FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 15, 2019

BLANEY SCORES, BUT WINGS FALL TO ‘CLONES IN RETURN HOME

Kalamazoo arrives home from five-game road trip and grabs early lead, but Cincinnati rides three-goal second period to victory.

KALAMAZOO, MI – A quick strike from Kyle Blaney 1:26 into the game was all the Kalamazoo Wings (7-14-3-0) would get Sunday in a 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones (18-6-3-0) at Wings Event Center.

The K-Wings carried the 1-0 lead into the locker room at the end of the first period, but Cincinnati answered with a flurry in the second period. Ben Johnson scored a pair of goals to up his total to eight against Kalamazoo this season.

Johnson first tied the game on a 3-on-2 transition rush when he fired a shot through Jake Kielly’s legs at 8:15 of the second period. Cyclones forward John Wiitala scored the eventual game-winner when he caught a rink-wide pass in stride and snuck a shot into the net from the right circle. Johnson made it 3-1 when he skated into the slot and slid a backhander between Kielly’s legs again.

Cincinnati clamped down in the third period and added an empty net goal with 3:16 to play. Cyclones goaltender Sean Romeo stopped 25 straight shots after Blaney’s early goal to pick up the win, while Kielly saved 33 of 36 he saw.

The K-Wings return to action Friday when the Cyclones return for the ninth of 14 meetings this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Wings Event Center and the promotion is “Nightmare Before Christmas”. The first 1,000 fans will receive Slappy Ornaments. Kalamazoo will wear special Ugly Christmas Sweater jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game. It’s also another $2 Friday, featuring $2 beers, sodas and hot dogs.

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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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