DULUTH, Georgia – The Cincinnati Cyclones (28-16-4-2) erased a two-goal third period deficit and rallied to beat the Gwinnett Gladiators (31-19-2-1) by a 3-2 final score in front of 4,515 at Gwinnett Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Gladiators benefited from a pair of early power plays to seize the game’s first goal. At 10:59, Jon Awe blasted a slap shot past Brian Foster (W, 35 saves, 15-6-4) to make it 1-0 Gwinnett. And thanks to nine saves at the other end from Louis Domingue (L, 24 saves, 15-8-1-1) the home team carried the one goal edge to the first intermission.
Gwinnett extended their advantage midway through the second period as Doug Jones sniped a hard wrist shot past Foster’s glove to give his team a 2-0 lead. The score would remain that way after 40 minutes of action.
Just like last night, though, the Cyclones would mount an incredible comeback. At 9:31, Dan Eves caught a great feed from Trevor Lewis and backhanded a shot through the legs of Domingue to cut the Cincinnati deficit in half. Then, not even three minutes later, Josh McFadden rushed up the left wing and cannoned in the game-tying goal – making it a 2-2 affair. The surge of momentum continued for Cincinnati, as Anthony Luciani fed Lewis a pass from the right wing wall; the rookie delivered with his second of the season at 13:36 to push the Cyclones ahead for the first time on the day at 3-2. In the final minutes, the Gladiators pulled their goalie in an attempt to tie it, however, Foster and the Cincinnati defense stayed strong to preserve their second comeback win in as many nights. Lewis’ goal was his first game winner as a professional.
The Cyclones Radio Network Stars of the Game are as follows:
First Star: Josh McFadden (1 goal, 2 assists for Cincinnati)
Second Star: Trevor Lewis (Game winning goal, 1 assist for Cincinnati)
Third Star: Doug Jones (1 goal for Gwinnett)
The Cyclones will return to the ice at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday, February 12 when they welcome in the Fort Wayne Komets at 7:30pm!
