K-WINGS WEEKLY: KALAMAZOO PUTS IOWA IN REARVIEW, PREPS FOR TWO ON ROAD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 13, 2023

KALAMAZOO PUTS IOWA IN REARVIEW, PREPS FOR TWO ON ROAD 

K-Wings drop series in Heartland, ready to complete 5-game road swing this weekend.

OVERALL RECORD:  3-6-0-0

LAST WEEK:  0-3-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, continue their road swing Friday against the Toledo Walleye before heading to Indy to faceoff against the Fuel on Saturday.

Last week the K-Wings went 0-3-0-0 (1-3, 1-2, 1-2).

The positives from the weekend were the combined efforts of Kalamazoo’s defense, along with stellar performances between the pipes by goaltenders Jonathan Lemieux and Hunter Vorva. The K-Wings penalty kill also went 14 for 15, improving their ranking to No. 8 in the ECHL.

It took Iowa 48 seconds to take control of the hockey game on Wednesday, scoring two goals in that span with the first coming at the 9:07 mark of the first period in Coralville. Forward Erik Bradford drew the K-Wings to within one with 4:56 remaining in the second, but Iowa held tight the rest of the way out and scored an empty net goal.

On Thursday, Kalamazoo rushed out to a 1-0 lead at the 1:00 mark and outshot Iowa in the first period, 15-1. On the goal, forward Cooper Walker netted a precision pass from Collin Adams, crashing the back door. Iowa then scored the game’s next two goals with one at the 14:40 mark of the second on the power play and another at the 13:58 mark of the third for the 2-1 victory. 

Saturday’s affair against Iowa was highly contested the entire game with the Heartlanders scoring the game’s first two goals at the 7:18 mark of the second and the 47-second mark of the third. Kalamazoo drew to within one on a Colin Adams power-play tally at the 9:31 mark of the third, but it could not score with the extra attacker in the final minutes of the game. 

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

The K-Wings are on the road this week before returning to play two games on Nov. 22 and Nov. 25 at Wings Event Center.

First, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the K-Wings welcome the Iowa Heartlanders at 7 p.m. for ‘Peanuts’ / 269 / Winning Wednesday, presented by United Way of South West Michigan, at Wings Event Center. Come experience Peanuts Night, presented by United Way of South Central Michigan, like you’ve never experienced before. Bring the whole family to the rink, while enjoying $2 beers & sodas, $6 wing baskets & a ticket to the game for just $9 (*$11 if purchased Gameday). There’ll also be a Peanuts Specialty Jersey auction post-game, and if the K-Wings win, YOU WIN a free ticket to the next K-Wings weekday game!

Then, on Saturday, Nov. 25, the Cincinnati Cyclones come to town at 7 p.m. for ‘Lavender Ice,’ presented by West Michigan Cancer Center, at Wings Event Center. Join the K-Wings by wearing lavender, in support of the NHL’s ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Night’ initiative, and make some serious noise, as the first 1,000 fans receive a set of K-Wings Thunder Sticks. A Hockey Fights Cancer specialty jersey auction will also be post-game, benefiting WMCC. 

Also, don’t miss out on the Hockey Fights Cancer Ticket pack. Enjoy four tickets to Lavender Ice, four silicone HFC bracelets and 10% of your ticket package will be donated to West Michigan Cancer Center. There will also be a HFC specialty jersey auction immediately following the game, benefiting WMCC. Click HERE to secure your package NOW!

RESULTS

Wednesday, Nov. 8 – Kalamazoo 1, Iowa 3 (Xtream Arena - Coralville, IA) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (3-4-0-0) saw its all-time leading scorer, Justin Taylor, become the third player in ECHL history to log 800 career games and fell 3-1 against the Iowa Heartlanders (1-4-2-0) at Xtreme Arena Wednesday. Iowa took a 1-0 lead at the 9:07 mark of the first period before adding another goal and doubling their lead 48 seconds later. Erik Bradford (3) drew the K-Wings to within one with some clean-up duty after a K-Wings rush to make it 2-1 with 4:56 remaining in the second. Brad Morrison (3) and David Keefer (4) earned assists on the tally. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (3-3-0-0) performed admirably and made 35 saves to keep the K-Wings within one down the stretch. The rookie netminder was pulled for an extra-attacker with 2:10 left in regulation. The K-Wings generated multiple chances with a man up, but could not find the equalizer. Iowa then scored an empty-netter with 1:35 remaining to seal the Heartlanders first win of the season. Kalamazoo finished the game scoreless on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Iowa took the final shot total, 38-25. 

Thursday, Nov. 9 – Kalamazoo 1, Iowa 2 (Xtream Arena - Coralville, IA) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (3-5-0-0) rushed out to a 1-0 lead with a 15-1 first period shot advantage but fell 2-1 against the Iowa Heartlanders (2-4-2-0) at Xtream Arena Thursday. Goaltender Hunter Vorva (0-2-0-0) stopped Iowa’s sole attempt of the frame with a kick save at the 13:45 mark. The single shot was the fewest Kalamazoo has allowed in any period this season. Vorva totaled 19 saves in the loss. Cooper Walker (2) scored for Kalamazoo exactly one minute into the game. The rookie crashed the left pipe and tapped in a pinpoint Collin Adams (2) pass from the right side. Brandon Saigeon (5) recorded the secondary assist with a stretch pass to Adams. Iowa tied things up with a power-play goal at the 14:40 mark of the second and scored the game-winner with 6:02 remaining in the third. The contest marked Erik Bradford’s 400th career ECHL game and was No. 70 as a K-Wing. The K-Wings took the final shot total, 30-21. 

Saturday, Nov. 11 – Kalamazoo 1, Iowa 2 (Xtream Arena - Coralville, IA) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (3-6-0-0) battled hard against the Iowa Heartlanders (3-4-2-0) for the third straight game and fell 2-1 at Xtream Arena Saturday. A Collin Adams (2) power play goal with 10:29 left in regulation drew the K-Wings to within one but they couldn’t find the equalizer with the extra attacker in the final minutes. Brad Morrison (4) assisted Adams’ backhand tap-in by generating a rebound opportunity with a shot from the point. Iowa struck first at the 7:18 mark of the second and doubled its lead 47 seconds into the third. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (3-4-0-0) was fantastic in this one, making 33 saves in the loss. The rookie’s 18 opening frame stops are the most recorded by a K-Wing goaltender in a single period this season. Kalamazoo finished the game 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. The K-Wings and Heartlanders both finished the game with 35 shot attempts.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, Nov. 17 – Kalamazoo at Toledo, 7:15 p.m. EST – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH)

Saturday, Nov. 18 –  Kalamazoo at Indy, 7:00 p.m. EST – Indiana Farmers Coliseum (Indianapolis, IN)

ON THE MOVE

Saturday, Nov. 11 – Forward Nico Blachman was released from his Standard Player Contract by Kalamazoo

FAST FACTS

• Forward Collin Adams has scored points in three of the K-Wings' last four games (1g, 2a)
• Veteran forward Erik Bradford played ECHL game No. 400 last Thursday against Iowa
• Veteran forward Justin Taylor played ECHL game No. 800 last Wednesday against Iowa and is just two points shy of 500 points as a K-Wing 

TEAM TRENDS

• Kalamazoo is 3-0-0-0 when leading after two periods

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              7 – Erik Bradford

GOALS:               3 – Erik Bradford, Josh Passolt*

ASSISTS:            5 – Brandon Saigeon

PLUS/MINUS:    +3 – Josh Passolt*, Chaz Reddekopp

PIM:                      22 – Brad Morrison

PP GOALS:            1 – Collin Adams, Robert Calisti, Brad Morrison

PP ASSISTS:        1 –  Erik Bradford, Ty Glover*, Brad Morrison, Cooper Walker

SH GOALS:          1 – Cooper Walker

GW GOALS:        1 – Robert Calisti, Josh Passolt*, Collin Saccoman

SHOTS:             22 – Chad Nychuk

GAA:               3.03 – Jonathan Lemieux

S%:                  .912 – Jonathan Lemieux

WINS:                   3 – Jonathan Lemieux

* Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)   

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:     Last Week – 1/8 (12.5%)

                               This Season – 3/27 (11.1%) – No. 26 in the ECHL                         

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 14/15 (93.3%)

                               This Season – 35/41 (85.4%) – No. 8 in the ECHL

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It’s time to join the ranks of the K-Wings High Flyers with the Back-Half Season Ticket plan! Click HERE for more information. 

Also, the 3-pack is back. Enjoy Rainbow Ice (Jan. 20), Kids Day (Mar. 17) & Fan Appreciation (Apr. 6) for the low price of $49. Click HERE to secure your 3-Pack 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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