FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 1, 2019

KOMETS SPOIL WINGS’ RETURN HOME

Over 1,500 stuffed animals donated during Kalamazoo’s annual Teddy Bear Toss, but Fort Wayne beats K-Wings 5-2.

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, MI – The fans at Wings Event Center did not have to wait long to toss their stuffed animals onto the ice Sunday when Kalamazoo native Zach Diamantoni scored at 14:47 of the first period in the Wings’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game.

Unfortunately, the Fort Wayne Komets (13-6-2-0), who led 2-0 before Diamantoni’s goal, scored 30 seconds later to lead 3-1 after one, eventually beating the Wings (6-10-2-0) by a 5-2 score.

Brad Morrison started the scoring for Fort Wayne when he banked a shot off of Jake Kielly’s back from beneath the goal line 8:33 into the game. The Komets added a second goal when Alan Lyszczarczyk tapped in a rebound for a power play goal shortly after the first strike.

Diamantoni’s third of the season pulled the K-Wings to within one, but Matthew Boudens took the air out of Wings Event Center just 30 seconds after the Teddy Bear Toss clean-up. Fort Wayne outshot Kalamazoo 16-9 in the frame, but the Wings battled back in the second period to a 12-5 shots advantage.

Brady Shaw, however, stomped out that momentum when he shot a loose puck past Kielly to give the Komets a 4-1 lead. The K-Wings clawed back to within two goals after 40 minutes, when Kyle Blaney finished a tic-tac-toe passing play with a goal that he slid through the legs of Komets goaltender Patrick Munson.

Munson stopped 37 of 39 shots in his Komets debut, including all 18 K-Wings attempts in the third period. Boudens scored a short-handed empty net goal with 3:10 left in the third period to cap the 5-2 score.

The K-Wings make their way back to Wheeling, West Virginia next weekend for games Friday and Saturday night at WesBanco Arena. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. and can be heard on 1660 AM, The Fan, in Kalamazoo or viewed on ECHL.TV online.

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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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