KALAMAZOO TAKES WEEKEND, HOSTS BLACK HERITAGE & HOCKEY FOR HER THIS WEEK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2024

KALAMAZOO TAKES WEEKEND, HOSTS BLACK HERITAGE & HOCKEY FOR HER THIS WEEK

K-Wings heat back up with a pair of huge wins, shift focus to another weekend of ‘Cause Games.’

OVERALL RECORD:  20-17-2-0

LAST WEEK:  2-1-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, play two home games with one on the road this week. Kalamazoo hosts Iowa for Black Heritage Celebration Night on Friday and Hockey for Her on Saturday before traveling to Fort Wayne on Sunday.

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

Kalamazoo opened the week Friday with First Responders Night at Wings Event Center versus Fort Wayne. Kalamazoo played with intensity throughout but ultimately fell to the visiting Komets, 5-2. Forward Cody Milan, a Fowlerville, MI native, scored his first goal as a K-Wing while goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (13-12-1-0) made 24 saves.

The K-Wings spent Saturday night in Toledo and picked up a huge 5-1 win over the Central Division-leading Walleye. Josh Passolt (2g-1a), Chad Nychuk (1g-1a), David Keefer (1g-1a), and Erik Bradford (3a) each recorded multiple points in the victory with Bradford’s second helper coming as his 100th point as a K-Wing. Goaltender Hunter Vorva (5-5-0-0) was locked in from the start and 16 of his then-season-high 36 saves (t-11/24 at TOL) came in the first period.

Kalamazoo closed the week by hosting Indy on Sunday for its first Alzheimer’s Awareness Game. Indy jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second but four-straight K-Wings goals coupled with 42 Hunter Vorva (6-5-0-0) saves helped Kalamazoo secure the 4-1 victory. 

The Kalamazoo native, Vorva, went 2-0 on the weekend with a 1.00 goals against average and .975 save percentage. He also made a combined 78 saves inside the two starts, which is a career-high for saves made in consecutive games.

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 Iowa for Black Heritage Celebration Night and $3 Friday at Wings Event Center. The K-Wings are excited to spotlight and celebrate African-American achievements and heritage while emphasizing the need to ensure the Black community is represented and welcomed throughout hockey, with our Black Heritage Celebration. It’s also a $3 Friday, so enjoy $3 Beers, Sodas and Hot Dogs - and don’t miss the Specialty Jersey Auction immediately following the game.

Then, on Saturday, K-Wings and Heartlanders square off again in Kalamazoo’s second annual Hockey for Her game at Wings Event Center.  ‘Hockey is for Her’ embodies our commitment to helping the women of Kalamazoo impact the game of hockey in all capacities. Help us celebrate our women who make hockey possible in Kalamazoo, as the K-Wings will square off with the Iowa Heartlanders at Wings Event Center. The first 1,000 fans will receive a specialty K-Wings Bomber Hat!

RESULTS

Friday, Jan. 26 – Fort Wayne 5, Kalamazoo 2 (Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, MI) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (18-17-2-0) brought the intensity throughout but fell to the Fort Wayne Komets (21-16-1-3) at Wings Event Center on Friday, 5-2. Collin Adams (8) responded to Fort Wayne’s opening goal at the 5:21 mark of the first with a tip-in from the slot just 1:11 after the Komets took the lead. Adams’ deflection came on a double-doinked puck that caught Luke Morgan (2) and Adams on its way to the bottom right corner. Cody Milan (1) put Kalamazoo ahead at the 2:43 mark of the second with a backhand finish just left of the crease on the rush. Fort Wayne tied the game 2-2 at the 5:51 mark. The Komets took a 3-2 lead at the 5:12 mark of the third, added another at 9:57 and finished with an empty-net goal at 18:13. Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (13-12-1-0) made 24 saves in the loss. The K-Wings finished the game scoreless on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Kalamazoo took the final shot total, 27-25.

Saturday, Jan. 27 – Kalamazoo 5, Toledo 1 (Huntington Center, Toledo, OH) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (19-17-2-0) used strong goaltending, four multi-point performances, yet another Erik Bradford milestone, and outstanding defense to defeat the Toledo Walleye (24-9-3-3) at Huntington Center on Saturday, 5-1. Kalamazoo scored five straight goals from the 7:01 mark of the second period on and improved to 6-1-1-0 against Toledo with the come-from-behind victory. Goaltender Hunter Vorva (5-5-0-0) was sublime throughout, stole the show in the first period and tied his season-high with 36 stops on 37 shots faced. Josh Passolt (12) changed the game’s trajectory with a one-timer from the left circle that pulled Kalamazoo even at one in the second. Keefer (11) gave the K-Wings a 2-1 lead at the 13:37 mark with a tip-in from the slot Erik Bradford (30) skated in his 100th game with Kalamazoo and recorded his 100th point as a K-Wing with the primary assist on a gorgeous Nychuk (1) backhand goal at the 19:36 mark of the second. Kalamazoo kept the pressure on in the third, as Passolt (13) netted his second goal of the contest with a tap-in from the right side of the crease at 6:32. Luke Morgan (1) scored the game’s final goal at the 10:17 mark with an unassisted snipe from the left circle. Toledo scored its only goal of the game at the 1:17 mark of the second. The K-Wings finished the game scoreless on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Toledo took the final shot total, 37-26.

Sunday, Jan. 28 – Indy 1, Kalamazoo 4 (Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, MI) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (20-17-2-0) rode goaltender Hunter Vorva's 78 saves in two days and another comeback effort to defeat the Indy Fuel (20-16-4-0) at Wings Event Center on Sunday, 4-1. Goaltender Hunter Vorva (6-5-0-0) stole the show for a second-straight game with a ridiculous 42 saves. The Kalamazoo native went 2-0 on the weekend with a 1.00 goals against average and .975 save percentage. Derek Daschke (8) tied the game at one with a bullet from the right circle on the power play at the 18:13 mark. Collin Adams (9) put Kalamazoo up 2-1 by converting from the right circle at the 7:58 mark of the third. Brad Morrison (19) used fancy stickwork to find Adams from the right side on the rush. Luke Morgan (3) also assisted the goal. The K-Wings doubled their lead just eight seconds later when Erik Bradford (14) cashed in from the high slot. Morgan (2) added the exclamation point on the game with an empty-net goal courtesy of Keefer (19) at the 17:20 mark. Kalamazoo finished the game 1-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Indy took the final shot total, 43-23. The win improves the K-Wings’ record against Indy to 7-3-1-0 on the year, and the team has now recorded points in seven of its last nine games.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, Feb. 2 – Iowa versus Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Saturday, Feb. 3 – Iowa versus Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

Sunday, Feb. 4 – Kalamazoo at Fort Wayne, 5:00 p.m. EST – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (Fort Wayne, IN)

ON THE MOVE

Jan. 21: Goaltender Pavel Cajan was recalled from loan by Cleveland (AHL)

Jan. 21: Goaltender Hunter Vorva was released from a professional tryout contract by Cleveland (AHL)

Jan. 23: Rookie forward Cooper Walker was recalled from loan by Abbotsford (AHL)

Jan. 23: Forward Josh Passolt was assigned to Kalamazoo by Abbotsford (AHL)

FAST FACTS

• The K-Wings are 11-2-2-0 when rookie forward David Keefer records a point since Dec. 6
• Forward Erik Bradford recorded his 100th point as a K-Wing while skating in his 100th game for Kalamazoo on Saturday (3a)
• Forward Josh Passolt (4) leads the team in multi-goal games 

TEAM TRENDS

• 12-0-0-0 when scoring four or more goals this season
• 8-2-0-0 when scoring first at home this season
• 9-4-0-0 when scoring one power-play goal this season

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              44 – Erik Bradford

GOALS:               14 – Erik Bradford

ASSISTS:          30 –  Erik Bradford

PLUS/MINUS:    +12 – Tanner Sorenson

PIMS:                   125 – Chaz Reddekopp

PP GOALS:      3 – Erik Bradford

PP ASSISTS:        8 – Erik Bradford

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

GW GOALS:     4 – Collin Adams

SHOTS:            106 – Erik Bradford

WINS:                  13 – Jonathan Lemieux

GAA:                   2.53 – Hunter Vorva

SAVE %:             .921 – Hunter Vorva

* Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:   Last Week – 1/6 (16.7%)

                            This Season – 19/130 (14.6%) – T-27 in the ECHL         

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 5/5 (100%)

                             This Season – 121/146 (82.9%) – No. 5 in the ECHL

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Join the K-Wings for Pink Ice, presented by Bronson, on Feb. 10 and catch the deal of the month 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!

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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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