the players who I know to be out of the playoff picture as far as potential injuries go. The Cyclones roster currently has 23 names on it and Chuck gets to select 23 players (20 active, 3 inactive) to the playoff roster. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Dwayne Zinger will not be healthy enough to make the cut and Jamie Coghlan is a long shot. That opens up 2 spots in the line up. The Cyclones have 6 players on assignment in the AHL Reid Cashman, Mark Van Guilder and Chris Muller are in Milwaukee, Brett Motherwell  is in Bridgeport while Maxime Lacroix and Robert Mayer are in Hamilton.

Chuck only has 6 healthy defensemen on the roster right now so logic would indicate that at least Brett Motherwell or Reid Cashman will be on the roster, if not both. Adding them both would give Chuck 8 D-men to work with assuming both make it back.

I think the biggest questions are up front, eight D-men leaves room for 13 forwards. My guess is one of the new guys makes it, but not both. There could be some questions regarding health of a few guys and the status of both Lacroix’s and Van Guilders assignments in the AHL. Montreal and Hamilton have had another bout of injuries so Lacroix’s return could be questionable. Van Guiler will most likely be back but, again, it’s a question of when. The only name on the list that is probably out of the picture is Mueller. I’m sure Chuck is in close communication with both Hamilton and Milwaukee in regards to when we might see the players in question.

With the exception of the new guys I think everyone on the current roster should make the playoff roster unless injured. Unfortunately, I think the addition of 2 new players at this point indicates that there is an injury that will keep someone off the playoff roster, and/or either Van Guilder or Lacroix are not expected back.

-Mike-

Gearing up for the 2nd Season

As I sit here typing up this latest entry I am also preparing to listen to John “The Hammer” Hamel call the last game the Boys will play at the Cambria War Memorial this season and probably the foreseeable future. It really is the end an era, for Johnstown and the ECHL. I was lucky enough to take a road trip to Johnstown during the 2008 Kelly Cup Championship Season; from pre-game beers and Baby Huey’s at Scotts by Dam (the taco’s are something else too)  to taking in a game at the fabled War Memorial, the city left quite an impression on me. I think taking in a game in Johnstown for any hockey fan, especially those with an affinity for the minor leagues. I was really hoping to make it back for one last hurrah but it didn’t work out. As Cyclones fans we know what it is like to lose our team so I hope to see hockey’s return to Cambria County sooner rather than later. Here is a link to a good article on hockey’s history and current situation in Johnstown.

The Boys now find themselves chasing the Division Title after giving up 2 points to Kalamazoo last night. Luckily, the ‘Clones have one more shot at the Wings, but they will still need some help from Toledo if they are to raise another Division Banner.

Last night’s game saw the return of Kevin Roeder and Matt Pierce. Both looked solid in their returns, Roeder had several good hits and Pierce was in and around the net. It’s good to see them back at this point to get a few games in before the Playoffs to shake the rust off.

In other news from last night, Curtis Sanford was injured during Hamilton’s game at Abbotsford. It will likely mean that Robert Mayer will be getting recalled. During the pre-game interview from Johnstown Chuck indicated the injury to Sanford was of the 7 to 10 day variety. The game in Abbotsford saw former Cyclone David Desharnais net 2 goals and included a rather humorous meltdown by Abbotford’s head coach.

It’s too early to guess at the playoff match-ups but it’s never too early speculate at the playoff roster which is due on April 5th. The ECHL hasn’t announced the rules for the 2010 playoff rosters yet but they haven’t changed the past few seasons so here is what we can expect:

Kelly Cup Playoff Roster
Requirements, Guidelines

April 6, 2009

PRINCETON, N.J. – Here are the roster requirements and guidelines for the Kelly Cup Playoffs as outlined in the 2008-09 Playing Manual issued to all ECHL coaches.

Amateur players who have completed a full season of college or junior hockey during the 2008-09 season can be named to a team’s playoff roster after their college or junior team has finished their season, including the playoffs.

For professional players who have played for any professional team in 2008-09 and former professional players to be named to a team’s playoff roster, they must have played (i.e. taken at least one shift) in five regular season ECHL games.

Former professional players who went back to full-time university status and regained amateur status shall be considered amateurs for the purpose of playoff eligibility and subject to the conditions of amateur players.

Players on two-way contracts with American Hockey League teams must have played (i.e. taken at least one shift) in five regular season AHL games in order to be named to a team’s playoff roster Veteran players on two-way contracts with AHL teams must have played (i.e. taken at least one shift) in 10 regular season AHL games. Players on two-way AHL contracts who are bought out or released from their contract during the season are still subject to the minimum playing requirement. Players on NHL contracts and one-way AHL contracts are exempt from the rule as are goaltenders. Each team is allowed two non-veteran players who are on two-way contracts with AHL teams that are exempt from the rule.

The League Office will decide any questions about eligibility and its ruling will be final.

ECHL teams must submit their Kelly Cup Playoff roster to the League Office by 3 p.m. ET on Monday.

The maximum number of players allowed on a playoff roster is 23. Playoff rosters will consist of a 20-man active roster and those players who are on injured reserve or recalled.

If in the event of injury, illness, recall or suspension by the League, a team is reduced to less than two goaltenders and 16 skaters, the team may sign amateur players under emergency conditions. Goaltenders that served as an emergency backup in the regular season may be used if they started out on the club’s roster as an emergency backup. Emergency backup goaltenders will not count toward the 23-man limit and may play at any time.

When the emergency conditions have ended the amateur player or goaltender must be removed from the roster.

Players who finish the regular season on injured reserve are eligible to play in the playoffs once their full injured reserve time has been completed. Players may be activated and placed on the team’s 20-man active roster with all roster guidelines (salary cap, veteran limits, etc.) in effect.

Players injured in the playoffs may be placed on injured reserve and replaced on the active roster with either a player whose injured reserve time has been fully served or a player who is returning from a recall. Players on injured reserve must remain with the member club unless otherwise approved by the League Office.

Players who are on recall to the NHL or the AHL at the playoff roster deadline that a team wishes to have eligible to play must be named to the 23-man playoff roster.

If a player is recalled off a team’s active roster during the playoffs, he may be moved to inactive status or replaced with a player whose injured reserve time has been completed or by a player returning from a recall.

Questions regarding playoff rosters are determined solely by the League Office.

Basically, Chuck gets to pick 23 total players, 20 active and 3 inactive. One point of note is that emergency back up goalies do not count towards the 23 man limit so the Cyclones could stick with Mayer and Smith and simply use Lee Lansdowne as a back up should Robert Mayer be on assignment in Hamilton when the Playoffs start.

The Cyclones’ roster currently sits at 23 with 2 goalies, 9 defensemen, and 12 forwards. However, Dwayne Zinger will most likely not be named to the playoff roster due to injury reasons and there is concern regarding Jamie Coghlan which reduces the roster total to 21. That leaves room for Max Lacroix and Brett Motherwell when they return from assignment in the AHL. Assuming there aren’t any injury concerns, I don’t see Chuck adding any Junior or College players late as he did last season with Felix Petit.

It should also be noted that Chris Mueller is playoff eligible for the ‘Clones but I highly doubt he’ll be named to our roster. The Milwaukee Coaching Staff loves the kid and named him to their Clear Day Roster over the likes of Ian McKenzie and Mark Van Guilder.

What you’re left with is a Playoff roster that doesn’t look any different than the current roster. With the way the team has played the past few games one could argue that some changes need to be made, however, I lean the other way and going into the playoffs there is quite a bit that can be said in favor of having familiarity with your teammates.

-Mike-

AHL Clear Day Rosters Are Out

The AHL officially released the Clear Day Rosters today. According to the AHL regulations only players listed on Clear Day Rosters can play for the remainder of the AHL season and Calder Cup Playoffs unless call-ups, injuries or suspensions create an emergency situation. The roster also include a Residency List which contains the players which can play if the 22 man roster loses 3 players to any combination of injury, call-up and suspension.

Milwaukee Admirals:

Forwards:

Triston Grant, Ben Guite, Hugh Jessiman, Chris Mueller, Marty Murray, Wacey Rabbit, Mark Santorelli, Mike Santorelli, Dave Scatchard, Nick SpalingAndreas, Thuresson, Colin Wilson

Defense:

Jon Blum, Robert Dietrich, Scott Ford, Cody Franson, Teemu Laakso, Mark Matheson, Alexander Sulzer, Nolan Yonkman

Goalies:

Mark Dekanich, Chet Pickard

In Residence:

Reid Cashman (D), Dylan Hunter (RW), Ryan Maki (RW)

Hamilton Bulldogs

Forwards:

David Desharnais, Mike Glumac, Ben Maxwell, Eric Neilson, Max Pacioretty, Aaron Palushaj, Tom Pyatt, Ryan Russell, Grant Stevenson, Brock Trotter, Ryan White and J.T. Wyman

Defense:

Shawn Belle, Andre Benoit, Mathieu Carle, Alex Henry, Frederic St. Denis, P.K. Subban, Mike Vernace and Yannick Weber

Goalies:

Cedrick Desjardins and Curtis Sanford

In Residence:

Chad Anderson, Andrew Conboy, Olivier Fortier, Maxime Lacroix and Dany Masse

So that’s how it works and there are the rosters. What does it all mean for the Cyclones? First, we have to look at the players not included on the rosters, which are Ian McKenzie, Mark Van Guilder, Reid Cashman and Maxime Lacroix; Cashman and Lacroix are on their respective teams residence lists however. Since they are not on rosters or listed in residence, Mckenzie and Van Guilder will remain on assignment with Cincinnati for the remainder of the Season, unless Chuck can work some of his relocation magic. Although relocating either McKenzie or Van Guilder is unlikely. Cashman and Lacroix will most likely be back at some point, it’s just a matter of when. Both organizations are dealing with some injuries and call-ups right now so I don’t think we’ll see either play back in the immediate future. Odds are we’ll see Lacroix before Cashman since Cashman isthe only D-man on Milwaukee’s Residency list whereas Hamilton has several forwards who rank above him on the depth chart in Residency. Regardless, I doubt we’ll see either of them unless their clubs have their full rosters available to them.

I also want to mention that Chris Mueller IS on Milwaukee’s roster and Brett Motherwell is NOT on Bridgeports roster (I can not find the Sound Tigers Residency List).

The Cyclones Roster sits at 20 (10 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goalies). Three of those players, Krantz, Roeder, and Zinger are on long term IR. Krantz should be back very soon, Roeder probably won’t be too much longer but Zinger is most likely done for the year. That would put the Squad at 19 active players. Teams can essentially carry 22 players, 20 active with 2 on short term IR. With no guarantee of when Lacroix or Cashman may return, I would have to guess that Chuck would like to add some bodies to the line up for the stretch. Whether he will do that via trades in the next 24 hours or if it will be Junior or College players remains to be seen. Stay tunes.

I’ve received some questions regarding the trade with Bakersfield and I’ve been milling it over in my head. First, there is the question of what the future considerations are, they could be cash or a player to be named later. If it’s cash the deal is most likely done. If it’s a player there are windows as to when a player can be acquired. I’m not positive on this but if the ‘Clones do not receive a player before the trade deadline then I believe a player transaction would have to wait until the end of the Season. I would like to believe that this is some gamesmanship on Chuck’s part but the player that seems to be getting a lot of mention from a fans perspective, Mathieu Aubin, has been playing for the Condors the past few nights. It’s looking like the deal may have simply been to create some roster space for returning players, but then again, based on the roster numbers the Team doesn’t need the space. I can think of reasons of why players like Voakes and Marchesi would be expendable, but I can come up with just as many reasons to keep them. At this point, all I can say is that move has me a little confused, but I’m not about to question Chuck. It seems like he always has something up his sleeve and puts the team in the best position to win.

I guess we’ll find out tomorrow at 5.

-Mike-

Tradewinds and Other Ramblings

Well, February didn’t end the way we wanted but there is nothing wrong with the 9-2-1-1 record the Cyclones posted in the month. As things currently stand the ‘Clones are 36-19-1-2 which is good to the top spot in the Division and 2nd in the Conference. The Boys will have 2 big game against Conference leaders South Carolina coming up on their southern road trip. The Cyclones trail the Stingrays by 6 points but have 3 games in hand. Overall this road trip south will give Chuck a very good indication of just where the team stands with games against Charlotte, South Carolina and Gwinnett team that is fighting for a playoff birth. A 4-0 trip would be great but I think 3-1 would have to be considered a success.

Early March is always an exciting time for hockey fans. The NHL trade deadline is March 3rd, the AHL will announce Clear Day Rosters on March 10th, and the ECHL trade deadline is March 12th. While the NHL trade deadline usually doesn’t have much of an effect at the ECHL level, but it could be of significant importance for the Cyclones this season. The rumor mill has been working overdrive with talk of Montreal’s goal tending situation and Montreal’s desire to move either Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak. Should either one of the two be dealt at the deadline it would likely mean Robert Mayer finishing the year in Hamilton, forcing Chuck to make a move for another capable goalie or forcing Jeremy Smith carry the load the remainder of the season. The good news is Robert Mayer will be joining the team Wednesday in Charlotte which could be an indicator that neither Halak or Price are definitively being traded. We won’t know for sure until Wednesday.

The AHL Clear Day has a bit more bearing on the ECHL. Only players on an AHL team’s Clear Day Roster is eligible to play for that team for the remainder of the AHL season and the Calder Cup playoffs, unless emergency situations occur due to player recalls, injuries or suspensions. When Milwaukee and Hamilton release their respective Clear Day Rosters Chuck will have a pretty good idea of who will be available to him for the stretch run and into the playoffs.

Chuck hasn’t ruled out making any personnel changes by the March 12th ECHL trade deadline. He won’t tip his hand, but says there are needs that he and Dean have identified. A trade would be a way to address those needs but in order to make a deal there has to be a willing partner. We’ll have to wait and see if one materializes.

If Chuck doesn’t have the opportunity to pull the trigger on a trade there is still time to address the holes in the roster. Later in March Chuck will have the opportunity to add College players or players from Major Junior once their seasons have ended. The ‘Clones have had success with this in the past adding players such as Billy Irish-Baker, Kyle Bushee, Felix Petit and Matt Pierce. Apparently Chuck has Dwayne Zinger reviewing film of College and Junior players and at a previous Coach’s Show Chuck mentioned having a list of prospective College and Junior players that is several pages long.

The Cyclones roster currently has 12 forwards and 10 defensemen so there are options for making a trade deal. The questions that need to be answered are; what are the needs Chuck feels need to be addressed and who is Chuck willing to deal. Personally, I would like to see the addition of a true puck distributing forward. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chuck package up a few players and/or futures if the right player was available. Trades can often strike a nerve with fans as players who are fan favorites can be dealt, but it’s Chuck’s job to make the team better and history indicates that he more often than not makes good moves.

Regardless of what happens the next two weeks will be fun to keep track of.

-Mike-

Notes from the Coach’s Show

As we head into another busy week for the Cyclones here are a couple bits of information I learned at the Coach’s Show last night.

- Don’t get me wrong, I liked Justin Johnson last season, but I don’t think he compares to Hans Benson. Benson was a guest at the Coach’s Show and just after a few minutes of listening to him, it become apparent that he is the consummate teammate. I liked Justin on the ice, but there were times that it seemed that Justin was more about him than the team. Benson, on the other hand, when asked about his offensive production, which is better than any any of his previous seasons, he didn’t say more than a few words before thanking Chuck for giving him a chance to actually play hockey. He also spoke about how tight knit the team is. When asked about fighting he responded that while it’s a big part of his game to stick up for his teammates he gave a props to Chris Morehouse, who “brings it every night,” as well as Dustin Sproat and Brett Motherwell. Sometimes you hear players talk in a similar manner but you can tell it’s lipservce, but with Benson it seems truly sincere. I guess you had to be there; those that were know what I’m talking about.

- As has been reported, the Cyclones have officially completed the trade with Gwinnett, in return for Mike Mclean the Cyclones have received defenseman Scott Marchesi. Marchesi is a second year player who was solid enough to receive an emergency call up to the AHL last season. His numbers are decent for a d-man. He is -7 on the season, but on a team whose best active player is +2, that isn’t bad at all. Scott will be a welcome addition to the Team’s depleted D-core.

- Speaking of that depleted D-core, here is where it stands. The beaten and battered are Kevin Roeder, Doug Krantz and Dwayne Zinger. Jason Jozsa and Reid Cashman are on assignment in Milwaukee. The leaves the Team with Brett Motherwell, Brock Sheahan, Jamie Coghlan, Brian O’Hanely, Pratrik Prokop and Scott Marchesi. As far as the injuries go, Roeder is expected to be out until sometime in March, Krantz finally had surgery and will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks and Zinger, also underwent surgery and will miss the next 8 to 12 weeks. Cashman has played well enough in Milwaukee to earn a regular spot in the Admirals line up so I wouldn’t expect him back any time soon. Jason Jozsa did get to play over the weekend but for the most part has been McElroy’d as the Admirals 7th defenseman. According to Chuck, due to one of the Admirals’ D-men going to the Olympics for Germany, Jozsa will most likely remain in Milwaukee through the Olympics. The upside is the potential that Jason could pick up the 3 more games needed to make him playoff eligible for the Cyclones.

- Dwayne Zinger underwent surgery for an injury that has effected his play since sometime in November. I have loads of respect for guys that play through injuries so this is the time that I offer my apologies to Dwayne for being so critical and throwing him under the bus. Sorry Dwayne, I wish you a speedy recovery. Your knowledge and leadership is no doubt important and valued in the locker room. I hope this is not season ending and you can come back healthy and show us what you’re really capable of. Thank you for your efforts and again, sorry for all of my criticism.

- I asked Chuck about the status of Adam Henrich and he confirmed what has been reported on eliteprospects.com. Adam received and excepted an offer to play in Germany’s Elite League for the Hamburg Freezers. The League has many former NHLers and could be a solid resume builder for Adam, who was a 2nd round NHL draft pick but has struggled to stick at the AHL level.  According to Chuck, Adam received a pretty substantial contract. Henrich was suspended by the Team in December when he left the Squad to return home to deal with some personal issues. Chuck could have blocked Adam from the move, but instead allowed him to take the deal. It’s just another reason why players like to play for Chuck; he won’t stand in a players way as they try to advance their careers or do what is needed to support their families. I wish it had worked out differently here in Cincinnati for Adam, he’s a talented player and I wish him the best in Germany.

- When the Cyclones head to Kalamazoo this Friday the K-wings will be without the services for Daryl Bootland. Daryl was was suspended by the team and has hopped the pond to play for Austria’s Vienna Capitals.

-Mike-

Monday Ramblings

I’m not going to spend too much time on the trip to Kalamazoo which resulted in a 6-3 loss, although I will go as far as to say that even though the result was the same, the Boys played better than they did on their previous trip to Kalamazoo. A week ago the Guys looked lethargic, on this trip the Team looked to have the will and desire to win but just didn’t have the legs after 6 games in 9 days.

Here are a few observations, new and notes that hit me over the weekend:

- The stretch of 6 games in 9 days isn’t much different than what a team might see in the playoffs, so in that regard it’s a good test to show the rookies what a playoff series might feel like. However, in the playoffs both teams are subject to the same schedule.

- The ECHL hasn’t done the Cyclones favors with the schedule. The January schedule had the home/road or road/home turnarounds of at least 5 hours. The most recent was the last trip to Kalamazoo at the end of that 6 in 9 stretch. While the Boys were playing all week the K-wings had several days off. This week the Guys will complete a 3 in 3 with a trip to Kalamazoo where the K-wings will have yet again been resting up for several days.

- The Cyclones went with a short bench on Saturday night. On Friday Chuck went with 11 forwards and 5 defensemen; Mark Voakes returned to the line up and Dwayne Zinger was absent. On Saturday night the Cyclones skated with 10 forwards and 5 defensemen due to the call up of Ian Mckenzie. The short bench definitely didn’t help the Cyclones that night and it raises the a question as to the health of Dwayne Zinger, who did play on Thursday night.

- If Zinger is injured and is going to be out for any length of time, it leaves an already depleted D-core in a tough spot. Both Kevin Roeder and Doug Krantz remain on long term IR and Jason Jozsa is on assignment in Milwaukee which leaves the Team with 6 defensemen, including Zinger. Luckily, the return of Voakes allows either Scott Reynolds or Barret Ehgoetz to drop to the blueline if needed. Depending on the status of Roeder, Krantz and Zinger, I would imagine Chuck will be looking to acquire a D-man from somewhere.

- There was a very nice article on Cincinnati.com about Jeremy Smith and Robert Mayer. Be sure to check it out and let Tom Ramstetter know we appreciate the coverage.

- I’ll be heading to the Coach’s Show tonight. Hopefully I’ll get some insight to the defensive situation and the status of Adam Henrich.

-Mike-

This is a Test

The Cyclones season to this point has had it’s testing points and for the most part the team has passed. The 1st dates circled on the calendar were November 13th and 14th, the 1st meetings with Kalamazoo. That was a rocky weekend but after that the Boys found the K-wings number and have gone on to dominate the series at this point. Next up was a date with Toledo. Initially things looked well, but Cyclones can’t seem to get past the Walleye on a consistent basis.

With mid November in the past, the next dates I had circled were December 4th and 5th, when Malcolm Cameron’s Florida Everblades came to town. Coach Cameron has been known to put extremely talented teams together, but the Cyclones proved what they were made of taking both games from a team that was probably an early season pick to win their conference.  From there things would return to normal with the Boys getting a heavy dose of the North Division.

That brings us the next set of tests to challenge the Boys. On Wednesday night the Cyclones had a solid 4-1 win against the South Divisions Charlotte Checkers. The Boys got on the board early and often, eventually chasing Checker’s starting goalie Ryan Munce from the net. After the goalie switch the game tightened up a bit and the Cyclones could only manage 1 additional goal. Charlotte was missing some key players and played a fairly passive and soft game, which was most likely dictated by their short bench. While the Cyclones offense could only manage 1 goal in the last two periods the defense played well; limiting the the Charlotte scoring chances. I expect to see a different game out of Charlotte when they return in late February.

That leaves us with South Carolina, who the Cyclones will play twice within a week. The past two seasons the Cyclones and the Stingrays have met in the Conference Finals with the Winner going on to become the eventual Kelly Cup Champion. Last season the Stingrays ousted a beaten, battered and bruised Cyclones Squad from the 08-09 Kelly Cup Playoffs and have kept the momentum rolling into this season. They jumped out to an early season Division and Conference lead, but they had played many more games so it was hard to judge exactly how good they were. As the season progressed it became more apparent that South Carolina was setting themselves up to be the team to beat. They are currently on top of the Conference with Cyclones, who have 4 games in hand, trailing them by 13 points.  South Carolina brings in the Leagues 10th best Power Play at 17.5% and the Leagues 6th best Penalty Kill at 83.6%. Much like the Cyclones, the Stingrays play with in the rules and don’t take a lot of penalties; it will be very important for the boys to take advantage of any man adavantage opportunities they get. The Stingrays lead the League in the “goals for” category while the Cyclones are amongst the Leagues stingiest when it comes to giving up goals. There is little doubt the Stingrays can score in bunches looking at the teams individual stats. The Stingrays line up boasts 9 players with point totals of 20 or higher, with 5 of those players posting 30 or more points. The Cyclones by comparison have just 5 players topping 20 points. The Cyclones do top the Stingray in 40+ point scorers with 2 to South Carolina’s 1.  It sets up an interesting match up to see which trend will take charge.

In other news…

- Where in the world is Bryan Leitch? I thought Michael Busto was becoming well traveled, but Leitch has left Busto in he lurch, joining his 5 team of the season. Bryan started the season with the Cyclones, was sent to Alaska, was then reassigned to Florida, then Kalamazoo and now finds himself with Toledo.

- Chuck has been busy, working to complete a deal sending Mike McLean to Gwinnett. McLean, who is under contract with Milwaukee, was recalled by the Admirals and then immediately assigned to Gwinnett. In return, the Cyclones receive “future considerations.” In a possibly related move, Gwinnett’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch recalled Chris Higgins, could he be headed our way? It’s purely speculation, but if he is, I doubt it will be announced until the last minute. I can’t say I’m surprised to see McLean get relocated. I was expecting big things from him this year, especially after seeing him perform well last season on a bad Dayton Bomber team. He had some good games this season, and posted 21 points but he was also -13 on the season. Scoring is great but becomes obsolete if you don’t take care of your own end; Thomas Bearegard anyone?

- According to the AHL transaction page Jason Jozsa has been recalled to Milwaukee, but according to ECHL’s Leaguestat page, he is active for the Cyclones. Jason was absent in the game against Charlotte, which forced Dwayne Zinger back into action. If Jason is still on recall with the Admirals, let’s hope he gets some ice time.

-It looked like the rest did Dwayne Zinger some good. He had one horrendous clearinf attempt that appeared to be more like pass to a Charlotte forward, but other than that played well.

- According to my count the suspension to Adam Henrich expired last week. I haven’t seen any other news regarding him. If nothing surfaces, I’ll try to get some information at the Coach’s Show on Monday.

-Mike-

U-G-L-Y, I Wish the Cyclones had an Alibi

The Cyclones took a trip to Kalamazoo last night in their return to action after the All Star break. Kalamazoo was kind enough to give the Boys a tour of their wood shed, specifically the area out back, where they where taken and handed a 7-1 beat down. The game was the 1st of a home and home series with the K-wings and also kicked off a series of 3 games in 4 nights and ultimately finishes up with the Cyclones playing6 games in 9 nights; 3 of those 6 games will be played against Kalamazoo.

The game started ugly with the Cyclones giving up a goal just 1:01 into the game. The K-wings didn’t look back and played like a team with something to prove against the Cyclones, who had a 6-1-0-1 record against the K-Wings going into the game. It ended just as bad with Kalamazoo adding the extra point with 4 seconds left in the game.

From my perspective watching on the B2 it looked as if the Cyclones had take a week off and the K-wings had stayed in Kalamazoo and practiced all week. The K-wings didn’t appear to be doing anything different from what they usually do. The difference in this game was the Cyclones. The Boys looked lethargic, getting beat to loose pucks, getting pushed off the puck, and simply not moving their feet.

Anyone who has been to more than a handful of games the past few seasons has seen the difference between a Chuck Weber Cyclones Team when they skate and when they don’t. When they Boys keep their feet moving they can compete with anyone. When they don’t the problems begin to compound. That is what I observed in this game. It wasn’t that Kalamazoo was that much faster, they just took advantage of the Cyclones sluggishness.

We all know that the Boys have to take care of their own games first but the ugly loss is compounded by Toledo’s loss to Elmira. The game was a chance to put some distance between Themselves and Kalamazoo as well as retaking the top spot in the Division.

I’m sure it wasn’t a pleasant bus ride home for the Boys. Hopefully taking it on the chin will prove to be a strong motivator and the Boys will come out firing on all cylinders tonight and the next week.

***

-I’m not saying this blog has anything to do with it, but back when I was questioning Dwayne Zinger he started playing better so I quite being critical of him. However, since I quite being critical, he has gone back to being quite unimpressive; He let Sam Ftorek skate right around him last night for crying out loud. I’ll give him a pass on last night’s game though, simply because everyone was terrible.

-For the 2nd straight game Hans “short fuse” Benson’s night ended early. In the last game before the All Star Break Hans dropped Toledo’s Luis Tremblay with what appeared to be a sucker punch, but Tremblay also received an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty in the altercation. Hans was not suspended for the altercation and one can only imagine what Tremblay did. Fast forward a week and Hans drops Kalamazoo’s Mitch Versteeg. The altercation began when Versteeg hit Benson with a hip check that fell into the gray area of being a low hit. I say low hit because it was below the waste but it didn’t look like it was as low as the knee; I could understand a referee’s decision regardless of whether it was whistled or not. In any event, Benson hopped up and engaged Versteeg. It look for an instance that Versteeg might oblige Benson and before Versteeg knew it, Benson had caught him twice square on the button. Versteeg fell to a heap on the ice and remained there for several minutes writhing around. Benson was given a Fighting major, an Instigating minor and a game misconduct. Versteeg was given an Unsportsmanlike Conduct minor, most likely for embellishing while on the ice.  I have not seen any words as of yet if there will be any suspension given to Benson.

-In some other news, former Cyclone James “Bubba” Sixsmith has been signed by Milwaukee. His ECHL rights belong to Utah so we will not see him sent here at any point unfortunately. James has been up and down between a few AHL teams and I’m glad he getting a shot again. I was hoping to see him back in Cincy in 08-09 but he was released by Milwaukee. He got lost with all of the talent the 07-08 team had, but I always like what James brought to the ice.

-Mike-

On Top of the North and Busy as Ever

The Cyclones bounced back from a lackluster performance against the Wheeling Nailers to defeat the the Kalamaoo K-wings 3-1. The win puts the Boys on top of the Division by one point and into second place in the conference; the K-wings do have 2 games in hand.

-Jimmy Kilpatrick, Chris Morehouse and Ian Mckenzie all notched their first goals as Cyclones in the victory. I’m glad to see Killer put one up after what has thus far been a season hampered by injury. I always like seeing players like Morehouse score. Labeled as an agitator, or pugilist, he’s not going to score a lot, but he works hard and goes to the “dirty” areas of the ice so when he’s able to light the lamp it adds a bit of a swagger to his game, which already get’s under opponents skin. It appeared to me that after the goal the K-wings were thrown from the game a bit more by Chris and spent more time chasing him than trying to score at times. Ian’s goal was the type of goal I expect to see from him. He made a strong move from the corner and just drove the net. Ian is a big kid and when he plays big he’s down right dangerous at this level.

-Welcome back Robert Mayer. The only goal the K-wings could muster was a Power Play goal on a shot from the point. The rest of the game he did just what Coach Weber asks; stop all of the shots he’s supposed to and a few of the ones he’s not.

-Chris Morehouse was an assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick after being involved in one of the most energetic and entertaining fights I’ve seen in some time, and then going on to score the game winner.

-After several posts questioning Dwayne Zinger’s ability to play (his leadership, knowledge and mentoring capabilities were never under question), he has since gotten out of my dog house. While I still don’t think he’s a shut down type defenseman his play is justifies his spot in the the lineup. He has shown the ability to jump into the offensive play, although it still worries me that he’ll get caught behind the play should a turnover occur. His fight with Kalamazoo’s Jurynec was a good one. Jurynec stunned him early but Zinger rallied for the decision.

-The Cyclones have placed Kevin Roeder on 21 day IR where he joins Doug Krantz. I’m not sure what is wrong with Roeder but his presence is missed. At this point it looks like Krantz may be on the shelf for the season. It was said that he is waiting on some things to be sorted out before he can undergo surgery. It’s unfortunate, Doug was one of those kids I was looking forward to watching this season; he has a cannon of a shot which would come in handy on the Power Play right about now.

-The cupboards are starting to get bare. In the event of more injuries or or call-ups to anywhere the Cyclones will be left with a short bench. Dustin Sproat and Mike Mclean are currently on assignment with the Milwaukee Admirals, Ryan Del Monte has been on IR the past few weeks, and Mark Voakes returned to action for a game or two before returning to the IR list. Luckily Milwaukee has sent us Ian Mckenzie, but that leaves the Team with just 9 healthy forwards. Cyclone’s trainer Bob Case is a busy man these days, it’s no wonder he was selected as trainer for the 2010 ECHL All Star Game (sorry for leaving you off the last post Bob!)

-There doesn’t appear to be any help on the horizon from the Milwaukee side. It’s been reported that Mark Van Guilder has sustained a lower body injury and is questionable for this weekends games. Luckily the Admirals added Oren Eizenman so at least a call up shouldn’t be eminent. However, all the injuries mean the return of Sproat and/or Mclean is unlikely with out the call-up of Mckenzie, or having a few players regain some health. It looks like the All Star break is coming at a good time.

-The empty pantry has caused the Coach Weber to find some bodies which he did with the addition of Ryan Ford and Patrik Prokop. Ford, a 5’9″ 195lb forward, was signed out of Evansville of the AAHL. He played his Jr hockey in the OPJHL. Ryan has put up decent numbers, but take it for what’s it’s worth given the leagues he’s been playing in. Chuck has found diamonds in the rough before, perhaps he’s found another. Patrik Prokop was acquired in a trade with Utah with the Cyclones giving up the sometimes controversial “future considerations.” Prokop started the season with Bakersfield and has yet to log a point in 15 ECHL games. Patrik, a 6′ 187lb forward,  is a 1st year pro and played his Jr hockey in the QMJHL where he averaged less than a half point per game. Based on his numbers, I hope this was a cash deal. I can’t imagine giving up any of the unaffiliated players currently on the roster for this kid to complete the deal on the back end.

-It’s unfortunate the the AA Hockey market is so crowded, with three different leagues. Even with the addition of the 2 FNGs, the Cyclones still have just 11 healthy forwards an6 healthy defensemen. It’s too bad the ‘Clones aren’t able to re-acquire the likes of Jason Woll or Mark O’Leary who are both playing in the CHL and thus can’t be acquired unless released by their current squads.

-Not that anyone really cares, but where in the world is Carmen San Diego, I mean Michael Busto. The defenseman of questionable ability was acquired by Montreal in the off season as part of a trade. He was in training camp with the Cyclones and apparently did not impress the staff. He was then moved to the Dayton Gems of the IHL where he played in…no, more like skated around during 2 games.  He was then recalled (more like dismissed from the Gems) by Hamilton, where, if I have my information correct, he was put on IR and never saw the ice. I have know idea if he was actually injured. Now, Mr. Busto is calling Elmira his home as he has been assigned by Hamilton to the Jackals. Where will he end up next?

-Mike-