K-WINGS TAKE PRESEASON FINALE IN OT, FUJIMAGARI EARNS HISTORIC WIN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

October 14, 2023

K-WINGS TAKE PRESEASON FINALE IN OT, FUJIMAGARI EARNS HISTORIC WIN

Bradford, Fujimagari serve as heroes in exciting home preseason OT win.

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (PRESEASON: 2-0-0-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, relied on a blend of new and familiar faces versus Toledo (PRESEASON: 0-0-1-1), earning a 4-3 home OT victory and making franchise history to close the 2023-24 preseason. 

Unlike Friday, a shootout wasn’t necessary in this one, as fantastic goaltending from Mariah Fujimagari (1-0-0-0) helped the K-Wings beat the Walleye at the 41-second mark of OT, when Brad Morrison (2) found Erik Bradford (1) on the rush to end the game, sending Wings Event Center into a frenzy.

Fujimagari finished with 14 total saves (OT & 3rd period combined), five of which came during overtime. The netminder became not just the first woman rostered during the preseason in Kalamazoo history, but also the first to claim a victory. Fujimagari earned the game’s third star for her efforts. 

David Keefer (2) opened the game’s scoring 11:15 into the second period, picking the right corner off a feed from Morrison (1). Defenseman Kurt Gosselin (1) was credited with the secondary assist.

Starting netminder Jonathan Lemieux held the Walleye scoreless for the first forty minutes of action, saving all twenty shots faced in the first two periods before being relieved by Fujimagari.

Kalamazoo then made it 2-0 when Ted Nichol (1) cashed in on a beautiful end-to-end play, featuring assists from Jordan Seyfert (1) and Chaz Reddekopp (1) with 16:49 left in the third period. 

A three-goals-in-seven-minutes outburst gave Toledo a 3-2 lead with 8:46 remaining in regulation, but Kalamazoo battled back, using a Morrison (1) power-play goal to draw even with 4:41 left. Fellow longtime K-Wings Bradford (1) and Justin Taylor (1) assisted Morrison’s goal. 

The K-Wings finished the game 1-for-1 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Toledo took the final shot total, 37-32.

Kalamazoo’s ‘Home Opener’ kicks off the 2023-24 regular season on Saturday, October 21 versus Toledo Walleye at 7:00 p.m. EST at Wings Event Center. Tickets to the Home Opener can be purchased HERE.

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It’s also 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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