K-WINGS THROTTLE FUEL, START WEEKEND ON TOP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 17, 2023

K-WINGS THROTTLE FUEL, START WEEKEND ON TOP

Kalamazoo battles back from an early deficit and finishes strong against Indy for 3-2 victory.

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (19-25-3-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, withstood an early push from the Indy Fuel (31-16-2-0) and won the final two frames with a 27-15 shot advantage in a 3-2 victory Friday at Wings Event Center.

Justin Murray (3) scored the game-winning goal at the 12:37 mark of the third period as he crashed the crease and went five-hole. On the play, Coale Norris (5) sent the puck from the blue line to Matheson Iacopelli (12) behind the net, and Iacopelli found Murray in a wide-open crashing down the left circle with a slingshot pass from the bottom of the right circle.

Both Murray (1g, 1a) and Iacopelli (1g, 1a) finished the game with two points on the evening. 

The Fuel opened the scoring at the 4:25 mark of the first period and held an 11-1 shot advantage through the 11 minutes into the game, but the K-Wings rallied from that point and took over the momentum. 

The second period was physical, as bodies were crashing into each other throughout, and Kalamazoo got its first power play opportunity at the 18:47 mark as Iacopelli’s hard work paid off in the offensive zone, drawing a tripping call behind the Indy net. 

Then, Iacopelli (13) sent a one-time blast from the top of the right circle, that had just enough mustard on it to get by the partial save by Mitchell Weeks (12-5-1) and tucked in neatly inside the far right post at the 19:47 mark of the second. Murray (17) and Carson Focht (15) assisted on the power play tally.

In the opening minute of the third period, Justin Taylor (11) battled through heavy defensive pressure in front of Indy’s net to give the K-Wings the lead. On the play, Leif Mattson (8) sent in the initial shot, which deflected off of Raymond Brice (3) and into Taylor’s chest, who then collected the puck and sent it into the right side of the goal.

Indy retied the game at the 7:08 mark, but Hunter Vorva (9-7-1-0) kept everything out of the net the rest of the way, including a phenomenal stop in the final minute with the Fuel net empty to secure the victory. Vorva finished with 30 saves on 32 shots in the win.

The K-Wings and Fuel meet again at 7:00 p.m. EST Saturday at Wings Event Center.

It will be ‘Wizards, Wands and Wings’ night, as Wings Event Center once again turns into Hogwarts, so get your tickets HERE and get to the arena early because the first 1,000 fans will receive a K-Wings wizard hat. And, get your arm ready to raise that bidding paddle for the Wizards, Wands & Wings specialty jersey auction immediately after the game!

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Grab your Scooby Snacks, because there’s a 100%  chance you (and your dogs) will have a great time at this game. This year, Scooby-Doo is taking over the “Pucks n Paws Game” as the K-Wings host Tulsa at 7:00 p.m. on Mar. 4 at Wings Event Center. Don’t miss the pup race across the ice during the first intermission, and the Scooby-Doo jersey auction following the game. Secure your seats 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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