K-WINGS GET IT DONE IN OT AGAIN, WINNERS OF FOUR STRAIGHT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 20, 2022

K-WINGS GET IT DONE IN OT AGAIN, WINNERS OF FOUR STRAIGHT 

Kalamazoo scores four in the first and finishes off Wheeling in OT, 7-6.

BOX SCORE                 

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings (31-27-0-0) scored a whole bunch of goals early, fell behind in the second, and came back to beat the Wheeling Nailers (31-25-2-0) in overtime Sunday at Wings Event Center, 7-6.

In the Sunday’s matinee-marathon delight, it was Justin Taylor (21) who scored the power play goal to end it at the 4:57 mark of overtime, securing the K-Wings fourth straight win in the captain's 600th game as a K-Wing.

Patrick Watling, the man responsible for four of Wheeling’s goals on the afternoon, was called for interference at the 4:20 mark of OT. Erik Bradford (22) then found Kyle Blaney (22) seconds later, and Blaney zipped a perfect zip pass from the left circle to Taylor on the doorstep for the redirection. 

The game was a complete rollercoaster from the beginning, as Logan Lambdin (24) opened up the scoring at the 1:17 mark for Kalamazoo. 

Wheeling then tied the game minutes later, but that’s when Kalamazoo exploded in the first. The K-Wings scored three goals in 1:01 (fastest three goals scored this season) to jump out to a commanding 4-1 lead.  

First, Raymond Brice (11) scored at the 8:32 mark. Then, just four seconds later (fastest two goals scored this season) Max Humitz (12) pumped in another goal off the ensuing faceoff. Finally, Jake Slaker (12) chased Wheeling’s starting goaltender, Alex D’Orio, from the game 27 seconds later. 

Watling then went on a tear at the end of the first, and the start of the second, to bring Wheeling all the way back. Trevor Gorsuch (19-18-0-0) was then summoned to replace starting goaltender Jake Kielly (0-1-0-0).

Anthony Collins (5) then scored his first goal as a K-Wing just 33 seconds later, and the seesaw game began.

Wheeling scored two more times before the end of the second to steal the lead back, and it took the K-Wings until the 10:42 mark of the third to tie it back up.  

That’s when Erik Bradford (15) wristed home a power play goal from the top of the left circle, setting up Kalamazoo's second straight OT victory in the process.

Gorsuch was 4-0 on the week, and has won his last seven games played. 

With the win, the K-Wings have now won seven of eight, finished the week a perfect 4-0 and have matched their season long in consecutive wins in the process (4G).

And the Kalamazoo faithful had the team's back all weekend (11,580 - three-day total attendence) with the Green Ice game drawing yet another sellout crowd on Friday.

Kalamazoo’s next game is the Education Day game versus the Cincinnati Cyclones (31-26-3-0) at 10:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday at Wings Event Center. 

Single game tickets can be purchased HERE.

–

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.

###