Friday Night Comeback Comes Up Short

Kalamazoo, MI.- A pair of power play goals wasn’t enough to complete the third period comeback as the K-Wings fell to the Fort Wayne Komets 4-2 on Friday night.

Ivan Kulbakov, making his K-Wing debut, stopped 20 of 24 shots in the loss. Kalamazoo scored a pair of power play goals for in a game for only the second time this season. The K-Wings did not take a single penalty during the game.  

Fort Wayne got on the board three times in the opening stanza, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Justin Kea opened the scoring at the 9:30 mark of the period, collecting a puck in the high slot, and putting a shot through traffic past Kulbakov for the early 1-0 lead. A few minutes later JC Campagna doubled the lead. After mishandling a puck off the face-off Campagna spun around flinging the puck through traffic to the back of the net. Jack Kamrass would add another tally about four minutes after Campagna’s to extend the lead to 3-0.

The middle period saw a single goal scored, coming off the stick of Justin Hodgman. Quick puck movement by the Komets worked the puck back door to Hodgman, who tapped the puck into the net, extending the lead to 4-0. The four goal lead stood, until the K-Wings power play got on the board in the third.

On the man-advantage, Chad McDonald cut across the ice, wristing a shot back short side and into the top left corner, cutting the lead to 4-1. McDonald’s second of the season started a mini-comeback for the K-Wings less than two minutes into the final period. Fort Wayne with stood a Kalamazoo flurry through the third but with time winding down, the K-Wings got back on the board. Cutting into the right faceoff dot Kyle Thomas tucked a shot underneath the crossbar, cutting the lead to 4-2. With the goalie pulled late in the period the K-Wings were unable to score again. As the final horn sounded the K-Wings found themselves on the short end of a 4-2 decision, dropping their fifth straight game.

Kalamazoo finished the night two-for-four on the man-advantage, while the Komets were held without a power play chance.

The K-Wings return to action on Saturday night as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Fuel. As a part of Marvel Night the K-Wings will be wearing special Rocket Raccoon jerseys, while the Fuel sport Groot jerseys.