Cyclones make hockey history with all-Black starting lineup
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CINCINNATI (WLWT) — The Cincinnati Cyclones made professional history Saturday night.
In their game against the Wheeling Nailers, the Cyclones fielded a starting lineup with five Black skaters, believed to be the first lineup of its kind in a professional hockey game in North America.
The lineup consisted of forwards Kyle Bollers, Josh Burnside and Elijah Gonsalves, and defensemen Landon Cato and Jalen Smereck.
It’s not the first time the Cyclones have made history when it comes to hockey diversity: The team’s head coach, Jason Payne, was the first-ever Black head coach in the ECHL.
In 2022, with Payne behind the bench, the Cyclones made history when they played against the Kalamazoo Wings, marking the first time in ECHL history two Black head coaches faced each other in a game.
It’s also believed to be the first such event in North American men’s professional hockey.
The history didn’t stop after the puck drop: Smereck set a Cyclones record for points by a defenseman (70) with an assist in the first period.
Cincinnati won, in overtime, 3-2.
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