FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 22, 2019

K-WINGS START ROAD TRIP WITH LOSS AT CINCINNATI

Newcomer Zach Urban scores in debut, but Kalamazoo falls to Cyclones in first game of weekend road trip.

Box Score

CINCINNATI, OH – Hours after arriving in Cincinnati on a call-up from the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Macon Mayhem, Zach Urban scored his first ECHL goal for the Kalamazoo Wings in his debut.

Unfortunately that was the lone goal for the K-Wings (5-6-2-0) in a 8-1 loss Friday against the Cincinnati Cyclones (11-5-1-0) at Heritage Bank Center.

The Cyclones broke the ice at 7:39 of the first period, when Mason Mitchell found Darik Angeli in the slot and Angeli fired a low shot through Jake Kielly’s legs to make it 1-0. Cincinnati added to its lead 48 seconds later when Justin Baudry’s shot was blocked and John Wiitala swept the loose puck into the net while falling down. A late power play goal from Mitchell, set up by Jesse Schultz gave the Cyclones a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Wiitala was awarded a second period penalty shot and cashed in for his second goal of the game, making it 4-0 Cincinnati. Cyclones captain Justin Vaive got into the act, scoring in transition from the high slot just past the midway point of the period to widen the gap to five goals.

Cody Sol fired home the sixth Cyclones goal off of a face-off in the third period, but Urban answered for Kalamazoo just 10 seconds later on a shot through a screen from the point. Wiitala completed his hat trick with a wraparound less than three minutes later.

Cincinnati completed the scoring when Ben Johnson knocked home a rebound in the waning minutes. Cyclones goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 22 of 23 for the win.

Kalamazoo next faces Toledo Saturday at the Huntington Center at 7:15 p.m., and finishes a three-game weekend Sunday against Brampton at 2:00 p.m. at CAA Centre. Saturday’s game can be viewed out at Old Burdick’s at Wings West at the K-Wings Official Watch Party. Take advantage of great food and drink specials while watching the game at the restaurant.

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Kalamazoo Wings 3-Packs are now available online! Reserve your tickets for the three biggest games in the best seats with the best eats. Visit kwings.com for more information about all the perks that come with a K-Wings 3-Pack!

The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team located in southwest Michigan that has been a staple in the Kalamazoo, MI professional sports landscape since 1974. The K-Wings compete in the ECHL and are the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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