AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Cincinnati Cyclones are no longer snakebit. After losing nine of 10 regular-season games to Detroit, the Cyclones opened their IHL playoff quarterfinal series with a 3-2 victory in triple overtime Friday night in front of 6,242 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Scott Morrow scored the game-winner with 10:05 left in the third overtime.
''Dandy (Eric Dandenault) put it in a perfect spot to tip it,'' Morrow said. ''I was lucky enough to get it to go between (Jeff Reese's) legs. It didn't go very far, but it went in.''
Game 2 is at 6 p.m. tonight here.
The Cyclones hadn't won at Detroit since Jan. 24, 1997. They still haven't beaten the Vipers in regulation since April 5, 1997.
''Once we win, it reverses the fortune, at least we'll see,'' goalie Geoff Sarjeant said. ''It puts us on level ground at least.''
The game was the longest in Cyclones' and Vipers' history. The previous longest for the Cyclones lasted 85:47 with Chris Kontos providing the game-winner against Atlanta in the 1996 quarterfinals. It was the longest IHL playoff game since 1994.
This was the Cyclones' second straight overtime game; their final victory over Grand Rapids in the first round also went to overtime.
Both teams had power plays in the second overtime but couldn't score.
Todd Simon had two good chances in the first overtime, but hit the post on one shot and missed an open net on a one-timer with another. Sarjeant helped send the game to a second overtime by stopping all 12 Detroit shots.
Detroit tied the game 2-2 with 6:14 left in the third period when Dan Kesa poked in the puck after Sarjeant lost sight of the puck, which lay behind his right skate, after making a save on an Ian Herbers' slapshot.
Cincinnati's power play unit was largely ineffective, managing just 12 shots in nine opportunities in regulation, but the Cyclones got it on track at the right time.
With 2:57 to play in the second period and with a 5-on-3 advantage, Don Biggs, standing by the left post, slammed a pass from Gilbert Dionne into the net to give the Cyclones a 2-1 lead.
Cincinnati had failed on its previous six power-play chances, although two were short-circuited because Cyclones' penalties wiped out the man advantage.
All four of Biggs' postseason goals have come on the power play. He has the most power-play goals of any player so far in the IHL playoffs. While Cincinnati's power play wasn't strong, Detroit's was even worse. The Vipers had 10 power-play opportunities in regulation but had just four shots during them.
The teams traded short-handed goals in the first period, with the Cyclones getting on the board first.
Doug Macdonald broke into Detroit's zone but lost the puck when taken out of the play by John Gruden. But Paul Broten pounced on the loose puck and backhanded it into the net.
Detroit evened the score about 4 1/2 minutes later when David Williams fumbled the puck by Cincinnati's blue line. Clayton Beddoes was the benefactor, skating in alone on Sarjeant and shooting between the goalie's pads.
Cincinnati 1 1 0 0 0 1 -- 3
Detroit 1 0 1 0 0 0 -- 2
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Cincinnati, Broten 2 (shorthanded) (D
Macdonald), 9:54. 2, Detroit, Beddoes 3 (shorthanded) (unassisted), 14:38.
Penalties: Simon, Cin (Obstr holding), 1:29; Crowe, Det (charging), 4:10;
Herbers, Det (elbowing), 7:25; Morrow, Cin (boarding), 9:29; Norton, Det
(roughing), 12:42; Labelle, Cin (Obstr hooking), 15:19.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Cincinnati, Biggs 4 (power play) (Dionne,
Fedyk), 17:04. Penalties: Greenlaw, Cin (boarding), 0:38; Dandenault, Cin
(slashing), 2:29; Simon, Cin (Obstr hooking), 5:09; Drulia, Det (Obstr
hooking), 5:17; Tardif, Det (double high sticking minor), 6:39; P Macleod,
Cin (tripping), 7:29; Cincinnati bench, (too many men on the ice), 9:23;
Herbers, Det (tripping), 10:46; Herbers, Det (slashing), 15:20; Norton,
Det (kneeing), 16:55; Wells, Cin (slashing), 19:04; Greenlaw, Cin
(roughing), 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Detroit, Kesa 3 (Herbers, Shaw), 13:19.
Penalties: Gruden, Det (tripping), 4:11; Greenlaw, Cin (boarding), 6:20;
Dionne, Cin (goalie interference), 12:07; Reese, Det (high sticking),
12:07.
OVERTIME -- Scoring: None. Penalties: None.
SECOND OVERTIME -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Dionne, Cin (high
sticking), 4:15; Herbers, Det (roughing), 4:15; Presley, Det (Obstr
hooking), 5:52; Wells, Cin (interference), 17:56.
THIRD OVERTIME -- Scoring: 5, Cincinnati, Morrow 2 (Dandenault), 10:05.
Penalties: None.
Shots: Cincinnati, 10-7-8-6-5-6-42; Detroit, 7-8-9-12-12-7-55. Power-play opportunities: Cincinnati, 1-10; Detroit, 0-11. Goalies: Cincinnati, Sarjeant (4-0); Detroit, Reese (3-2). Attendance: 6,242.
