FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 25, 2020

IACOPELLI SCORES TWICE LATE IN K-WINGS OVERTIME WIN

Speedy forward ties game late and scores game-winner in 4-3 victory over Tulsa at the BOK Center.

Box Score

TULSA, OK – Two breakaway goals from Matheson Iacopelli six minutes and 37 seconds apart tied the game and won it for the Kalamazoo Wings (14-20-4-1), just 40 seconds into overtime 4-3 over the Tulsa Oilers (19-21-4-1) Saturday at the BOK Center.

Iacopelli completed Kalamazoo’s late comeback with an end-to-end breakaway on the first shift of overtime when he lifted a backhander over the shoulder of Evan Fitzpatrick, after forcing the extra session with an earlier breakaway goal to tie the game at 3-3 with 5:57 left in regulation.

Kalamazoo led twice earlier in the game, after Eric Kattelus buried a one-timer for a first period power play started the scoring, and Garret Ross broke a 1-1 tie with a nifty move from his forehand to backhand after catching a pass on a 2-on-1 rush early in the middle frame.

Each time, Tulsa had an answer. The Oilers evened the score before the first break when Steven Ruggiero trailed a rush and caught a pass high in the slot, before ripping a shot past Jake Hildebrand. Tulsa pulled even again when Charlie Sampair snuck behind the K-Wings defense for a second period breakaway goal.

The Oilers led briefly, when Cory Ward scored early in the third period after he forced a turnover in the Kalamazoo zone and snapped a shot under the cross bar. Following a successful penalty kill, the sixth straight kill for the K-Wings to start the road trip, Iacopelli’s breakaway goal forced overtime.

Hildebrand stopped 28 of 31 shots in the win, while Fitzpatrick made 27 saves in the overtime loss. Iacopelli now leads Kalamazoo with four game-winning goals this season, including two in overtime.

Kalamazoo continues on its season-long six-game road trip Tuesday when the K-Wings face-off against the Kansas City Mavericks at 8:05 p.m. ET at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Catch all the action on 1660 AM in Kalamazoo or ECHL TV online, with pregame coverage starting at 7:45 p.m. ET.

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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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