CINCINNATI, Ohio – Brian Foster became the 11th ECHL net minder to earn a goal as the Cincinnati Cyclones (30-16-4-2) prevailed 2-1 over the Trenton Titans (20-24-4-3) in front of 4,431 at U.S. Bank Arena on Friday night. The victory gave the Cyclones four consecutive and padded their lead in the North Division to five points.
The Cyclones scored a goal in perhaps the most bizarre fashion possible at the tail end of the opening period. During a delayed penalty against Cincinnati, the Titans pulled their goalie in favor of the extra skater. However, as a Trenton player sent an errant pass through the middle, the puck careened all the way down the ice and into the empty net. Since Brian Foster (W, 28 saves, 17-6-4) was the last Cyclones player to touch the puck, he was credited with his first professional goal at 19:32. It was the first time in club history and the 11th time in ECHL history that a goalie had earned a goal. After 20 minutes, it was 1-0 Cincy.
Cincinnati extended its lead in the middle stanza when Davide Nicoletti blasted home his first goal of the season on the power play at 12:16, making it a 2-0 game. And thanks to another 12 saves from Foster, the Cyclones carried a 2-0 cushion into the second intermission.
Midway through period three, Andy Bombach collected a rebound and stuffed in his 20th goal of the season to pull his team to within one and spoil Foster’s shutout bid. However, the Cyclones defense stayed strong the rest of the way and held the Titans to just seven total shots in the final frame to seal a 2-1 win.
