FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

November 30, 2023

K-WINGS OWN THIRD, TOP ROYALS ON THE ROAD

Kalamazoo leans on stars to close out 3rd, and enjoys multipoint performances from three players to beat Reading on the road.

BOX SCORE

READING, PA – The Kalamazoo Wings (7-9-0-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, relied on timely scoring, three multipoint performances, and stellar goaltending to down the Reading Royals (4-10-1-1) at Santander Arena Thursday, 4-3.

Josh Passolt (2g), David Keefer (1g-1a), and Collin Adams (2a) led the way offensively for Kalamazoo. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (5-6-0-0) made 30 saves to hold things down on the defensive end.

Reading opened the scoring at the 10:26 mark of the first.

Kalamazoo answered just thirty seconds later with a Keefer (3) tap-in. Connor Walters (1) and Adams (4) assisted the goal by pushing the pace on a delayed 4-on-3 rush.

The Royals retook the lead at the 17:10 mark of the opening period.

Kalamazoo struck first in the middle frame when Passolt (4) posted up in the left circle and deflected in a Keefer (5) shot from the point. Passolt made the contest his first multigoal game of the year with a shorthanded tally assisted by Adams (5) at the 11:57 mark of the second.

Collin Adams used elite hand-eye coordination on the shorty to tap a Royals blue line pass out of midair to the surging Passolt for the goal.

Reading tied things back up at three at the 14:06 mark of the second, but the K-Wings enjoyed the last laugh.

Erik Bradford (5) scored the game-winner one minute and 19 seconds into the third period. The GWG was assisted by Brad Morrison (9) and Ty Glover (7) and the streak of games in which the trio has connected to score extended to four with the tally.

Lemieux made 30 saves in the victory. The netminder's performance was highlighted by the Kalamazoo defense coming together to stifle a Royals 6-on-4 opportunity with multiple blocked shots in the final 20 seconds of regulation.

Kalamazoo finished the game scoreless on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Reading took the final shot total, 33-28.

The K-Wings are back in action Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST for a rematch against Reading at Santander Arena.

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Saturday, December 9, is Super Slappy Night versus the Iowa Heartlanders at Wings Event Center. Get ready to have some serious fun as we honor Slappy’s love for video games and the holiday season with the first 1,000 fans receiving a limited edition Slappy Ornament. Tap HERE to secure your tickets now. 

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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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