FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2020
POPE NETS HAT TRICK AS WINGS DOMINATE MAVS
Kalamazoo extends point streak to three games with 6-1 victory at Kansas City, as forward David Pope scores first pro hat trick.
INDEPENDENCE, MO – Fresh off a three-week stint with the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets, forward David Pope netted his first career hat trick in leading the Kalamazoo Wings (15-20-4-1) to a convincing 6-1 win over the Kansas City Mavericks (18-22-2-1) Tuesday at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.
A day after rejoining the team, Pope gave Kalamazoo an early lead when he buried a rebound in front of the net. Kansas City answered on their first power play when Terrance Amorosa flung a shot through a screen from the point to tie the score 1-1.
The K-Wings quickly responded 40 seconds later, as Justin Taylor tapped home a rebound in front of Nick Schneider to make it 2-1, and Tanner Sorenson showed off his hand-eye coordination later in the frame when he batted a puck into the net from waist level stationed in the left circle.
Kalamazoo, with a 3-1 lead, added to its total with the only goal of the second period. This time, Pope blasted a one-timer underneath the cross bar from a sharp angle in the right circle. Garret Ross and Luke Sandler picked up assists, the second of the game for each player.
Pope found the net a third time to complete his first pro hat trick to make it 5-1 when he snapped a shot over Schneider’s shoulder from the left circle 7:39 into the third period. The K-Wings added a late power play goal in the final minutes when Ross picked up his third assist of the night, setting up Justin Kovacs for a tap-in.
Jake Hildebrand stopped 24 of 25 shots for his second straight win and tenth of the season.
The K-Wings head to Indianapolis next to face-off against the Indy Fuel at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Catch all the action on 1660 AM in Kalamazoo or ECHL TV online, with pregame coverage starting at 6:45 p.m.
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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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