KALAMAZOO SPLITS WEEK, LITERACY GAME THIS SUNDAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 9, 2024

KALAMAZOO SPLITS WEEK, LITERACY GAME THIS SUNDAY

K-Wings finish stretch of 8-of-9 on the road this week, set to host The Lion, the Wings and the Wardrobe Sunday

OVERALL RECORD:  7-11-1-0

LAST WEEK: 1-1-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings (7-11-1-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, play two games this week. First, the K-Wings head to Indy to face the Fuel on Saturday, and then they come home to face the Fuel at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Wings Event Center.

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

First, Kalamazoo dropped a tight contest at Wheeling, 4-2, on Friday. Ayden MacDonald (4) and Travis Broughman (4) scored goals for the K-Wings, but three late third-period goals by the Nailers allowed Wheeling to escape with the victory. Jonathan Lemieux (5-8-1-0) was phenomenal in net, making 37 saves on 40 shots faced in defeat.

Then, the K-Wings topped the Fort Wayne Komets, 3-2, on Saturday. Collin Saccoman (3) notched his first professional power-play goal in the first period, Ayden MacDonald (5) scored to give Kalamazoo the lead in the second period, and Ted Nichol (2) scored the game-winning goal before Fort Wayne struck back with a goal later in the second. Hunter Vorva (1-0-0-0) was stellar in his first game back with Kalamazoo, making 31 saves in the victory.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

The K-Wings play one game at Wings Event Center this week.

REMEMBER! No Fee December was extended until Dec. 20! Click here to enjoy all the hockey action this month with NO online ticket fees!

Kalamazoo hosts the Indy Fuel for The Lion, the Wings and the Wardrobe Day at 3 p.m. Sunday at Wings Event Center. The K-Wings will pay homage to the C.S. Lewis best-seller and raise awareness on the importance of reading, as nearly 44 million Americans struggle with literacy.

The K-Wings also host Wings Wonderland Weekend with three games in three days from Dec. 20-22. There will be a giveaway at all three games, from a K-Wings Moose Mug on $3 Friday against Cincinnati, to a Christmas Vacation Trucker Hat Saturday against the Cyclones, and K-Wings Christmas Poster on Sunday for ChristmaKwanzukkah versus Wheeling!

Enjoy the Wings Wonderland Weekend Ticket Package if you want to bring everyone to the game for the low price of $219. Get 4 tickets (16 total) to each game, guaranteed giveaways and a limited edition K-Wing Ice Scraper just for you!

3-Packs are also on sale now! Catch three games this season (NYE on Dec. 31, Springfield Night on Feb. 15 & empowHER Night on Mar. 8) for the low price of just $49.

The ECHL HOF Dinner is coming to Kalamazoo on Friday, January 18. You can secure your spot to hear Kalamazoo Legend Bernie Saunders give the keynote address, plus the Stanley Cup and associated trophies are expected to make an appearance. Click above to get all the perks on this historic night!

RESULTS

Friday, Dec. 6 – Wheeling 4, Kalamazoo 2 (WesBanco Arena, Wheeling, WV) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (6-11-1-0) played one of their best games of the season but couldn’t hold off the Wheeling Nailers (12-3-1-0) Friday at WesBanco Arena, falling 4-2. Ayden MacDonald (4) opened the scoring for Kalamazoo at the 8:39 mark of the first period. Wheeling answered with a goal at the 4:19 mark of the second to tie it at one. Travis Broughman (4) scored his first goal as a K-Wing to put Kalamazoo back on top at the 9:51 mark of the third period. The Nailers tied the score at 2-2 with a power play goal at the 14:05 mark, then took the lead with another tally at 17:02 and added an empty-net goal with 34 seconds left to seal the victory. Jonathan Lemieux (5-8-1-0) was phenomenal in net, making 37 saves on 40 shots faced in defeat.

Saturday, Dec. 7 – Kalamazoo 3, Fort Wayne 2 (Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN) | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (7-11-1-0) scored two in the second and never looked back to earn the victory over the Fort Wayne Komets (11-7-1-0) Saturday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 3-2. Collin Saccoman (3) opened the scoring with his first professional power-play goal at the 4:05 mark of the first. Fort Wayne answered with a power play tally of its own at the 7:05 mark. Kalamazoo regained the lead with a goal by Ayden MacDonald (5) 7:26 into the middle frame. Ted Nichol (2) gave the K-Wings the 3-1 advantage with the game-winning goal at the 11:29 mark. The Komets pulled back within one with a 4-on-4 goal at the 16:59 mark of the second. Hunter Vorva (1-0-0-0) was outstanding in his first start back with Kalamazoo, making 31 saves in the victory.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Saturday, Dec. 13 – Kalamazoo at Indy, 7:00 p.m. EST – Fishers Event Center (Fishers, IN)

Sunday, Dec. 14 – Indy at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. EST – Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, MI)

ON THE MOVE

Dec. 8 - Defenseman Noah Dorey claimed off waivers by Kalamazoo

FAST FACTS

• Defenseman Collin Saccoman recorded his first professional power-play goal Saturday
• Forward Ayden MacDonald has goals in each of his last two games and each of the last three games against Fort Wayne
• Forward Ted Nichol recorded his first professional multi-assist game Friday

TEAM TRENDS

• 4-2-0-0 following a win
• 6-3-0-0 when earning more power plays than the opponent

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              12  – Quinn Preston

GOALS:                7 – Ben Berard*

ASSISTS:          10 – Quinn Preston

PLUS/MINUS:    +10 – Collin Saccoman

PIMS:                   19 – Jermaine Loewen

PP GOALS:      2 – Ben Berard*, Zach Okabe

PP ASSISTS:        3 – Max Humitz

SH GOALS:      1 – Josh Bloom

GW GOALS:     2 – Ted Nichol

SHOTS:            49 – Zach Berzolla

WINS:                  5 – Jonathan Lemieux

GAA:                   2.71 – Jonathan Lemieux

SAVE %:             .917 – Jonathan Lemieux

* Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:   Last Week – 1/5 (20.0%)

                            This Season – 8/57 (14.0%) | No. 26 (ECHL)   

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 5/7 (71.4%)

                             This Season – 40/53 (75.5%) | No. 27 (ECHL)

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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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