FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 16, 2024

K-WINGS ANSWER KOMETS, SNATCH OT WIN

Kalamazoo rides Keefer's heroics to down rival Fort Wayne in comeback fashion.

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (24-19-3-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, fell behind twice but used a late comeback and two clutch David Keefer goals to down the Fort Wayne Komets (24-20-2-3) at Wings Event Center Friday, 4-3 in overtime.

David Keefer (15) forced overtime by tipping in a Michael Joyaux (10) blast from the point with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation. Josh Passolt (12) picked up his third helper of the evening on the extra-attacker play.

Keefer (16) followed up the equalizer with the game-winner by picking the top left corner from the right circle at the 3:46 mark of overtime. Brad Morrison (21) and Joyaux (11) assisted the GWG on the rush.

Fort Wayne opened the scoring at the 5:29 mark of the first period and doubled its lead at the 2:40 mark of the second.

Derek Daschke (11) cut the deficit to one at the 3:53 mark by finding the back of the net from just inside the blue line on the left side. Evan Dougherty (7) and Passolt (10) assisted the defenseman’s long-range strike.

Erik Bradford (17) pulled Kalamazoo even at the 18:53 mark by sneaking the puck in short-side from right of the crease. Passolt (11) and Keefer (24) assisted the fast-break goal while Collin Saccoman chirped with a Fort Wayne forward in the neutral zone to create the odd-man opportunity. 

The Komets took a 3-2 lead at the 17:14 mark of the third period to set the stage for Keefer’s takeover.

Goaltender Hunter Vorva (10-6-0-0) made 24 saves to pick up his fourth-straight victory. 

With a perfect 3-for-3 performance, the Kalamazoo penalty kill extended its streak of games without a power play goal allowed to 12. The K-Wings improved to 37-for-37 on the PK since January 14 and are now killing at an 84.9% clip on the year.

Keefer’s effort goes in the books as his first professional three-point game, and the K-Wings are 14-3-3-0 when he records a point since Dec. 6. 

For Passolt, the three assists mark eight multi-point games this season in 35 games played, and Kalamazoo is 7-0-1-0 when the forward notches multiple points this season.

The K-Wings finished the game scoreless on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. The K-Wings took the final shot total, 40-27.

Kalamazoo is back in action Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST versus the Toledo Walleye (28-9-4-5) for Wizards, Wands & Wings at Wings Event Center. Tickets to the game can be purchased HERE. 

Plus, Wings Event Center is turning into a quidditch pitch during the 1st intermission with the first 1,000 fans receiving a limited edition K-Wings Wand. There’ll be a Specialty Jersey auction immediately following the game as well. Kalamazoo has also put together a steal of a deal with the ‘Wizards, Wands and Wings Ticket Package! Click HERE for more details!

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‘269 Night/Winning Wednesday’ on Feb. 17 at Wings Event Center is just a few days away! The K-Wings are set to host a North Division foe, the Maine Mariners, in a midweek tilt at Wings Event Center. It’s also Kalamazoo’s hottest midweek sporting event deal with 269 Night. So, everyone in the 269 gets to enjoy $2 Beers, $6 Wing Baskets and all for the low low price of a $9 ticket (*$11 if purchased Gameday).

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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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