With less than half of the regular season remaining, the Cincinnati Cyclones find themselves on the outside looking in for a playoff spot and a chance at a third Kelly Cup.
With 45 games played, the Cyclones (24-19-2) sit seventh in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) Western Conference standings with 50 points. They're only one point out of a playoff spot – the top four teams in each conference make the Kelly Cup Playoffs – with 27 games remaining, but have plenty of ground to make up to improve potential seeding.
The Toledo Walleye sit atop the conference with 61 points and are in the driver's seat with only 42 games played thus far and a 29-10-1 record.
February has seen the Cyclones post a four-game losing streak, bookended by two wins. Wednesday night's game against the Toledo Walleye kicks off a six-game home stretch that could catapult the Cyclones back into a playoff spot and build momentum for the final nine weeks of the season.
Here are the homestand highlights
February is Black History Month and Cyclones head coach Jason Payne remains the only Black head coach in professional hockey. In addition to Payne, defensemen Josh Burnside (3) and Dajon Mingo (25) are Black players on the Cyclones roster. The six-game homestand will close out the month for the Cyclones and is the longest homestand of the season.
Forward Jesse Schultz is sitting at 999 professional points and could make it 1,000 with a goal or assist Thursday night. The Strasbourg, Saskatchewan, native is in his fourth season with the Cyclones in a career that began in 1999. Schultz has played internationally as well as reached the National Hockey League.
Homestand schedule
Wednesday: Cyclones vs. Toledo Walley; puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at Heritage Bank Center; $1 beer promotion night
Friday: Cyclones vs. Tulsa Oilers; puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at Heritage Bank Center; Wizards Night promotion
Sunday: Cyclones vs. Toledo Walleye; puck drops at 3 p.m. at Heritage Bank Center; Military appreciation, Sensory-friendly and blanket giveaway promotion
Feb. 24: Cyclones vs. Allen Americans; puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at Heritage Bank Center; $1 beer and Florence Y'alls promotion
Feb. 26: Cyclones vs. Allen Americans; puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at Heritage Bank Center; Ronald McDonald House promotion
Feb. 27: Cyclones vs. Allen Americans; puck drops at 3 p.m. at Heritage Bank Center; Ice cream "Sunday Bowl" promotion
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