K-WINGS WEEKLY: K-WINGS SHUTOUT NAILERS SUNDAY, PRIDE NIGHT ON RAINBOW ICE FRIDAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 9, 2022

K-WINGS SHUTOUT NAILERS SUNDAY, PRIDE NIGHT ON RAINBOW ICE FRIDAY

Kalamazoo to play 4-in-5 with 'Rainbow Ice / Pride Night' Friday, presented by Bronson.

OVERALL RECORD:  13-14-3-0

LAST WEEK:  1-1-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, play four games this week with one at Wings Event Center. First, the K-Wings head to Fort Wayne for a game against the Komets on Wednesday. Then, Kalamazoo makes history again with the second presentation of ‘Rainbow Ice / Pride Night,’ presented by Bronson, versus the Toledo Walleye on Friday in Kalamazoo. Then, the K-Wings then immediately head to Indy for a matchup with the Fuel, and finish the weekend with a matchup in Wheeling against the Nailers on  Sunday. 

Last week, Kalamazoo went 1-1-0-0 (3-4, 2-0).

The K-Wings put together two strong efforts against division rivals Toledo and Wheeling on the road last week. Kalamazoo battled back from a two-goal deficit on Friday, yet Toledo surged back ahead by two in the middle frame. Carson Focht drew the K-Wings to within one in the final minutes of the game, but Kalamazoo was unable to score the equalizer before the final horn sounded. On Sunday, the K-Wings took it to the Wheeling Nailers scoring one in the first, one in the second, outshot the Nailers in the game, went 6/6 on the penalty kill, scored a shorthanded goal, and Hunter Vorva earned his first ECHL road shutout in the 2-0 victory.

The Kalamazoo Wings are also proud to announce that 103.3 WKFR, Kalamazoo’s #1 Hit Music Station, is the official ‘Rainbow Ice / Pride Night’ media partner. Plus, don’t miss out on the Hungry Howie’s Friends and Family Deal for ‘Rainbow Ice / Pride Night,’ presented by Bronson. This deal has sold out for each in of its first three appearances this season, so act now before it’s too late! Tap the link above to secure your seat. 

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

The K-Wings play four games this week with one at Wings Event Center.

On Friday, Jan. 13 the K-Wings celebrate ‘Rainbow Ice / Pride Night’ versus the Toledo Walleye at 7:00 p.m. at Wings Event Center, presented by Bronson. Kalamazoo is proud to honor the LGBTQ+ community in support of the belief that everyone deserves equal opportunities regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or background. It’s also a $3 Friday, presented by Bud Light, so enjoy $3 beers, sodas and hot dogs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. while enjoying Kalamazoo’s only professional sports team. The specialty jerseys worn on this night will also be donned on ‘Hockey is for Her & Hockey is for Everyone Night’ on February 4 and will be auctioned off immediately following that game.

RESULTS

Friday, Jan. 6 – Kalamazoo 3, Toledo 4 (Huntington Center - Toledo, OH) | Box Score

>>  The Kalamazoo Wings (12-14-3-0) fought hard from behind for much of the game against the Toledo Walleye (13-12-4-1) on Friday night, erasing an early two-goal deficit but ultimately falling, 4-3, at the Huntington Center. The Walleye built the early lead with goals at the 7:15 mark and 12:01 mark of the first period. But the K-Wings weren’t going to go down without a fight. In his first game with Kalamazoo, Brennan Blaszczak (1) netted his first career ECHL goal at the 17:33 mark to get the K-Wings on the board. At the 4:35 mark of the second period, Coale Norris (4) lit the lamp to tie the game, 2-2. Once again the goal came on a laser from the left circle, as Brandon Saigeon (16) gave Norris a nifty drop pass on the far side for the game-tying goal. Toledo regained the lead with a goal at the 8:01 mark, and scored what would ultimately be the game-winner at the 16:38 mark of the second. Trailing by two with time winding down and skating four aside, Kalamazoo pulled the goaltender for the extra attacker. Carson Focht (2) then drew the K-Wings to within one with a snapper from the inside the circles at the 17:46 mark. Kalamazoo emptied the net again late but couldn’t net the equalizer. Evan Cormier (5-11-2-0) faced 37 shots and made 33 saves in the loss. The K-Wings penalty kill was 2/2 in the game and is now 11/12 in the last four contests.

Sunday, Jan. 8 – Kalamazoo 2, Wheeling 0 (Wesbanco Arena - Wheeling, WV) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (13-14-3-0) 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. 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. 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 WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, Jan 11 – Kalamazoo at Fort Wayne, 7:30 p.m. EST – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (Fort Wayne, IN)

Friday, Jan. 13 – Toledo at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Saturday, Jan. 14 – Kalamazoo at Indy, 7:00 p.m. EST – Indiana Farmers Coliseum (Indianapolis, IN)

Sunday, Jan. 15 – Kalamazoo at Wheeling, 4:10 p.m. EST – Wesbanco Arena (Wheeling, WV)

ON THE MOVE

Jan. 3 - Forward Tyler Irvine was recalled from loan by Cleveland (AHL)

Jan. 4 - Forward Logan Nelson was claimed off waivers by Kalamazoo

Jan. 4 - Forward Brennan Blaszczak was signed to a standard player contract by Kalamazoo

FAST FACTS

·           Goalie Hunter Vorva recorded his first ECHL shutout in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Wheeling. 

·           Forward Brandon Saigeon had an assist in both games this week, and now has 10 assists in his last 14 games.

·           Forward Raymond Brice scored his second shorthanded goal of the season in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Wheeling, and the K-Wings penalty kill unit was a perfect 6/6 in the game.

TEAM TRENDS

·       8-0-0-0 when scoring 4+ goals

·       6-0-0-0 when leading after the 1st Period   

·       6-2-0-0 when scoring first on the road

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              21 – Brandon Saigeon

GOALS:               11 – Mason McCarty

ASSISTS:            17 – Brandon Saigeon

PLUS/MINUS:    +3 – Ryan Cook, Brenden Miller*

PIMS:                   56 – Justin Murray

PP GOALS:           4 – Matheson Iacopelli

PP ASSISTS:        7 –  Justin Murray, Chad Nychuk

SH GOALS:           2 – Raymond Brice

GW GOALS:          3 – Raymond Brice, Max Humitz

SHOTS:               80 – Max Humitz

WINS:                  5 – Evan Cormier, Hunter Vorva

GAA:                   2.33 – Hunter Vorva

SAVE %:             .927 – Hunter Vorva

* Currently with Cleveland (AHL)

** Currently with Columbus (NHL) 

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:   Last Week – 0/3 (00.0%)

                           This Season – 21/106 (19.8%) – No. 16 in the ECHL                         

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 8/8 (100.0%)

                            This Season – 88/109 (80.7%) – No. 12 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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