Cyclones Open Season with Win over Badgers

Posted on November 7, 2009 at 2:05 pm by Clark Caughey

Sunday October 11th saw the beginning of what is sure to be another eventful NIIHA Senior league season. After a summer of changes which included Kevan Grace being appointed as head coach and a number of estranged players returning to the squad the new look Cyclones looked to get their season of to a successful start against the Ballymoney Badgers, a team that have always had chirpy affairs with the Cyclones in the past.

In a tight game neither side found it easy to find the back with strong defensive play at each end. It was the Cyclones however who stuck first as defenceman Richard Gault stepped up and fired home a wicked wrister from the point.

Depsite dominating the game the Cyclones we unable to add to their lead going into the intermission with only one goal to show for their efforts.

In the second period the Cyclones continued to pile on the pressure but a few excellent saves from David Stewart in the Badgers goal kept them at bay. At the other end of the rink Brian Morrow had a relatively quiet day as the Cyclones defensive lines of Glover/Nicolai and Gault/Grace broke up the Badgers attack without them getting many goal scoring chances.

Eager to get back into the game the Badgers were able to claw a goal back in the final minutes as number of bodies and some confusion infront of the Cyclones goal saw former Cyclone Gerrard Spence scramble the puck over the line to level the score.

The game looked as if it was heading for a tie until the 54 second mark when Clark Caughey’s hard work behind the Badgers goal allowed him to break free and attempt a wrap around to seal the game. The puck slid across the crease and it looked as if the chance was wasted until Mark Synnott, who returns to the Cyclones after missing the majority of last season due to injury, drove hard to the net and hammered the loose puck into the bottom right corner of the net to give the Cyclones the victory.