WINGS WEEKLY: SHOOTOUT VICTORY SENDS K-WINGS INTO ALL-STAR BREAK ON HIGH NOTE

Last Week:

Wed., Jan. 16 – Kalamazoo at Fort Wayne, W, 10-8

Fri., Jan. 18 – Kalamazoo vs. Cincinnati, L, 4-1

Sat., Jan. 19 – Kalamazoo vs. Toledo, SOW, 4-3

This Week:

Fri., Jan. 25 – Kalamazoo vs. Rapid City, 7:30 pm

Sat., Jan. 26 – Kalamazoo at Indy, 7:35 pm

Sun., Jan. 27 – Kalamazoo vs. Indy, 3:00pm

Upcoming:

Marvel Night:

Friday night the K-Wings will switch up their look as they wear Black Panther themed jerseys when taking on the Rapid City Rush. Black Panther will also be in attendance for fans to meet and get photos with at the game. The jerseys worn that night will be auctioned off online at a later date through the MeiGray Company.

WMU Alumni Day:

On Sunday afternoon K-Wings and Broncos will unite with WMU Day at Wings Event Center. Fans can find more information about the day and how to get a limited edition K-Wings/WMU hat here.

Quick Hits:

Lots of Goals:

Wednesday night in Fort Wayne the K-Wings scored ten goals, en route to a 10-8 victory over the Komets. The ten tallies scored by Kalamazoo marked the most that had been scored by the K-Wings since joining the ECHL. Prior to joining the ECHL the K-Wings scored 11 goals on numerous occasions, with the most recent coming on February 12, 2006 vs. Port Huron as a member of the United Hockey League. Kalamazoo and Fort Wayne combined for 18 goals in the game which is the fourth highest total of combined goals in an ECHL game.

Couple of Hat Tricks:

Reid Gardiner netted his second hat trick of the season in Wednesday’s game. The forward became the first K-Wing since the 2009-10 season to notch more than one hat trick in a season. Forward Matt Jones record two hat tricks during the season just over a month apart. Gardiner is currently tied for second with teammate Justin Taylor among all ECHL skaters with 21 goals this season.

Streak Buster:

Friday night’s games served as a streak buster for the K-Wings as Reid Gardiner and Tanner Sorenson both saw their career long point streaks ended. Gardiner, who notched a ECHL long 17-game point streak, netted 32 points during his streak. Sorenson saw a career long 11-game streak ended. Forward Chris Collins, currently with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, will be on a ten-game streak when he returns to Kalamazoo.

All-Star Game:

Gardiner is representing the K-Wings on Monday evening in Toledo as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team at the CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic. The 3-on-3 style tournament begins at 7:00pm and will be televised on NHL Network.

Central Division Standings:

1.Cincinnati, (27-7-3-3), 60 pts

2.Toledo, (24-10-3-2), 53 pts

3.Ft. Wayne, (21-16-1-2),45 pts

4.Indy, (20-18-2-1), 43 pts

5.Wheeling, (20-18-2-0), 42 pts

6.Kalamazoo, (18-19-0-2), 38 pts

K-Wings Leaders:

1.Reid Gardiner, F, 19g-29a-48pts

2.Tanner Sorenson, F, 10-21-31PTS

3.Justin Taylor, F, 21g-6a-27pts

4.Kyle Bushee, D, 5g-20a-25pts

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.