KALAMAZOO TAKES PTS IN 7 OF 9, PREPS ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS INSIDE PAIR AT HOME

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2024

KALAMAZOO TAKES PTS IN 7 OF 9, PREPS ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS INSIDE PAIR AT HOME

K-Wings clicks into new year, staging competitive battle in the standings heading into final full week of January.

OVERALL RECORD:  18-16-2-0

LAST WEEK:  0-1-1-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, play two games at home and one game on the road this week. Kalamazoo hosts Fort Wayne for First Responders Night at Wings Event Center on Friday before traveling to Toledo on Saturday. The K-Wings will return home to play Indy on Sunday for Alzheimer’s Awareness at Wings Event Center.

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

Kalamazoo opened the week Friday night in Indy. The K-Wings trailed the Fuel 2-0 after 40 minutes but used two third-period goals from Derek Daschke and Cooper Walker to send the game to overtime. Unfortunately, Kalamazoo fell in the extra frame.

The K-Wings then returned home to host Cincinnati for Rainbow Ice/Hockey is for Everyone Saturday at Wings Event Center. Kalamazoo staged a furious comeback and scored the game’s final three goals but could not overcome an early deficit and fell to the Cyclones 4-3. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux, the reigning ECHL Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Week, made 27 saves in front of 5,155 fans on the Rainbow-painted playing surface.

Join the K-Wings for Pink Ice, presented by Bronson, on Feb. 10  and catch the month's hottest deal with the Stick it to Cancer Ticket package! Get (4) four tickets to the game and (4) silicone bracelets with 10% of the package cost donated to Bronson Health Foundation for just $49. Click HERE to secure your package now!

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

The K-Wings play two games this week at Wings Event Center.

The K-Wings open the week Friday by hosting Fort Wayne for First Responders Night and $3 Friday at Wings Event Center. Our local first responders put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. For that, we want to say, ‘Thank you.’ So, come celebrate Kalamazoo’s finest on “First Responders Night,” honoring our local police officers, firefighters & EMTs. Plus, take advantage of the best food & drink deal in Kalamazoo via $3 Friday ($3 Beers, Sodas & Hot Dogs).

The K-Wings close the week versus Indy with Alzheimer’s Awareness on Sunday at Wings Event Center. Alzheimer's impacts more than 6 million people, and we're joining the fight with Bronson to increase understanding and support for memory loss. Come show support for all Alzheimer’s patients, families and caregivers. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pair of K-Wings fuzzy socks, and skate the ice with the players postgame (*$5 skate rentals available).

RESULTS
Friday, Jan. 19 – Kalamazoo 2, Indy 3 F/OT (Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (18-15-2-0) erased a two-goal deficit in the third period but fell 3-2 in overtime to the Indy Fuel (18-14-4-0) at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Friday. Goaltender Pavel Cajan (1-0-1-0) picked up at least one point for the second time in as many starts with an outstanding effort and made 27 saves on 30 shots faced. Indy struck first at the 2:28 mark of the first period and doubled its lead at the 6:22 mark. Derek Daschke (6) got Kalamazoo on the board at the 2:46 mark of the third by firing the puck home from the right circle. Cooper Walker (3) tied the game 2-2 by finishing a rebound from the left side at the 10:10 mark. Indy scored the winner 17 seconds into overtime. Kalamazoo has taken points in 13 of its last 17 games and extended its point streak to a season-long five games with tonight’s result. The K-Wings finished the game 0-for-1 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Indy took the final shot total, 30-25.

Saturday, Jan. 20 – Cincinnati 4, Kalamazoo 3 (Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, MI) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (18-16-2-0) staged a furious Rainbow Ice comeback but could not overcome an early deficit and fell to the Cincinnati Cyclones (18-15-4-0) in front of 5,155 fans at Wings Event Center on Saturday, 4-3. The ‘Rainbow Ice Rally’ pulled Kalamazoo within one with a Michael Joyaux (4) snipe from the top of the right circle at the 17:21 mark of the third period. Cincinnati opened the scoring at the 3:44 mark of the first period and doubled its lead at 7:39. The Cyclones made it 3-0 at the 0:20 mark of the second period and added another goal at 3:06. Bradford (13) got Kalamazoo on the board by firing the puck home from the left circle at the 17:05 mark on the power play. Derek Daschke (7) added another power-play goal at the 6:10 mark of the third period with a slapshot from just below the painted ice between the circles. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (13-11-1-0) made 27 saves in the loss. The K-Wings finished the game 2-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Cincinnati took the final shot total, 31-28.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, Jan. 26 – Fort Wayne versus Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Saturday, Jan. 27 – Kalamazoo at Toledo, 7:15 p.m. EST – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH)

Sunday, Jan. 28 – Indy versus Kalamazoo, 3:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

ON THE MOVE

There were no player transactions this week.

FAST FACTS

• Kalamazoo is 9-2-2-0 when rookie forward David Keefer records a point since Dec. 6
• K-Wings forward Erik Bradford notched his 250th ECHL assist Saturday versus Cincinnati
• Kalamazoo rookie goaltender Jonathan Lemieux is T-No.1 in the ECHL for goaltender wins (13)

TEAM TRENDS

• 16-1-0-0 when leading after two periods
• 12-3-0-0 when scoring first this season
• 10-3-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer this season

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              40 – Erik Bradford

GOALS:               13 – Erik Bradford

ASSISTS:          27 –  Erik Bradford

PLUS/MINUS:    +12 – Tanner Sorenson

PIMS:                   105 – Chaz Reddekopp

PP GOALS:      3 – Erik Bradford

PP ASSISTS:        8 – Erik Bradford

SH GOALS:      1 – Erik Bradford, Josh Passolt*, Cooper Walker

GW GOALS:     3 – Collin Adams, Collin Saccoman

SHOTS:            99 – Erik Bradford

WINS:                  13 – Jonathan Lemieux

GAA:                   2.83 – Jonathan Lemieux

SAVE %:             .912 – Jonathan Lemieux

* Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:   Last Week – 2/4 (50%)

                               This Season – 18/124 (14.5%) – No. 28 in the ECHL         

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 7/7 (100%)

                               This Season – 116/141 (82.3%) – No. 8 in the ECHL

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The premier Cause Game schedule continues next week with First Responders Night versus Fort Wayne & Alzheimer’s Awareness Awareness Night versus the Indy Fuel on Jan. 26  & Jan. 28 at Wings Event Center. Don’t miss your chance to see the surging K-Wings and support your community. Get your tickets HERE before it’s too late!

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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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