FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

October 25, 2023

K-WINGS IMPROVE TO 2-0, DEFEAT FUEL AT HOME

Kalamazoo enjoyed four skaters recording multiple points, and two goals in opening 40 seconds on its way to topping Indy.

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (2-0-0-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, enjoyed a second consecutive game with multiple multipoint performances en route to a 5-4 win versus Indy (1-2-0-0) Wednesday at Wings Event Center.

The K-Wings secured their second straight victory when defenseman Robert Calisti (1) patiently fired a shot home from the slot, breaking a 4-4 tie with 4:48 left in regulation. The game-winner came just 46 seconds after Indy found an equalizer, and was set up with a nifty cross-slot pass by Brandon Saigeon (3). Rookie forward Cooper Walker (1) notched his first pro point with the secondary assist.

Kalamazoo started this one hot. The K-Wings’ first goal, courtesy of Nico Blachman (1), came just 20 seconds into the contest, and the home team doubled its lead another 20 ticks later when Ty Glover (1) knocked in a rebound off an initial Brad Morrison (2) shot that had been deflected by Calisti (3). 

An Indy power-play goal (PPG) allowed the Fuel to draw back to within one before Morrison (1) recorded a PPG of his own at the 17:39 mark to restore Kalamazoo’s two-goal lead and end a four-goal first period. 

The Fuel drew to within one again at the 4:19 mark of the second.

Then Josh Passolt (2) extended the K-Wings lead to two goals with the play of the frame at the 10:38 mark of the second. 

On the play, Passolt skated the puck up ice, and fired a slapshot off the body of goaltender Mitchell Weeks, finishing it off with a wraparound goal. Saigeon (2) earned his first assist of the game on the tally.

As per usual between these Central division foes, this contest was played physically throughout, and a combined 47 penalty minutes were accumulated. 

With major penalty time carried over from the end of the second, Indy again pulled within one with a PPG early in the third before tying the game with 5:34 remaining, setting the scene for Calisti’s game-winner. 

Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (2-0-0-0) turned in another sound performance for the K-Wings, saving 33 of 37 Fuel shots faced, including multiple down the stretch to keep the one-goal lead intact.

Calisti (1g, 1a), Glover (1g, 1a), Morrison (1g, 1a), and Saigeon (2a) all recorded multiple points for Kalamazoo in the contest.

The K-Wings finished the game 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill. Indy took the final shot total, 37-23. 

Kalamazoo is back in action at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Friday versus the Wheeling Nailers (1-0-0-0) for Orange Ice at Wings Event Center. Tickets to Kalamazoo’s first colored ice game of the season can be purchased HERE.

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It’s not too late to secure 2023-24 K-Wings season tickets. Enjoy exclusive benefits, including guaranteed seat location to all 36 home games, complimentary parking, early access to the arena, and more. Click HERE to join the ranks of the K-Wings High Flyers today.

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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 Vancouver Canucks and the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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