K-WINGS SPLIT PAIR LAST WEEK - READY FOR ROAD, STAR WARS & NYE HOME AFFAIRS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 26, 2022

K-WINGS SPLIT PAIR LAST WEEK - READY FOR ROAD, STAR WARS & NYE HOME AFFAIRS 

 Kalamazoo runs it back in Cincinnati before welcoming Newfoundland for traditional Star Wars & NYE / Fan Designed Jersey games.

OVERALL RECORD:  12-11-2-0

LAST WEEK:  1-1-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, play three games this week with two at Wings Event Center. First, the K-Wings face the Cyclones in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Then, Kalamazoo faces the Newfoundland Growlers for games on Friday and Saturday at Wings Event Center.

Last week, the K-Wings went 1-1-0-0 (4-3 OT, 1-6).

Kalamazoo started the two-game week versus Cincinnati and earned its biggest come-from-behind victory of the season on Wednesday by a score of 4-3 in OT at home. The K-Wings marched all the way back in the third period with a trio of goals in 9:53 after falling behind in the first period. First, Matheson Iacopelli scored on the power play in his first game back after missing 11 straight. Then, Anthony Collins made it a one-goal game with his second of the season at the 11:33 mark. Finally, Brandon Saigeon ripped around the defense from the right side and buried the game-tying goal at the 16:43 mark. Max Humitz then erupted the home crowd at the 2:15 mark of overtime to complete the win. Brandon Saigeon (1G, 2A) also earned his second three-point game of the season with his assist on Humitz’s game-winning goal. 

The K-Wings then immediately headed to Fort Wayne for the first matchup of the season with the Komets on Thursday. Kalamazoo took the early 1-0 lead on the Humitz goal at the 11:45 mark of the first, but Fort Wayne went on to score six straight to get the victory on home ice.  

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

The K-Wings play three games this week with two at Wings Event Center.

The first home matchup is ‘Star Wars Night’ on December 30 at 7 p.m. EST versus Newfoundland at Wings Event Center. It will also be a $3 Friday, presented by Bud Light! So, grab a lightsaber, come cheer on your K-Wings and enjoy $3 beers, sodas & hot dogs! Slappy will be decked out in his best Star Wars gear, along with local enthusiasts and we invite you to come dressed to impress as well!

Then, it’s Kalamazoo’s traditional ‘New Year’s Eve’ and ‘Fan-Designed Jersey’ game versus Newfoundland on December 31 at 6 p.m. EST at Wings Event Center. Don’t miss out on two different amazing ticket packages available for you in the NYE Ticket Package (4 tickets, 1 mystery stocking full of NYE celebratory items and $20 in concessions vouchers) for just $70, or the Hungry Howie’s Friends & Family Deal for $34 (4 tickets, 4 K-Wings knit hats & $20 Hungry Howie’s voucher). Limited quantities of these packages remain, so act fast! And don’t worry about missing any of the college football games, as they’ll be on TVs all over the arena. Also, make sure to stick around after the game for your chance to take home one of the K-Wings’ Fan Designed Jerseys at the post-game jersey auction.

RESULTS

Wednesday, Dec. 21 – Cincinnati 3, Kalamazoo 4 (OT) (Wings Event Center - Kalamazoo, MI) | Box Score

>>  The Kalamazoo Wings (12-10-2-0) overcame a three-goal deficit with a trio in 9:53 in the third period and beat the Cincinnati Cyclones (15-4-3-2) in overtime Wednesday at Wings Event Center, 4-3. Max Humitz (7) scored the game-winning goal at the 2:15 mark of overtime. On the play, Brandon Saigeon (15) carried the puck in and snapped a pass from the top of the right circle to Humitz who pumped it top-shelf from the left side of the crease for the win. The game seemed destined to go Cincinnati’s way, as the Cyclones netted three first-period goals to take a commanding lead in this one. At the 6:41 mark of the third, with the K-Wings on a power play, Matheson Iacopelli (6) scored his fourth power play goal of the season. Less than five minutes later, at the 11:33 mark, Anthony Collins lit the lamp after blasting a shot inside the left post from the slot. Then Saigeon, who finished serving a minor penalty just 37 seconds before, rushed the puck into the Cyclones’ zone and got just enough on the puck for it to trickle into the net after the initial save to tie the game at the 16:34 mark. Hunter Vorva (4-1-1-0) made 23 saves on 26 shot attempts, including stopping all 12 of Cincinnati’s shots after the first period. The win hits the books as the largest comeback of the season for Kalamazoo thus far and marked Cincinnati’s first loss when leading after two periods this year (12-0-1-0).

Thursday, Dec. 22 – Kalamazoo 1, Fort Wayne 6 (Allen County War Memorial Coliseum - Fort Wayne, IN) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (12-11-2-0) earned an early lead but the Fort Wayne Komets (11-8-3-2) answered and earned their sixth straight victory Thursday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 6-1. Max Humitz (8) scored the game’s first goal at the 11:45 mark of the first. Humitz gobbled up a rebound on the left side after the initial shot by Ryan Cook (5). The Komets answered with a power-play goal at the 13:51 mark, and added the game-winner before the period expired. Fort Wayne then scored three goals in the second and one in the third to round out the scoring on the evening. Kalamazoo made a change in net after the fifth goal, replacing Hunter Vorva (4-2-1-0) with Evan Cormier. Cormier stopped 18 of the final 19 shots by the Komets, with the final goal coming on a power play at the 4:31 mark of the third. The K-Wings head into the Christmas break with points in three of their last four games despite the loss and ranked No. 4 in the Central Division.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, Dec. 28 – Kalamazoo at Cincinnati, 7:35 p.m. EST – Heritage Bank Center (Cincinnati, OH)

Friday, Dec. 30 – Newfoundland at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Saturday, Dec. 31 – Newfoundland at Kalamazoo, 6:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

ON THE MOVE

Dec. 19 - Defenseman Olivier LeBlanc was recalled from loan by Cleveland (AHL)

Dec. 19 - Defenseman Quinn Schmiemann and forward Marc Gatcomb were recalled from loan by Abbotsford (AHL)

Dec. 19 - Forward Daniel D’Amico was suspended by team to protect professional playing rights

Dec. 19 - Goaltender Evan Cormier was recalled from loan by Manitoba (AHL)

Dec. 20 - Goaltender Josh Boyko was signed to a standard player contract by Kalamazoo

Dec. 22 - Goaltender Evan Cormier was loaned to Kalamazoo by Manitoba (AHL)

FAST FACTS

·           Forward Brandon Saigeon has scored points in seven of his last nine games (1G, 8A) and recorded his second three-point game of the season in the OT win versus Cincinnati on Wednesday. 

·           Forward Matheson Iacopelli scored a power play goal in his first game back after missing 11 games due to injury to reclaim the K-Wings lead (4) in power play goals.

·           Forward Max Humitz (8) moved into the No. 2 spot in goals scored for the K-Wings this season with his two goal performance last week.

TEAM TRENDS

·      7-1-0-0 when scoring first

·      7-0-0-0 when leading after the second period

·       6-2-0-0 on the road when scoring on the power play

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              19 – Mason McCarty

GOALS:               11 – Mason McCarty

ASSISTS:           13 – Brandon Saigeon

PLUS/MINUS:    +7 – Ryan Cook

PIMS:                   36 – Justin Murray

PP GOALS:           3 – Matheson Iacopelli, Mason McCarty

PP ASSISTS:        6 –  Justin Murray

SH GOALS:           1 – Raymond Brice

GW GOALS:          3 – Raymond Brice

SHOTS:               64 – Max Humitz

WINS:                   5 – Evan Cormier

GAA:                   2.01 – Hunter Vorva

SAVE %:             .937 – Hunter Vorva

* Currently with Cleveland (AHL)

** Currently with Columbus (NHL) 

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:      Last Week – 2/8 (25.0%)

                                This Season – 16/87 (18.4%) – No. 21 in the ECHL                         

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 7/9 (77.8%)

                                This Season – 63/80 (78.8%) – No. 17 in the ECHL

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

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