12/3/25: Mo Egger with Cyclones Forward Ryan Kirwan

Cyclones forward Ryan Kirwan was named the ECHL's Rookie of the Month for November. He joined us on ESPN1530.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We'll get to the Bengals here in a few but
as the iHeartMedia Christmas party rages on behind us, the
Cincinnati Cyclones are currently tied for second place in the
ECHL Central Division. They lead the league in overtime wins.
They're coming off and win against first place Wheeling, and
they're back at home a week from Friday for a

(00:20):
tilt against Kalamazoo. That is their national Lampoon's Christmas game
where everybody has Clark Griswold sweaters. And on top of
all that, big reason why Cyclones are off to a
great start as the play of Ryan Kerwin, who today
was named the ECHL Rookie of the Month. He is
the first Cyclones player to be awarded Rookie of the
Month honors since Joe Howe in January of the twenty

(00:42):
thirteen to twenty fourteen season. So it has been a while. Ryan,
kind enough, I'm guessing on his off day to give
us a few minutes. Ryan, congratulations on the ECCHL honor.
Good afternoon, how are you?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Thank you?

Speaker 1 (00:54):
I appreciate it and thanks for having me Ali call,
I appreciate you doing this. So you guys, you've bled
did in nicely and like this maybe shouldn't be a
good way of looking at this, but like, I see
how how well you've done so early in your time
as a Cincinnati Cyclone. It's so early in your professional
hockey career that what I fear is now, because you're
off to such a good start, you're not going to

(01:14):
be here very long.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
Well, I don't know, you know, I think for me,
it's just you know, uh, focusing what I could focus
and uh, you know, I can't.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Control that type of thing.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
But I've been loving having my time here and the
guys are awesome, and yeah, I mean we have a
winning team too, so I'm just going to keep on
doing that for the rest of the season.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
You you were playing college hockey a little bit more
than a year ago, right, So walk me through with
the biggest adjustment starting last year with the Toronto Marley
is what the the biggest adjustment to pro hockey has been.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah, so I finished my season with Arizona State last
season and then I signed with Toronto, And you know,
the biggest adjustment is most likely you know, the guys
are just bigger and stronger and faster.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
It sounds kind of cliche, but it is.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
True, and everybody's so smart, so it takes a little
bit of adjusting.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
And you know, it's been absolutely awesome.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
And the guys in Cincinnati have been amazing and everybody's
just taking us under their wings, and it's been awesome.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Eight goals and seven assists during fourteen games played in
the month of November. Whether it was last year or
here in Cincinnati, have you kind of had a welcome
to professional hockey moment?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
You know, I.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
Guess maybe just your first game, seeing the crowd, you know,
everything like that.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
And you know, in Cincinnati, we get we're so fortunate
to have such great fans and.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
You know, I think that Kid's Day Game two we
had about thirteen thousand, so maybe that screaming kids.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
So it's been awesome.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
You played your collegiate hockey, correct me if I'm wrong.
You started at Penn State and then you went and
played at Arizona State, which you just mentioned. Now pardon
this because I'm sure you've gotten this before. Arizona State hockey.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, yeah, we get that a lot out there, and
you know, it was a lot of fun playing out there,
and that's a cool thing, right, So.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Something we always like to joke about is you know,
we got to make people know that we have a
hockey team here if I'm playing well.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
So but no, it was awesome and I absolutely love
my time there all right.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
So why why? I mean, look, if I could go
back and do it all over again, I went to
a Midwestern Catholic school. If I could do it all
over again, I would have gone to tempe Arizona State
and I never played hockey. What what is it about
that hockey program that took a kid like you and
decided I want to go I'm gonna go play there.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Well, I mean, first off, I guess for me, Coach
Powers and Coach Hecks best coaches I've had, and they've
done so.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Much for me as a person and the player.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
And I think that something that that I sort of
realized is that Coach Powers was they got me and
my first recruitment back when I committed to Penn State
when I was young. So just having that relationship with him,
and then you know, just just having the opportunity to
go in the transfer portal and then hear from him.

(04:10):
Once I was inside of that transfer portal, I kind
of knew that that was the place that.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
I wanted to be.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
Has there been a veteran player on the Cyclones that
you've leaned on since you arrived in Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, I think obviously Viverer. You know, he's he's like
an icon here and.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
It's amazing and he's just just an amazing guy. Lincoln Griffin. Two,
those are two guys for me for sure, And I
think just the whole team in general. You know, we
have so many guys that have played pro games, Col.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
Frasier, all those, you know, so just we have a
great group of guys in that locker room.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
Uh what do you do in Cincinnati when you're not
playing hockey?

Speaker 2 (04:47):
What have you learned about the city?

Speaker 3 (04:50):
I haven't tried Skyline yet, you guys a joke about that.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
Oh well we can rectify that. I'll take you to Skyline.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah, that might have to be one of the things.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, but we can, I you know, I know people
we can there. There's one like two blocks from the arena.
We could we could easily. We can easily make that happen.
Ryan Kerwin and the Cyclones are off to a great start.
The EHL Rookie of the Month for the month of
November it is it's been cool to have you. You
guys are off to a great start. We'll get you
some Skyline. So I'll tell you what win Rookie of

(05:22):
the Month for December, and we'll go to Skyline and
it's on me. Okay, that'd be awesome done and we
can happen. Ryan, thanks so much, awesome, thank you for
having me. Ryan Kerwin the EHL Rookie of the Month.
The Cyclones, second in the Central Division, just beat Wheeling
their home a week from Friday with their National Lampoon's

(05:44):
Christmas Vacation game. Puck's gonna drop at seven thirty Downtown.
Two of my two of my friends had kids go
to Education Day. The next time they play a ten
to thirty game. I'm going because I like daytime sports.
Go watch some hockey, go watch some bucks ten thirty am,
and come to work. Maybe you have a cold one

(06:04):
while we're there. Can't beat that. Congratulations to Ryan Kerwin.