Game Day: Wings Kick Off Weekend In Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH.- The Kalamazoo Wings begin a home-and-home with the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday night at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. Kalamazoo returns home on Saturday for Nickelodeon Night and Orange Ice.

Game #4

Kalamazoo (2-1-0-0) at Cincinnati (2-1-1-0)

7:35 pm | U.S. Bank Arena

Watch: ECHL.TV

Listen: 1660 the Fan

Last Time Out:

An offensive on-slaught in the third period helped the K-Wings push past the Komets, taking a 5-3 victory and sweeping the weekend set. Ft. Wayne opened up the scoring in the middle period and held that lead through the second intermission. Out of the final break the K-Wing offense sprung to life scoring twice in the first minute of the period. Goals from defensemen Kyle Bushee and Ben Betker gave Kalamazoo the lead just 0:37 into the third. Ft. Wayne stormed back, retaking the lead with a pair of goals under a minute apart of their own. Late in the period trailing by one goal Jimmy Mullin tied things up for Kalamazoo at the 15:00 mark. After Mullin's tally the K-Wing offense kept the pressure on, resulting in a pair of tallies from Justin Taylor. The forwards second and third goals of the season came with less than 2:30 left to play, securing the victory.

Season Series:

Friday is the first of 11 meetings between the K-Wings and Cyclones this season. Six of the 11 match ups will take place in Cincinnati, while the K-Wings will host the other five. During the 2017-18 season the teams faced off seven times, in what proved to be an evenly matched series. Cincinnati won the season series winning four of the seven games, with one of those victories coming in overtime. Kalamazoo also claimed an overtime victory over the Cyclones last season, finishing with a record of 3-3-1-0. 

Building Off Big Nights:

Saturday night in Ft. Wayne five different K-Wings picked up at least two points in the 5-3 victory. Defenseman Ben Betker led the way with a career night, recording three points (1g, 2a). Betker was joined by Reid Gardiner (2a), Brendan Bradley (2a), Kyle Thomas (2a) and Justin Taylor (2g) hitting the scoresheet more than once. Before Saturday defenseman Brandon Anselmini was the only player to record a multipoint night this season (2a, 10/19).

Thomas Keeps Going:

Forward Kyle Thomas kept his point streak alive on Saturday night with a pair of assists against the Komets. Thomas, who leads Kalamazoo with four points this season, has at least a point in his last five games, dating back to last season. During that five-game stretch the Massachusetts native has notched a pair of multi-point games as well. 

Blue Line Points: 

During the weekend sweep of the Komets the Kalamazoo blue line factored in on six of the seven goals score by the K-Wings. Defensemen accounted for seven of the 20 points racked up by the Kalamazoo offense over the course of the two games. Defenseman Ben Betker is currently tied for second in points on the K-Wings (3pts, 1g, 2a).  In comparison, a defenseman only factored in one of the three goals during the season opening loss to Indy. 

On the Board First:

Saturday night was the only time in the first three games of the season that Kalamazoo failed to score the first goal of the game. In each of the previous games, the K-Wings not only scored the first goal of the night but also scored within the first three minutes of play. 

Upcoming:

After playing Friday night in Cincinnati the K-Wings return home on Saturday to conclude the weekend set with the Cyclones. The ice will be turned orange on Saturday night and both teams will wear specialty jerseys, as Kalamazoo helps kick off the ECHL's new partnership with Nickelodeon. The K-Wings will be sporting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle jerseys while the Cyclones will wear jerseys featuring Baron Draxum, the latest TMNT villain. Kalamazoo's jerseys will be auctioned off after the game in a live, post-game auction. Fans are invited to wear costumes of their own and take part in the intermission costume contest as well as pre-game trick-or-treating on the concourse. The Ninja Turtles will also be in attendance on Saturday night. 

The K-Wings wrap up October with their annual Education Day on October 30 against Toledo. Puck drop for the game is set for 10:30am. 

Kalamazoo Wings single game and season tickets are available now! More information can be gathered at www.kwings.com/seasontickets.

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.