FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2025

K-WINGS BEAT FUEL IN SHOOTOUT

Kalamazoo takes the extra point, but Indy clinches the fourth and final playoff spot by forcing overtime.

BOX SCORE

FISHERS, IN – The Kalamazoo Wings (30-32-6-2), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, won in a shootout over the Indy Fuel (31-29-4-5) Friday at Fishers Event Center, 5-4. 

With the point, Indy clinched fourth place in the Central Division.

Drake Pilon and Zach Okabe scored in the shootout for Kalamazoo, while Ty Young (10-8-1-1) finished his outstanding game with a pair of stops to give the K-Wings the victory. Young finished 41-of-44 on save opportunities.

Drake Pilon (5) got the scoring started at the 6:29 mark of the opening frame. Antonio Venuto (1) earned his first professional point by setting up Collin Saccoman’s (18) blast from the point that Pilon deflected over the glove of the Indy netminder and in.

Less than two minutes later, Pilon (6) scored again on the power play to make it 2-0 Kalamazoo. On the play, Luc Salem (17) sent the puck from the left point to Travis Broughman (14) in the right circle, who dropped the puck to Pilon for a one-time blast for the goal.

The Fuel struck back with a power-play goal of their own at the 1:52 mark of the second.

Ryan Naumovski (4) restored the K-Wings’ lead to two at the 4:04 mark just moments after hitting the post earlier in the shift. Lee Lapid (14) brought the puck over the blue line and sent it down low to Zach Berzolla (26), who found Naumovski streaming to the slot to go forehand-backhand for the finish.

Indy answered with a goal at the 18:03 mark to get back within one headed to the third. The Fuel then tied the game at 3-3 at the 13:44 mark of the final period.

The K-Wings pulled the goaltender late, needing to win in regulation to keep their playoff hopes alive, and Indy scored on the empty net with 1:21 remaining to take the lead.

Max Humitz (17) then scored with the extra attacker on again for Kalamazoo with 40.8 seconds left to make it 4-4. Phil Beaulieu (7) sent the puck to Broughman (15) behind the net, and he found Humitz at the left hash mark for a one-time rip just inside the right post.

Kalamazoo went 1-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Kalamazoo hosts Indy Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Wings Event Center.

It will be  Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Bronson. There’s nothing quite like our K-Wings fans who’ve made 50 years of hockey in Kalamazoo possible, and we want to show you ALL the love we have for your support. Plus, the first 1,000 fans will receive a K-Wings team poster and K-Wings 50th Anniversary patch.

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Don’t miss out on the Fan Appreciation Ticket Package available for Saturday’s matchup. Get four (4) tickets to the game, (4) K-Wings Team Posters, and a free game of bowling at Airway Fun Center.

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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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