K-WINGS FALL TO CYCLONES, GO 2-1 ON WEEK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2023

K-WINGS FALL TO CYCLONES, GO 2-1 ON WEEK

Kalamazoo falls behind early, fights to the finish but can’t make the comeback. 

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (17-17-3-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, went down 3-0 to the Cincinnati Cyclones (21-8-4-2) in the first period and fought hard the whole way but could not muster enough of a comeback, losing 6-2 Sunday.

In spite of the loss, the K-Wings have won three of their last four games.

The Cyclones scored at the 3:29, 15:57 and 17:45 marks of the first period to build the early lead. But Kalamazoo pushed hard through the second period and outshot Cincinnati 16-7 in the frame.

Brandon Saigeon (7) scored the first goal of the game for the K-Wings at the 3:29 mark of the second, out-hustling Cyclones goalkeeper Beck Warm (15-5-2-1) for a puck behind the cage, pushing in a wraparound shot and cutting the lead to 3-1.

Cincinnati increased the lead back to three goals with a score at the 12:18 mark and held a 4-1 lead into the third period. The Cyclones then scored again at the 5:36 mark.

After coincidental minor penalties were called at the 5:56 mark, Cincinnati committed another penalty at the 6:11 mark to give Kalamazoo its first power play of the game. The K-Wings pulled goalie Pavel Cajan (4-1-0-0) to skate 5-on-3, but the Cyclones sent the puck down the ice into the empty net on the ensuing draw.

At the 14:13 mark, Leif Mattson (3) ripped a shot from between the circles into the back of the net. Both teams were scrambling a bit after Erik Bradford (5) was unable to put home a rebound opportunity, but Max Humitz (13) snagged the puck in the corner and sent it to Mattson for the goal.

Cajan finished the game with 31 saves on 36 shots faced in the loss.

Kalamazoo will finish the current homestand on Friday versus the Toledo Walleye (20-14-4-1) at 7:00 p.m. EST on Survivor Night at Wings Event Center. Get your tickets HERE.

–

The K-Wings are continuing the ‘Hockey is for Everyone’ campaign on Feb. 4 vs Fort Wayne. Join us at 7:00 p.m. and support ‘Hockey is for Her’ and our commitment to help the girls and women of Kalamazoo get involved with hockey. Buy your tickets HERE, and get to Wings Event Center early, as the first 1,000 fans will receive a specialty K-Wings puck.

--

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.

###