K-WINGS WEEKLY: KALAMAZOO GRABS ONE ON THE ROAD, THREE AT HOME THIS WEEKEND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 4, 2023

KALAMAZOO GRABS ONE ON THE ROAD, THREE AT HOME THIS WEEKEND.

K-Wings on cusp of going on a run with recent performance, and ready for 4-in-5 this week with Deaf Awareness Game on Sunday.

OVERALL RECORD:  7-11-0-0

LAST WEEK:  1-2-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, play one game on the road and three at home this week. First, Kalamazoo travels to Toledo for a morning tilt with the Walleye on Wednesday before returning home to host Iowa on $3 Friday and for Super Slappy night on Saturday. Finally, the K-Wings welcome Cincinnati to Wings Event Center for our Deaf Awareness game on Sunday. 

Also, don’t forget to enjoy No-Fee December! From now until December 10, all surcharges on ETix are canceled for tickets purchased during this period. Click HERE to secure your tickets NOW!

Last week, the K-Wings went 1-2-0-0 (4-3, 3-5, 0-4).

The K-Wings opened the week with a Thursday night matchup against the Reading Royals at Santander Arena. Reading took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, but two goals by Josh Passolt in the second and one goal by Erik Bradford in the third propelled Kalamazoo to a  4-3 victory.

Then on Saturday, Kalamazoo controlled the pace in the rematch, shooting a season-high 41 times, but ultimately fell 5-3 in Reading. Forward Brad Morrison extended his points streak to 5 games in the contest and the K-Wings were moments away from knotting it up before the empty-net goal in the final minutes.

Finally, Kalamazoo traveled to Wheeling, West Virginia for a Sunday matinee game with the Nailers. Wheeling scored one in the first, two in the second and added another in the third to come away with the 4-0 home victory. 

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

The K-Wings play one game on the road this week and return to Wings Event Center for three home games starting on Friday, December 8. 

First, on Friday, Dec. 8 the K-Wings take on the Iowa Heartlanders for $3 Friday at Wings Event Center. What better way to save money during the holiday season and STILL enjoy the greatest professional sporting experience in Kalamazoo, than… enjoying a K-Wings game with the entire family on $3 Friday ($3 beers, sodas & hot dogs). Take a break from those holiday parties, and bring everyone to the game to save!

Then, on Saturday, Dec. 9_, Kalamazoo runs it back with Iowa for Super Slappy Night, presented by Denso at Wings Event Center. Our world-famous mascot, Slappy, has some connections! And it just so happens he’s bringing the Mushroom Kingdom to Wings Event Center! Make sure to get there early, too, because the first 1,000 fans will receive a limited-edition Slappy Ornament!

Finally, on Sunday, Dec. 10, the K-Wings welcome the Cincinnati Cyclones back to Wings Event Center for the Deaf Awareness Game, presented by Bronson. Kalamazoo’s Deaf Community faces significant challenges navigating society & healthcare systems, and we're looking to draw awareness to barriers impacting the Deaf Community’s well-being. Join us, for our ‘Deaf Awareness Game,’ presented by Bronson. Plus, stick around postgame for a specialty jersey auction, too, benefiting Bronson’s DEI and Language Services.

RESULTS

 Thursday, Nov. 30 – Kalamazoo 4, Reading 3 (Santander Arena, Reading, PA) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (7-9-0-0) 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. 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. 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. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (5-6-0-0) made 30 saves in the victory. 

Saturday, Dec. 2 – Reading 5, Kalamazoo 3 (Santander Arena, Reading, PA) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (7-10-0-0) controlled the pace of play but were unable to come out on top and lost 5-3 to the Reading Royals (5-10-1-1) at Santander Arena Saturday. A Ty Glover (6) extra-attacker goal with 1:59 remaining in the third pulled Kalamazoo within one. Unfortunately, Reading scored an empty net goal to keep the K-Wings from finding the equalizer in the final minutes of the game. Reading opened the scoring at the 18:04 mark of the first. Kalamazoo tied it up with a Justin Taylor (2) goal at the 5:12 mark of the second and took a 2-1 lead 33 seconds later when Collin Adams (4) picked the bottom right corner from the left circle. The Royals made it 2-2 at the 10:11 mark of the 2nd and took a 3-2 lead with a power play goal 1:34 later. Reading scored the eventual game-winner at the 1:34 mark of the third, capitalizing in transition. Reading added an empty-netter to secure the win with 1:45 left in the game. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (5-7-0-0) made 26 saves in the loss. 

Sunday, Dec. 3 – Wheeling 4, Kalamazoo 0 (WesBanco Arena, Wheeling, WV) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (7-11-0-0) lost 4-0 to the Wheeling Nailers (9-9-1-0) at WesBanco Arena Sunday. Goaltender Hunter Vorva (2-4-0-0) performed admirably and made 31 saves in the contest. Wheeling opened the scoring at the 11:02 mark of the first. The Nailers struck again on the power play at the 2:40 mark of the second and made it 3-0 at the 8:29 mark. Wheeling added another goal to make it 4-0 with 8:16 left in the game. Kalamazoo finished the game scoreless on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Wheeling took the final shot total, 35-24.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, Dec. 6 – Kalamazoo at Toledo, 10:35 a.m. EST – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH)

Friday, Dec. 8 – Iowa at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Saturday, Dec. 9 – Iowa at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Sunday, Dec. 10 – Cincinnati at Kalamazoo 3:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

ON THE MOVE

There were no player transactions this week.

FAST FACTS

• Forward Tanner Sorenson skated in his 300th professional game Sunday in Wheeling
• Kalamazoo set a new season-high with 41 shot attempts Saturday in Reading
• Forward Josh Passolt became the second K-Wing to score two goals in a single game Thursday in Reading

TEAM TRENDS

• 7-0-0-0 when leading after two periods
• 6-1-0-0 when scoring 3+ goals
• 1-0-0-0 when a K-Wing records 3+ points

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              15 – Erik Bradford

GOALS:                  6 – Ty Glover

ASSISTS:             10 – Erik Bradford, Brad Morrison

PLUS/MINUS:    +8 – Josh Passolt

PIMS:                   49 – Brad Morrison

PP GOALS:            2 – Robert Calisti, Brad Morrison

PP ASSISTS:        4 –  Ty Glover

SH GOALS:           1 – Cooper Walker, Josh Passolt

GW GOALS:          1 – Robert Calisti, Brad Morrison, Josh Passolt, Collin Saccoman, Brandon Saigeon, Ty Glover, Erik Bradford

SHOTS:               39 – Erik Bradford

WINS:                  5 – Jonathan Lemieux

GAA:                   2.78 – Jonathan Lemieux

SAVE %:             .918 – Jonathan Lemieux

* Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:    Last Week – 0/12 (0%)

                              This Season – 8/59 (13.6%) – No. 25 in the ECHL                     

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 9/11 (81.8%)

                               This Season – 59/70 (84.3%) – No. 4 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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