Cyclones Win Fifth Straight, Take Down Gladiators On The Road

If January continues to go the way it has for the Cincinnati Cyclones, they may want the month to last the rest of the season.

The Cyclones have won five straight (5-0-0) to start the New Year, the latest coming in a 4-2 road win over the Atlanta Gladiators.

Braeden Kressler potted two goals while Steven MacLean chipped in with two assists.

It took less than five minutes for the Cyclones to get the first goal. Jacob Frasca fed the puck to MacLean, who advanced into the offensive zone before feeding it backdoor to Kressler. The right-shot center didn’t miss, giving Cincy a 1-0 lead. He now has goals in back-to-back games.

The Gladiators would get an equalizer to tie the score 1-1 when Blake Murray scored on a breakaway for his ninth of the season. The two teams would remain tied heading into the first intermission.

Just over a minute into the second period, MacLean led Tristan Ashbrook into a partial breakaway. Ashbrook scored his first goal since returning from the AHL to put the Cyclones back on top 2-1.

Cincinnati captain Justin Vaive had several chances to score in the first two periods. He finally netted one on a pass from Adam Tisdale for his second goal of the year and a 3-1 Cyclones lead.

The Cyclones were 10-0-0 when leading after two periods, and were looking to continue that trend. Randy Hernandez connected for the Gladiators to make things interesting, cutting the Cincy lead to 3-2.

After blocking a shot with his body from the point with 2:24 left in regulation, Kressler chased after the puck and scored on an empty-netter to seal the 4-2 victory.

Cincy has their first five-game win streak since March 18, 2023, when they defeated the Iowa Heartlanders by a similar 4-2 score.

The two teams will face off once again Sunday afternoon at Gas South Arena, with puck drop set for 3 Pm ET.