Cincinnati Cyclones (20-5-2-2) at Indy Fuel (15-13-0-0)
7:35 PM Eastern
Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Watch Live: ECHL.TV
Team Statistics:
Power Play
Indy (14.6%, 21st)
Cincinnati (13.1%, 23rd)
Penalty Kill
Indy (82.8%, T-17th)
Cincinnati (88.0%, 1st)
Shots For/Against Per Game
Indy (27.96, 26th – 32.82, 17th)
Cincinnati (31.34, 18th – 28.93, 5th)
Shooting%
Indy (11.9%, T-3rd)
Cincinnati (12.0%, 2nd)
Avg. Height/Weight
Indy – 6’1”, 194 lbs
Cincinnati – 6’0”, 191 lbs
Analysis:
The Indy Fuel are entering the second game of a three-game home stand with a 5-2 win over the red-hot Wheeling Nailers the night before. That was the club’s fourth straight five-goal outing.
Kevin Dufour recorded his third straight multi-goal game on Thursday with two goals, while Olivier Labelle, Alex Brooks, and Neil Manning added two points to their stat lines.
The Fuel are 2-2-0-0 against the Cyclones this year. This will be the third matchup between the two clubs in Indiana this year. Cincinnati has yet to win a game against the Fuel in Indy this season.
In their first meeting this year, the Fuel defeated Cincinnati 4-1 at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Matt Tomkins made 39 saves in that matchup. The last time out against the Cyclones, goaltender Jonas Johansson shutout the Fuel 3-0 on Indy’s home ice. That was the Fuel’s first time being shutout in over two years.
The Fuel have another tough task on Friday as the Cyclones are currently leading the ECHL with a 20-5-2-2 record. Two of the five Cincinnati regulation losses have come from the hands of the Fuel, though.
This is the Cyclones’ first game since before the holiday break. In their last outing, they defeated the Allen Americans 4-3, led by a 48 save performance by Johansson.
Cyclones forward Vasili Glotov was called up by the AHL’s Rochester Americans on Wednesday. Glotov is one of the hottest rookies in the ECHL so far this season and one of Cincinnati’s leading scorers, with 21 points in 29 games. The 21-year-old Russian scored the game-winner for the Ohio club in their last game against the Americans. The center is also one of Cincinnati’s leading scorers against Indy this season, with four assists in four games against the Fuel.
Players To Watch
Indy: Kevin Dufour
The 26-year-old has been on fire lately, tallying nine points (7G, 2A) in his last five games. The Quebec native is also the Fuel’s leading scorer against the Cyclones this season, with a goal and three assists in three games.
Dufour is now tied with Labelle for the team-lead in points (26) and leads the team in goals (16). Dufour’s 16 goals is tied for fifth in the ECHL.
Cincinnati: Brady Vail
Vail is second on the Cyclones in points (27) and is tied with Justin Vaive for the team lead in goals (12). The four-year ECHL veteran is on a four-game point streak, tallying four points in that span.
The product of Hendersonville, North Carolina is Cincinnati’s leading scorer against the Fuel this season with three goals and two assists in four games.