TRENTON, New Jersey – Goaltender Michael Houser made 33 saves and Garrett Wilson scored twice as the Cincinnati Cyclones (23-14-3-1) shutout the Trenton Titans (16-18-3-2) by a 4-0 final score in front of 4,788 at Sun National Bank Center on Saturday night. It was the first pro blanking for Houser and the third for Cincinnati this season.
For the first time in four games, the Cyclones were able to open the scoring. Just a few seconds into a Cincinnati power play, Garrett Wilson tucked in a rebound past Scott Wedgewood (L, 38 saves, 12-12-2) to make it a 1-0 game at the 8:44 mark. And thanks to eight saves on the other end of the ice by Michael Houser (W, 33 saves, 5-3-0), the Cyclones took a one-goal lead into the first intermission.
Cincinnati’s special teams proved to be very important in the middle stanza. Dan Eves was able to loft in his sixth goal of the season on another Cyclones power play at 7:27 to extend the lead to 2-0. Meanwhile, the penalty kill for the visiting club was busy and solid; the Cyclones killed off four Trenton man-advantages (including a one-minute five-on-three opportunity) and they carried the two-goal cushion through 40 minutes.
A stalemate of a third period, offensively, was finally broken at the 16:07 mark when David MacDonald slid a low shot past Wedgewood from along the boards to make it 3-0. Then, with less than two minute to play in regulation, Anthony Luciani buried an empty-netter to seal the Cincinnati scoring at 4-0. As time wound down in regulation, Houser made a couple more key saves to preserve his first professional shutout. The rookie back stop finished with 33 stops. The Cyclones finished with a perfect six-for-six night with the penalty kill.
