Sunday, April 11, 1999
CYCLONES 6, CLEVELAND 3
Cyclones may get first-round bye
BY DAVE HELLER
Enquirer contributor
The Cincinnati Cyclones clinched home ice advantage in the first round of the IHL playoffs Saturday night. Now they hope they don't have to use it.
The Cyclones beat Cleveland 6-3 at Firstar Center to keep their tenuous second-place lead on Orlando in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando, which beat Grand Rapids Saturday, remains one point behind Cincinnati with two games in hand. The top two teams in the conference get a first-round playoff bye; the other qualifying teams must play in a best-of-three series.
Orlando plays at Fort Wayne today, then concludes its schedule with two games at Cleveland and at home against Houston. Cincinnati (42-32-6) is at Grand Rapids Friday and plays host to Fort Wayne Saturday.
“We have to assume (Orlando) is going to win at least two more,” Cyclones coach Ron Smith said. “So if they do that, we have to do that. If they win three, then we're in trouble.”
Said Jeff Shevalier: “They have the luck of the draw right now. It's in their hands. They know we're going to win outright, it's up to them to win three out of four games.”
Cincinnati got the game winning goal during a third period power play. Scott Morrow tipped in a Tom Nemeth shot that was deflected by Ed Patterson in the slot. Shevalier scored his second goal and third goals of the game in the final four minutes. It is Shevalier's first hat trick with Cincinnati.
The Cyclones did get a couple of lifts for their playoff run in the reemergence of Morrow and the return of Pat MacLeod.
Morrow, the team's second leading goal scorer, hadn't recorded a point in seven games and a goal in eight games, broke both streaks.
“He's been playing well though, he's been one of our best players in the last three or four games,” Smith said.
The Cyclones had scored just 15 goals in those eight games, twice being shutout.
However, Gilbert Dionne, who leads the team with 34 goals, ran his goal-scoring drought to eight games.
MacLeod played at home for the first time since he tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament. MacLeod, who tied the club record for most goals by a defenseman last season, played for the first time in 58 games Friday in Indianapolis, but this was his first game in Cincinnati, the scene of his injury which occurred against Chicago on Nov. 25. He played a regular shift with Jeff Wells and also was used on the power play unit.
Frederic Cassivi got the nod for Cincinnati in net after Brian Regan took a puck to the groin during warmups. Martin Bradette, who had been the third-string goalie for Birmingham (ECHL), made his first IHL start due for Cleveland.
Cleveland ....... 1 1 1—3
Cincinnati ....... 1 2 3—6
First period: 1, Cl, Baseggio 12, 10:42; 2, Ci, Shevalier 26 (Volchkov), 16:51.
Second period: 3, Ci, Nemeth 9 (Dandenault, Morrow), 1:07; 4, Ci, Morrow 28 (Nielsen, Henderson), 10:26; 5, Cl, Joe Cardarelli 6 (Callander, Baseggio), 14:05.
Third period: 6, Cl, Lavigne 10 (Betik, Harkins), 0:44; 7, Ci, Morrow 29 (Patterson, Nemeth), ppg, 9:40; 8, Ci, Shevalier 27 (Knipscheer, Simon), 16:16; 9, Ci, Shevalier 28 (Morrow), 19:09.
Shots on goal: Cle 5-8-6=19; Cin 9-11-8-28. Power play opportunities: Cle 0-7; Cin 1-5. Goalies: Cle, Bradette (0-1-0); Cin, Cassivi (19-17-2). Att: 7,185.
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