Wings slowed by Admirals' goaltending

NORFOLK, VA— The Kalamazoo Wings heavily outshot the Norfolk Admirals, 47-19, but they couldn’t get past the Admirals’ rock-solid goaltending more than once during a 2-1 loss on Saturday at the Norfolk Scope.

Controlling most of the pace in the first period, the Wings outshot the Admirals by a 17-4 margin, but could not find a way to convert on any of their tries. Norfolk goaltender Ty Reichenbach handled each one of Kalamazoo’s opportunities, while Joel Martin did the same on each effort from the opposition, sending the teams into the first intermission tangled up in a scoreless tie.

After the goalless trend continued through the first 18 minutes of the second period, both teams were eventually able to strike before the end of the frame. Winning a face-off in the offensive end, T.J. Melancon earned the night’s first tally with a seeing-eye slap shot that wove through traffic and past Martin.

With under a minute remaining in the middle stanza and skating on a four-on-four, the Wings equalized the game after Justin Taylor showcased his net-front presence. Winning a faceoff on the wing, Taylor went to the net as the puck dribbled to Brendan Bradley. Bradley steered the puck to the goal and Taylor re-directed it, sending it over the shoulder of Reichenbach.

Deadlocked in the third, the Admirals eventually went back ahead, courtesy of Alex Pompeo. Controlling the puck along the perimeter, Pompeo was fed a pass at the left-wing dot and turned a wrist shot to the net that snuck under Martin’s arm and in.

The goal, scored just over 11 minutes into the third period, forced the Wings to throw everything they had at Reichenbach, but the rookie netminder answered each one of Kalamazoo’s tries, en route to a 46-save performance and an Admirals’ 2-1 win.

Next: Kalamazoo @ Quad City Mallards- Friday, April 6, 8:05 p.m., TaxSlayer Center.

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

Stats: https://www.echl.com/stats/daily-schedule

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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