Video Highlights from Kelly Cup Finals Game One – Part One
Video Highlights from Kelly Cup Finals Game One – Part Two
Boise, ID – Mark Van Guilder scored for the Cincinnati Cyclones in the first minute of the game, and struck once more in the last minute of the game to secure a 3-2 win for the Cincinnati Cyclones over the Idaho Steelheads at Qwest Arena Friday night. With the win, Cincinnati takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Kelly Cup Finals. Game two is scheduled for Saturday night at Qwest Arena; the puck will drop at 7:10 PM.
Van Guilder scored first for the Cyclones at the 0:53 mark of the first period when he collected a centering pass from Maxime Lacroix in front of the Idaho net and fired home a backhand. The Steelheads were victimized by a failed clearing attempt on the boards, which led to the scoring play.
Less than five minutes later, the Steelheads answered when Evan Barlow collected a bouncing puck in the neutral zone, darted by a Cincinnati defender, and snapped a shot from the slot to beat the Cyclones’ Robert Mayer top-shelf at 5:38. The goal was unassisted, and was Barlow’s sixth of the playoffs.
At 9:05, Mark McCutcheon tipped a Guillaume Monast point shot out of mid-air and into the Cincinnati net to give the Steelheads a 2-1 lead. The goal was the eighth of the playoffs for McCutcheon; a total that leads the Steelheads in the playoffs.
Idaho held the lead until the 12:05 mark of the second period when Reid Cashman whistled a puck by Idaho goalie Rejean Beauchemin from the top of the right circle with Cincinnati on the power play to tie the game at 2-2.
The game stayed tied at 2-2 until the final moments. With Mathieu Tousignant serving a two-minute minor for tripping that was called at 18:56 of the third period, Van Guilder found the back of the net from point blank for a power play goal; the eventual game-winning tally.
Rejean Beauchemin stopped 19 of 22 in the loss; he is now 2-1-0 in the playoffs. Robert Mayer turned away 28 of 30 in the Cincinnati net, and he improves to 3-0-0 with the win.
TONIGHT’S AQUAFINA THREE STARS:
1. MARK VAN GUILDER (CIN)
2. EVAN BARLOW (IDH)
3. REID CASHMAN (IDH)
TONIGHT’S COORS LIGHT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: EVAN BARLOW (IDH)
