TAYLOR SECURES K-WINGS HISTORY, WALLEYE SPIT HOOK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2023

TAYLOR SECURES K-WINGS HISTORY, WALLEYE SPIT HOOK

Kalamazoo witnesses history and an early 2-0 lead, but ultimately falls 3-2 toToledo. 

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (17-18-3-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, played one of their best games this season, Justin Taylor (475) set a new franchise mark for points, but the Toledo Walleye (21-14-4-1) stormed back to win Friday at Wings Event Center, 3-2.

Kalamazoo increased its lead to 2-0 early in the second period, but Toledo scored three straight in the frame and weathered a 17-6 shot total in the third to escape with the victory.

On Kalamazoo’s second goal, Justin Taylor (11) became the K-Wings’ all-time leading point scorer, passing Kevin Schamehorn (474), on the Max Humitz (11) power play goal.

Kalamazoo carried a 1-0 advantage into the second period and earned a four-minute power play opportunity at the 0:45 mark, as Toledo was called for a double-minor. Humitz scored just 24 seconds into the power play at the 1:09 mark after Erik Bradford (6) pumped the initial shot on goal, and Taylor chipped the rebound across the crease to Humitz.

The K-Wings scored first at the 2:20 mark of the first period as Matheson Iacopelli (9) sniped twine from the left circle. Darby Llewellyn (6) and Ole Julian Bjørgvic-Holm (1) earned the assists as Iacopelli took the puck into the offensive zone himself and found the top-right corner of the net for the early lead.

The Walleye responded with a power play goal of their own at the 7:18 mark of the second, tied the game at the 9:13 mark and scored the game-winning goal at the 15:16 mark. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the third period as the K-Wings outshot the Walleye in the final frame and 37-24 overall, tying a season-low in shots allowed for Kalamazoo.

Hunter Vorva (8-4-1-0) stopped several high-quality chances from Toledo to keep the game within reach, finishing with 21 saves on 24 shots faced.

The K-Wings and Walleye will run it back Saturday in Toledo with puck drop at 7:15 p.m. EST at the Huntington Center.

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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, both young and old in 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.

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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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