K-WINGS MARCH UP STANDINGS, GREEN ICE & KIDS DAY NEXT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 10, 2025

K-WINGS MARCH UP STANDINGS, GREEN ICE & KIDS DAY NEXT

Kalamazoo hosts Green Ice (Sat.) & Kids Day (Sun.) this week with no online ticket fees for March lineup.

OVERALL RECORD:  25-27-3-1

LAST WEEK: 2-1-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings (25-27-3-1), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, play three games this week with two at Wings Event Center.

First, the K-Wings hit the road to play the Indy Fuel Friday. Then, Kalamazoo comes home for Green Ice versus the Toledo Walleye Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Wings Event Center. The K-Wings finish the week hosting Toledo again for Kids Day on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at Wings Event Center.

‘March is for HOCKEY’ here in Kalamazoo. Enjoy no online ticket fees for all games in March (*Green Ice excluded). Click HERE to get tickets NOW!

Last week, the K-Wings went 2-1-0-0 (5-2, 4-6, 3-0). Kalamazoo now has points in nine of its last 10 games and is one point away from fourth place in the Central Division..

First, Kalamazoo beat Atlanta at home Friday, 5-2. Josh Bloom (9, 10, 11) notched his first professional hat trick in the win, while Zach Okabe (15, 16) scored the K-Wings’ other two goals. Bloom tallied the only goal of the first period. Okabe scored shorthanded to make it 2-0 in the second before the Gladiators scored late in the frame and added another goal early in the third to tie it. Bloom put the K-Wings back on top just 37 seconds later, Okabe added a power-play goal and Bloom finished off the hat trick with an empty-netter. Hunter Vorva (5-2-1-0) made 19 saves in the win.

Then, the K-Wings fell to Atlanta at home Saturday, 6-4. Kalamazoo was able to answer each of the Gladiators’ first two goals, with Zach Berzolla (3) and Blake Christensen (9) both tying the score in the first 30 minutes, then Max Humitz (13) put the K-Wings on top just after the midway point of the second. Atlanta scored a pair of goals before the period was over, though, to take the lead back, and never looked back. Quinn Preston (10) scored a power-play goal, pulling Kalamazoo within one, but the Gladiators scored a shorthanded empty-net goal to seal the victory.

Finally, Kalamazoo rebounded and shutout Fort Wayne on the road Sunday, 3-0. Hunter Vorva (6-2-1-0) earned his first shutout of the season, making 41 saves and earning an assist (2) in the victory. Quinn Preston (11) scored first on the power play early in the second, and Josh Bloom (12) scored on a breakaway in the third to make it 2-0. Bloom (13) later forced a Komets errant pass into their empty net to finish the scoring. The K-Wings went 1-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

Kalamazoo plays two games at Wings Event Center this week.

Green Ice is Saturday!

The K-Wings host the Toledo Walleye for the 41st Annual Green Ice Game, presented by Southern Michigan Bank and Trust, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Wings Event Center. Join us, to create your own generational memory via the painted ice game that started it all for professional hockey. It’s truly the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Kalamazoo, and take home your very own Green Foam LED Sticks (available for all fans) and stick around after the game for the player-worn Specialty Jersey auction benefiting YMCA.

Kids Day on Sunday!

Then, Kalamazoo hosts Toledo again for Kids Day, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield, at 3:00 p.m. Sunday at Wings Event Center. The K-Wings know that kiddos always bring the energy, and after a long winter, there’s no better way to celebrate our biggest fans than honoring them with a Kids Day game! The first 500 kids (12 and under) will receive a Legacy Youth K-Wings jersey, and stick around following the game for an epic game of on-ice Golden Shot for prizes (Kids under-12 ONLY).

‘Golden Shot’ details: Kids (12 & Under) are directed to line up outside Section 3 & 4 on the concourse immediately following the game. K-Wings staff will then bring participants down to ice level to take their ‘Golden Shot’ (Under-6 participants may be accompanied by parents). Every fan WILL recieve a prize as they are escorted off the ice by a K-Wings employee, returning all participants to exit to the concourse outside section 27 & 28.

COMING UP!

Pucks N’ Paws, presented by Blain’s Farm & Fleet, on Mar. 29 versus the South Carolina Stingrays just a whole lot more Pawsome with the Paw Patrol Character Appearance Ticket Package! Chase and Skye will be here at 4:30 p.m. and you can get four (4) tickets to the game, a private VIP meet and photo with the characters and four (4) free games of bowling at Airway Fun Center for $89.

March is for HOCKEY (NO online Fees) one-click access!

• Sun., Mar. 16: Kids Day, pres. by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (Toledo vs. Kalamazoo)
• Wed., Mar. 26: 269 Night (Cincinnati vs. Kalamazoo)
• Fri., Mar. 28: Stanley Cup® Night, pres by Bud Light (South Carolina vs. Kalamazoo)
• Sat., Mar. 29: Paw Patrol/Pucks ‘N Paws, pres. by Blaine’s Farm and Fleet (South Carolina vs. Kalamazoo)

RESULTS

Friday, March 7 – Atlanta at Kalamazoo (5-2 W) Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, MI | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (24-26-3-1) overpowered the Atlanta Gladiators (25-25-5-2) with three third-period goals Friday at Wings Event Center, winning 5-2. Josh Bloom (9, 10, 11) notched his first professional hat trick in his first game back from Abbotsford (AHL). He opened the scoring at the 15:24 mark of the first period. Zach Okabe (15) made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal at the 15:00 mark of the second. Atlanta answered with a goal at the 18:35 mark. Then, another Gladiators goal at the 4:44 mark of the third tied the game at 2-2. Bloom struck again just 37 seconds later to put Kalamazoo back on top. Then, Okabe (16) added on with a power-play goal at the 18:28 mark. Atlanta pulled its goaltender late, but Bloom found the empty net to complete the hat trick with 1:01 remaining. Hunter Vorva (5-2-1-0) was stout in net, making 19 saves in the win. Kalamazoo went 1-for-3 on the power play, 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and won the shot total (35-21).

Saturday, March 8 – Atlanta at Kalamazoo (6-4 L) Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, MI | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (24-27-3-1) dropped a back-and-forth battle to the Atlanta Gladiators (26-25-5-2) Saturday at Wings Event Center, 6-4. Atlanta opened the scoring at the 3:04 mark of the first as a Kalamazoo penalty expired. Zach Berzolla (3) evened the score at 1-1 at the 14:50 mark. The Gladiators regained the lead with a goal 1:05 later. Early in the second, Blake Christensen (9) tied things up again at the 5:35 mark. Max Humitz (13) put Kalamazoo on top at the 11:15 mark. Atlanta scored a pair of goals down the stretch of the second, one on the power play at the 16:09 mark and another with 10 seconds left, to regain the lead. Another Gladiators goal 2:28 into the third made it 5-3 and finished the evening for Jonathan Lemieux (11- 16-2-0), who made 26 saves in defeat. Quinn Preston (10) notched a power-play goal at the 12:55 mark to draw to within one. The K-Wings emptied the net on the power play looking to pull even late, but Atlanta scored from long range at the 19:16 mark to seal the win. Hunter Vorva made eight saves in relief. The K-Wings reached the four-goal mark for the sixth consecutive game and topped 35 shots on goal for the fourth time in the last five games (38).

Sunday, March 9 – Kalamazoo at Fort Wayne (3-0 W) Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (25-27-3-1) scored timely goals, banded together defensively and shutout the Fort Wayne Komets (34-18-5-0) Sunday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 3-0. It was the first shutout of the season for Hunter Vorva (6-2-1-0), who made 41 saves and added an assist (2) in the victory. Quinn Preston (11) opened the scoring on the power play at the 57-second mark of the second period. Then, Josh Bloom (12) scored on a breakaway at the 11:06 mark of the third to double the K-Wings’ lead. With the Komets’ net empty, Bloom (13) pressured Fort Wayne into an errant pass that went into the abandoned goal at the 17:37 mark to finish the scoring. Kalamazoo went 1-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill in the victory.

ON THE MOVE

March 3 – Kalamazoo acquired rookie defenseman Wyatt Wilson from Orlando for future considerations

March 6 – Kalamazoo acquired rookie forward Spencer Kennedy from Norfolk for future considerations

March 7 – Vancouver (NHL) reassigned rookie forward Josh Bloom to Kalamazoo from Abbotsford (AHL)

FAST FACTS

• Rookie forward Josh Bloom recorded his first pro hat trick Friday and finished the week on a three-game point streak (5g-1a)
• Rookie forward Zach Okabe scored his first pro shorthanded goal Friday and scored in all three games this past week (2g-3a)
• Defenseman Zach Berzolla earned three assists Friday, is currently on a four-game point streak (1g-5a) and has 10-points (1g-9a) in the last seven games 
• Forward Quinn Preston scored power-play goals in back-to-back games Saturday & Sunday
• Goaltender Hunter Vorva earned his first shutout of the season Sunday, recording 41 saves

TEAM TRENDS

• 8-0-0-0 when scoring a power play goal and not allowing a power play goal
• 20-1-1-0 when leading after two periods
• 13-6-2-1 since Jan. 18

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              35  – Zach Okabe, Quinn Preston

GOALS:                16 – Zach Okabe

ASSISTS:          24 – Quinn Preston

PLUS/MINUS:    +15 – Luke Morgan, Collin Saccoman

PIMS:                   58 – Collin Saccoman

PP GOALS:      5 – Zach Okabe

PP ASSISTS:        5 – Ben Berard*, Zach Berzolla, Quinn Preston

SH GOALS:      2 – Josh Bloom

GW GOALS:     3 – Ben Berard*, Ted Nichol, Zach Okabe

SHOTS:            129 – Zach Berzolla

WINS:                  11 – Jonathan Lemieux

GAA:                   2.27 – Ty Young*

SAVE %:             .934 – Ty Young*

* Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:   Last Week – 3/12 (25.0%)

                            This Season – 23/166 (13.9%) | No. 28 (ECHL)   

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 9/10 (90.0%)

                             This Season – 142/180 (78.9%) | No. 22 (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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