K-WINGS GROUNDED IN CINCINNATI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 26, 2021

K-WINGS GROUNDED IN CINCINNATI

Kalamazoo’s offense sputters in loss to Cyclones

Box Score

CINCINNATI, OH-- Logan Lambdin scored for the third game in a row as the Kalamazoo Wings (7-5-0-0) fell to the Cincinnati Cyclones (9-5-0-0) by a score of 6-2 on Friday night at Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati.

The Cyclones took control in the first frame. Cyclones Forward Yushiroh Hirano opened the scoring with a slapshot from the blue line 4:56 into the period.  Two minutes later, Cincinnati struck again. This time it was Justin Vaive who tapped in a goal when the K-Wings turned the puck over in their own zone. Cincinnati found the net for a third time on a backhanded wrister from forward Patrick Paulino to make it 3-0 at the end of the first period.

The second period got off to a slower start. Things picked up quickly after Cincinnati defender Jack Van Boekel received a match penalty for committing a cross-check to the head of K-Wings forward Greg Betzold. Betzold was down on the ice for several minutes but did skate off with assistance. Betzold did not return to the game. 

Following a series of penalties, Cincinnati found the net again on a breakaway from forward Jesse Schultz. Kalamazoo would finally get on the board with 2:13 remaining in the second. Logan Lambdin faked his first shot, created space, and found the back of the net to make it 4-1.

With 10:07 remaining in the third, the K-Wings would cut the lead in half. After a succession of shots, Giovanni Vallati cleaned up the mess with a shot to the top shelf to make it 4-2 Cincinnati. Four and half minutes later, Cyclones forward Lukas Craggs scored on a slapshot from the left circle. Craggs came out of the penalty box unaccounted for on a breakaway to find the net. Cincinnati Forward Mason Mitchell added one more insurance goal with 51 seconds remaining to close out the game.

Kalamazoo goaltender Trevor Gorsuch saved 21 of the 27 shots he faced. Cyclones goalie Mat Robson stopped 23 of 25 shots in the victory.

--

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 Columbus Blue Jackets and American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.