Wednesday, March 15, 2000
Cyclones 3, Houston 2
BY JOHN P. WISE
Enquirer contributor
Beware the Ides of March. Or at least the surging Cincinnati Cyclones. The Cyclones defeated Houston 3-2 Tuesday night at Firstar Center and in the process cut third-place Cleveland's lead to just two points in the Eastern Conference.
Cincinnati's first win over the defending IHL Turner Cup Champion Aeros this season pushes the Cyclones eight games above .500 for the first time this season.
Cincinnati is 11-3-2 in its last 16 games, including three straight home wins.
While Todd Hawkins and Todd Simon watched the game from among the 3,886 at Firstar Center, captain Gilbert Dionne got teamed up with Stefan Ustorf and Greg Koehler on the home team's first line.
The lineup made coach Ron Smith look like a genius, as the line accounted for all three goals. Ustorf scored two of them and Dionne the other.
“I've played with Bert quite a bit this year, and he's so easy to play with,” Ustorf said. “And Greg Koehler's a very intense player. He did a great job.”
Ustorf's first goal looked like it hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced back out without passing the goal line. But officials were confident enough in the goal that they did not even choose to review the video. “I was so sure it was a goal,” said Ustorf, whose goal tied the game 1-1. “There was no question.”
The only person Ustorf confused with his third-period score was Houston goalie Frederic Chabot, a former Cyclone. Ustorf skated in through the left circle, feinted right and came back to the left, from where he flipped his 20th goal of the season over a sprawled-out Chabot. “Chabot's a good goalie,” Ustorf said, “but I had in mind what I wanted to do. That was the move I wanted to make.”
Dionne's 30th goal of the season came while the IHL All-Star was on his belly behind Chabot.
Houston ....... 1 0 1—2
Cincinnati ....... 0 2 1—3
First period: Hou, Lambert 13 (Lamb, Williamson) 19:19.
Second period: Cin, Ustorf 19 (Dionne, Esau) 6:33; Cin, Dionne 30 (Tanabe, MacLeod) 11:27 (ppg).
Third period: Cin, Ustorf (2) 20 (Koehler) 11:25; Hou, Wiseman (penalty shot) 19:18.
Shots on goal: Hou, 11-4-8=23; Cin, 15-14-8=37. Goalies: Hou, Chabot (34 saves); Cin, Pelletier (21). Power plays: Hou, 0-for-4; Cin, 1-for-5. Attendance: 3,886.
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