After missing last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cincinnati Cyclones are back in ECHL action. After six games, the Cyclones' record stands at 4-2 following Saturday night's 6-1 win over the Iowa Heartlanders.
First year coach Jason Payne's team sits in second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. While Payne is only six games into his tenure as the Cyclones' coach, his 16-year-playing career and subsequent coaching career have him well positioned to lead the Cyclones back to contention for the Kelly Cup.
The Cyclones, 2008 and 2010 Kelly Cup champions, last made the Kelly Cup finals in 2014, but fell in six games to the Alaska Aces.
Paul Daugherty:Jason Payne never stopped striving, surviving
Roster: Check out the current team
Schedule: Upcoming games/promotions and ticket information
What Payne said about his team:
Enquirer: What do you think of your team at thus far?
Payne: I think we're doing well. It's a team with a lot of new players and some returning older guys. We're just trying to find our chemistry and way to mesh. It's been an awkward time of hockey the last year or two because of the pandemic with a lot of guys not playing and a lot of guys we expected to come back had a year off. Around the league there's been a lot of changing faces, but overall with the team I'm very happy with what I've seen so far. There's going to be bumps in the road and hiccups here and there, but the fact the team is competing as best they can right now is good enough for me that they're going to find their way and it's our job as a coaching staff to help guide them until they do find their way.
E: You mentioned guys being away because of the pandemic. How big of a challenge is that for you and the coaching staff to get guys in game shape and hockey shape?
P: It's always a challenge because when you compare guys' conditioning, everyone is different. So, we're able to be aware of the player themselves – what their strengths and weaknesses are – and grade them based on that, not based on a general scale. So, just being able to get guys back in game shape and playing shape it's going to take time for sure. Some teams are ahead of others and other teams are further behind. You know it's just getting their legs back under them in the first couple games or first month of the season before everyone settles into a groove and we start moving.
E: If you characterize the style of play or what your team looks like for fans, how would you characterize that?
P: The fact is that our team is right now forming our identity and getting comfortable playing in our identity. A lot of players come from different teams and systems. So, to get them to come here and understand our system and identity and then actually buy in and apply it, that does take time. You know, we want to play fast, hard-nosed hockey. We want to get in hard on our forechecks and get pucks on the net and for guys to understand that on a consistent basis is where the work comes in for the coaching staff. We're gonna have patience and know it's going to be a bit of a road to get to that, but we have the players in place where we're pretty confident in that.
E: How do you see the year shaking out? Are you going to contend for another conference championship?
P: Yeah, definitely we'd love to and I think we have a lot of the pieces to do it. We're finding our way and what makes us go – that drive factor – and what we're creating here with the Cyclones, it will be nothing but upwards. Definitely, I'm looking for us to contend and as the season goes on everything changes. So, we have to be ready to change with it and push forward.
E: Have any players stood out where they've surprised you with their play on the ice?
P: Our goaltending has been pretty decent and they've kept us in a lot of games. We've expected nothing but greatness from our leader Justin Vaive himself. He's going to go out there and leave it all on the ice for us. If he's not getting the puck in the net, he's finding other ways to contribute. That's the sign of true leaders. We have other guys too, like Jesse Schultz who was the MVP of our league a few years back. For him, it's just when he gets in a groove and finds his way, he should be another dominant force. And there's young guys like defenseman Wyatt Ege who are able to handle the puck on the back end as well as some veterans like Dajon Mingo, who's our help from Rochester and Buffalo contracts. Nick Boka brings a lot of help and energy on the back end along with young Matt Cairns and Peter Tischke. So, we have a good core group of guys back there and with the return of Johnny Coughlin, we have a good defensive core on the backend so it's just a matter of everyone being able to understand the system and pulling the same rope.
E: Thinking of self-evaluation, how do you think you've done so far?
P: I'm happy with everything as it's gone on. I'm a very competitive person and so is my coaching staff on down to our trainers. Do we want to win every game? Yes, we do. But, is that realistic? In the world of sports, it's not. So, sometimes we have to curb that expectation. With that being said, I'm pretty happy with the way the guys are and how much they've learned so far and the ceiling they have and how much further they can go with being ready to learn and absorb what we're doing with our system. So, I'm just going to stay the course and stay on the path of what we're doing. With the development of the players and the coaching staff, it all falls into one. We all develop together and we all get better together.
Upcoming games and promotions
Tuesday: It's $1 beer night as the Cyclones host the Indy Fuel at Heritage Bank Center.
Wednesday: Another $1 beer night as the Cyclones host the Kalamazoo Wings at Heritage Bank Center.
Friday: Shutout The Hate Night as the Cyclones host the Fort Wayne Komets at Heritage Bank Center.
Saturday: Cyclones travel to face the Wheeling Nailers.
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