MOLINE, Ill. – The Cincinnati Cyclones (26-20-2-3) picked up a 5-3 win over the Quad City Mallards on Saturday night. Forward Jack Downing recorded a pair of goals, while forwards Joe Pendenza, Zach Budish, and Tommy Mele scored lone tallies for the Cyclones.
Cincinnati wasted little time finding the back of the net, as just 3:47 into the opening frame, Budish sent a pass to Downing in the slot, and he rifled a shot past Mallards netminder Brody Hoffman, putting the Cyclones ahead, 1-0.
Downing struck again a couple of minutes later while on the power play, when he blasted home a one-time pass from Pendenza, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 2-0. For Downing, the goal marked his 100th of his pro hockey career.
After the Mallards cut the Cyclones’ lead to 2-1 on a goal from forward Matt Carey midway through the frame, Cincinnati responded, and extended their lead back to two goals, when forward Peter Quennevillesent a pass from below the goal line to Pendenza in the slot, and he wristed it past Hoffman, giving the Cyclones a 3-1 lead.
That lead held up throughout the remainder of the first, and in the second, the Mallards turned up the offensive pressure, outshooting Cincinnati, 13-4, in the frame. Cyclones netminder Andy Iles came up with some big saves in the period, preserving the Cyclones’ 3-1 lead through 40 minutes.
The Mallards chipped away at Cincinnati’s lead 7:36 into the third, getting a goal from forward Jared Knight to cut the Cyclones’ lead to 3-2.
Cincinnati responded roughly four minutes while on the power play, when a point shot from defensemanGarrett Noonan was tipped into the net by Budish, putting the Cyclones back up by two, 4-2.
The Mallards continued to battle back, pulling back to within a goal late in the period, when forward Kyle Follmer scored on the power play to trim the Cyclones’ lead to 4-3.
With less than a minute left, Mele sealed the game when a defensive zone faceoff was won back by forward Nick Huard, and Mele fired it down the ice and into the open net, finalizing Cincinnati’s 5-3 win.
The Cyclones were outshot, 29-26 on the night, with Iles stopping 26 to collect the win. Cincinnati’s power play was a deciding factor in the game, converting on two-of-three chances.
The Cyclones begin a four-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Evansville IceMen. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:35pm ET.
With Cincinnati Cyclones release