K-WINGS DOWN NAILERS BEHIND VORVA SHUTOUT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 8, 2023

K-WINGS DOWN NAILERS BEHIND VORVA SHUTOUT

Kalamazoo played stout defense throughout the matchup including four consecutive penalties killed in the second period.

BOX SCORE

WHEELING, WV – The Kalamazoo Wings (13-14-3-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, stopped everything the Wheeling Nailers (16-15-1-0) had to offer and earned a 2-0 shutout victory Sunday afternoon at Wesbanco Arena.

The win went into the books as the first ECHL shutout for Hunter Vorva (5-2-1-0), who made 30 saves and helped the K-Wings penalty kill unit to a perfect 6/6 performance.

The K-Wings drew first blood at the 10:45 mark of the first period as Darby Llewellyn (4) blasted in a slot shot for the game-winner. On the play, Carson Focht (8) carried the puck from center ice up the right side, sent a pass toward the left faceoff circle that got deflected right to Llewellyn’s stick in the slot for the goal. Collin Saccoman (5) earned the secondary assist on the goal.

Early in the second period, there was trouble brewing for Kalamazoo with minor penalties called on the K-Wings at the 2:40, 4:52, 7:08 and 8:37 marks. But the penalty kill unit stood its ground, gaining more opportunities shorthanded than the Nailers were able to muster with the man advantage.

That trend culminated in a shorthanded goal by Raymond Brice (8) at the 9:50 mark. Brice skated the puck up the left side, and after his initial shot was stopped, he tucked the puck inside the right post for the shorty. Chad Nychuk (15) and Brandon Saigeon (17) assisted on the goal.

Kalamazoo kept the pressure on in the third period, outshooting Wheeling 16-12 in the final frame to finish with a 36-30 shot advantage to seal the win. The K-Wings are now 6-0-0-0 this season when leading after the first period.

The K-Wings finish the road trip on Wednesday against the Fort Wayne Komets (13-11-3-2). Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EST at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

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Make sure to secure your Hungry Howie’s Friends & Family ticket pack for the K-Wings’ upcoming ‘Rainbow Ice’ game on Friday, January 13. The pack includes 4 Tickets, 4 K-Wings Hats and a FREE $20 HH voucher. Get your HH Ticket Pack HERE.

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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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