Wings double up Komets on home ice

KALAMAZOO, MI—The Kalamazoo Wings had their best offensive game of the season as they doubled up the Ft. Wayne Komets, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at Wings Event Center.

After scoring 19 seconds into last night’s game, Kalamazoo only needed 21 seconds to strike first today against Ft. Wayne. Right out of the opening draw, Kalamazoo got the puck towards the goal, and Josh Pitt banged home a rebound after a Kyle Bushee try was originally stopped by Komets’ goalie, Michael Houser.

Towards the end of the period, the Wings were rewarded for their second of the game after a smothering forecheck by Tyler Biggs. Biggs stole the puck from a Ft. Wayne defender and slipped a beautiful backhand pass to the backdoor where Danny Moynihan deposited his fifth of the season.

Doing their best to try and mount a comeback, the Komets earned their first goal of the game with a nifty passing play in the attacking zone. Jamie Schaafsma worked the puck to the front of the goal with a feed that Garrett Thompson could one-touch into the net for his fifth goal of the year.

The Wings re-established their two-goal lead just 1:16 later with Moynihan’s second of the night. Carrying the puck through center and into Komets’ territory, Moynihan powered a wrist shot that hit Houser’s glove and slowly trickled over the goal line, increasing Kalamazoo’s lead to 3-1.

Midway through the period, Ft. Wayne tallied for the second time of the night, courtesy of Artur Tyanulin. The Komets’ rookie rushed ahead on a two-on-one, took a shot that was stopped by Joel Martin, but followed the play and buried the rebound for his third goal of the season.

With four minutes to go in the second and working on an extended five-on-three power play, the Wings bumped their lead back up to a pair of goals. Moynihan found Pitt on the right wing, who drilled a one timer that produced a doorstep rebound for Justin Taylor to chip in his fifth goal of the year. Taylor’s goal gave Kalamazoo a 4-2 edge going into the third period.

Ft. Wayne were bailed out by a lucky bounce in the first few minutes of the third period and cut the Wings’ lead to a goal for the third time on the afternoon. Tyanulin went to center the puck, and as Taylor broke the play up, he inadvertently redirected the puck into his own goal.

After withstanding a barrage of chances from the Komets, Kalamazoo beefed up their lead to two goals yet again. A quick counterattack through center allowed Scott Henegar to step into a 40-foot slap shot that beat Houser clean, propelling Kalamazoo to a 5-3 lead.

Bushee sealed the victory for Kalamazoo with an empty net tally from his own zone with under two minutes to play, and the Wings earned a 6-3 win over their rivals from Ft. Wayne.

Next: Kalamazoo vs. Adirondack Thunder, Friday, November 10, 7 p.m., Wings Event Center.

Broadcast information: Friday’s game will air on AM 1660 The Fan in Kalamazoo or online at www.1660thefan.com/listen-live.

Notes: Eric Kattelus is on a four game point streak… Aaron Irving was assessed a game misconduct at the 15:22 mark of the second period for leaving the bench during an altercation… Moynihan had a game high three points… Martin made a season high 43 saves… Kalamazoo were outshot, 46-39, during the game, including 23-9 in the third period… Kalamazoo went 1/7 on the power play and 2/3 on the penalty kill… The six goals scored set a new season high for the Wings.

Stats: https://www.echl.com/stats/game-center/15033

Single-game tickets are on sale! Tickets start as low as $10 and can be purchased at http://kwings.com/SingleGameTickets or at the Wings Event Center box office.

Wings Event Center, owned and operated by Greenleaf Hospitality Group, is home to the Kalamazoo Wings professional hockey team and a full entertainment venue offering concerts, sporting events, family shows and trade shows. Built in 1974, Wings Event Center values partnerships with the community to bring events and attractions that enrich the lives of residents in the Kalamazoo area.

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