FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2026

 K-WINGS CINCH STANDINGS, HOME TRIO THIS WEEK & ‘MARCH IS FOR HOCKEY’ IS BACK

Kalamazoo prep for three games at WEC, just five points out of Third in the Central. 

OVERALL RECORD:  23-23-3-3

LAST WEEK: 1-3-0-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings (22-23-3-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, return to Wings Event Center for a three-game set versus the Jacksonville Icemen this week. Friday, the Wings celebrate First Responders Night, presented by Bronson, at 7 p.m. EST. On Saturday, it's EmpowHER Night, presented by Girl Scouts Heart of America, at 4:30 p.m. EST, presented by Discover Kalamazoo. Finally, on Sunday, it’s Mascot Madness at 3 p.m. EST at Wings Event Center!

Friday’s First Responders Night is also $3 Friday, presented by Bud Light, with $3 beers, sodas and hot dogs until 8:30 p.m. There will be a Fire Truck, Police Car, and Ambulance at the game, courtesy of Portage Public Safety and Life EMS. The vehicles will be stationed on the sidewalk between doors 1 and 10 from 5:30-7:00. Fans are encouraged to check out all the vehicles and take pictures in them on their way into the game! Plus, stick around for the post-game skate immediately following the EmpowHER Night on Saturday ($5 skate rentals are available). 

Last week, the K-Wings went 1-3-0-0 (2-6, 2-7, 2-4, 6-5)

First, Indy finally beat the K-Wings on Tuesday morning’s Education Day Game after Kalamazoo’s weekend sweep, charting six goals, including four straight in the third period. Tyriq Outen made 28 saves in his third consecutive start. Colin Bilek and Hunter Strand both recorded goals in the contest, but the Fuel’s offensive explosion resulted in a 6-2 loss at Fishers Event Center. 

Friday, the K-Wings traveled to Wheeling for their first out-of-division matchup against the Nailers. However, Wheeling won 7-2. Andre Ghantous and Josh Bloom both found the back of the net, and Brendan Dowler recorded his first ECHL assist in the 7-2 loss. Aku Koskenvuo made 34 saves in his return to the K-Wings at WeBanco Arena. 

On Saturday, Kalamazoo traveled to Heritage Bank Center for the first of a two-game set against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Unfortunately, Cincy scored three goals in the third, and the K-Wings fell by a score of 4-2. Aku Koskenvuo made saves in the loss, and Jackson Kunz recorded his first professional multi-goal game. 

Finally, the K-Wings started and finished the game HOT against Cincinnati on Sunday, exploding for six goals with five separate multi-point efforts in a 6-5 win. Josh Bloom notched the franchise’s first four-goal performance since the 2017-18 season (Aaron Irving), and Aku Koskenvuo earned the win, turning aside 33 shots in the contest.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DETAIL

Kalamazoo plays three games at Wings Event Center this week.

Friday, Mar. 6: Our local first responders put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. For that, we want to say, ‘Thank you.’ Join us to celebrate Kalamazoo’s finest on First Responders Night, honoring our local police officers, firefighters & EMTs at Wings Event Center, presented by Bronson. Plus, take advantage of the best food & drink deal in Kalamazoo via $3 Friday ($3 Beers, Sodas & Hot Dogs), presented by Bud Light. There will be a Fire Truck, Police Car and Ambulance at the game, courtesy of Portage Public Safety and Life EMS. The vehicles will be stationed on the sidewalk between doors 1 and 10 from 5:30-7:00. Fans are encouraged to check out all the vehicles and take pictures in them on their way into the game! 

Saturday, Mar. 7: Celebrate strength, spirit, and the power of women at K-Wings EmpowHER Night, presented by Girl Scouts Heart of America for a 4:30 p.m. puck drop presented by Discover Kalamazoo! We're spotlighting the incredible impact women make both in Kalamazoo and in sports. The first 1,000 women, of all ages, through the doors score a limited-edition EmpowHER K-Wings baseball cap! After the final whistle, stick around for a Fans Skate the Ice event - just $5 for skate rentals!

Don't miss out on the last Hungry Howie's Friends & Family Deal of the season for this game! Score 4 tickets, 4 knit hats and a $20 Hungry Howie's gift certificate for just $45!

Sunday, Mar. 8: Mascot Madness is back and Slappy’s throwing the wildest party of the season at 3 p.m. EST at Wings Event Center! Catch your favorite mascots battling it out in intermission broomball! You won’t want to miss this family-friendly fan-favorite with all of Slappy’s friends.

NEXT WEEK!

Saturday, Mar. 14: The legend returns! Green Ice is back, presented by Southern Michigan Bank & Trust! Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the Kalamazoo way with the game that started it all at 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 14, at Wings Event Center. From glowing Green Foam LED Sticks for every fan to the post-game auction of player-worn specialty jerseys benefiting The Salvation Army, this is a night where memories are made, and history lives on.

LATER THIS MONTH AT WINGS EVENT CENTER!

The K-Wings play three more games at Wings Event Center:

Friday, Mar. 20: March into the weekend with $3 Friday, presented by Bud Light, at Wings Event Center! Enjoy $3 beers, sodas, and hot dogs (*until 8 p.m.) while the K-Wings bring the heat on the ice to welcome the Rapid City Rush. Great hockey, great vibes, and great deals - what more could you want?

Saturday, Mar. 21: Good grief! Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang are taking over Wings Event Center as the K-Wings face off against the Rush in a Saturday showdown, presented by Discover Kalamazoo. It’s also Pucks ‘N Paws, presented by Blain’s Farm & Fleet, where your pup takes center ice! We’re silencing the goal horns and turning up the tail wags. Plus, don’t miss the dog race during the first intermission and the Peanuts-themed specialty jersey auction after the game, benefiting the MRC Industries!

Sunday, Mar. 22: Little fans, big energy! It’s our third Jersey Giveaway Sunday game, and this one’s all about the kids and hockey-inspired, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The first 500 kids (12 & under) score a Detroit Red Wings-themed K-Wings hockey jersey, and the fun doesn’t stop there. After the game, Kids (under-12) hit the ice for an epic Golden Shot prize showdown. Let’s hear it for the next generation of hockey legends!

RESULTS

Tuesday, Feb. 24 – Kalamazoo at Indy (L, 6-2), Fishers Event Center, Fishers, IN | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (22-21-3-3) couldn't overcome a strong second-half effort and lost Tuesday against the Indy Fuel (23-17-8-1) in the Education Day tilt at Fishers Event Center, 6-2. IndyTyriq Outenarly advantage with a pair of goals at the 7:41 mark and on the power play at the 17:09 mark of the first frame. Colin Bilek (14) then responded with a wrist shot inside the right post to bring the K-Wings within one at the 18:54 mark. The Fuel then scored another goal, bringing the deficit back to two at the 12:24 mark of the middle frame. Unfortunately, Indy added a trio of goals at the 6:09, 7:08 and 10:13 marks of the third period, the final coming via the power play. Hunter Strand (11) found the net with 1:30 remaining to finalize a 6-2 score. Tyriq Outen (5-2-0-1) made 28 saves in the contest.

Friday, Feb. 27 – Kalamazoo at Wheeling (L, 7-2), WesBanco Arena, Wheeling, WV | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (22-22-3-3) found no luck in the North Division, falling to the Wheeling Nailers (31-14-2-3) on Friday at WesBanco Arena, 7-2. Wheeling took the initial momentum, scoring a pair of first-period goals. The first came on the power-play at the 1:17 mark and then even-strength at the 4:00 mark. Andre Ghantous (13) responded with a left post wraparound tuck at the 5:03 mark. The Nailers answered with a goal of their own at the 12:15 mark. Josh Bloom (8) narrowed the deficit back to two with a breakaway five-hole dart at the 14:57 mark. Wheeling controlled the second period, scoring on the power play at the 6:36 mark and then again short-handed at the 12:39 mark, bringing the score to 5-2. The Nailers continued to find the net in the third period, scoring at the 3:07 mark and on the power-play at the 11:39 mark. Aku Koskenvuo (2-5-0-0) made 34 saves in the contest.

Saturday, Feb. 28 – Kalamazoo at Cincinnati (L, 4-2), Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, OH | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (22-23-3-3) battled hard but were bested in the third period, falling to the Cincinnati Cyclones (25-23-3-0) on Saturday at Heritage Bank Arena, 4-2. After an uneventful first period, Cincinnati struck first with a goal at the 4:30 mark of the middle frame. Jackson Kunz (4) responded by forcing the puck through to knot the game at one at the 15:20 mark. Kunz (5) then broke away on the rush and delivered a beautiful bar-down snipe, notching his first professional multi-goal game and giving the K-Wings a 2-1 lead at the 18:59 mark. Unfortunately, the Cyclones owned the final frame, scoring a pair of goals at the 11:22 and 15:33 marks. Cincinnati then added an empty net goal with 34 seconds remaining to finalize a 4-2 score. Aku Koskenvuo (2-6-0-0) was phenomenal in net, making 35 saves in the contest, and the K-Wings went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. 

Sunday, Mar. 1 – Kalamazoo at Cincinnati (W, 6-5), Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, OH | Box Score

>>   The Kalamazoo Wings (23-23-3-3) exploded for six goals with a four-goal performance and five total multipoint outings to beat the Cincinnati Cyclones (25-24-3-0) Sunday at Heritage Bank Arena, 6-5. Bloom (4g) was one of five different K-Wings that notched multiple points in the win. On the milestone goal, Bloom, Hunter Strand (14), and Griffin Ness (13), three-man weaved the length of the ice when the puck ultimately found Bloom’s stick above the right circle. The forward then launched the game-winning missile over the shoulder of the netminder at the 15:07 mark, increasing the score to 6-4.  Bloom (9) started the scoring early for the K-Wings with a right-circle wrister on the rush that deflected off the netminder’s right shin pad and bounced into the net at the 1:20 mark of the first period. Orlando Mainolfi (1) kept the momentum rolling with a beautiful five-hole snipe from the right dot for his first pro goal to give the K-Wings a 2-0 lead at the 12:25 mark. Unfortunately, Cincinnati took the early second-period momentum, scoring a trio of goals at the 7:13, 10:41, and 12:08 marks to take a 3-2 lead. However, Bloom (10) struck again with a top-shelf power-play bullet from the left circle to tie the game at the 15:12 mark. The Cyclones then regained the lead with a goal at the 3:45 mark of the final frame. Lee (6) then powered the puck through the netminder’s pads to even the game once again at the 6:07 mark. That's when Bloom (11) sent the living-room hats flying back home with a breakaway backhand that landed inside the right post at the 8:08 mark. Cincinnati scored a late goal at the 18:03 mark to narrow the lead to one, and the K-Wings defense stole the show the rest of the way out. Aku Koskenvuo (3-6-0-0) was stout between the pipes, making 33 saves. Kalamazoo went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and was 1-for-1 on the power play. 

ON THE MOVE

Feb. 23 - Vancouver (NHL) reassigned rookie goaltender Aku Koskenvuo to Abbotsford (AHL) and subsequently reassigned the netminder to Kalamazoo

FAST FACTS

• Forward Josh Bloom scored four goals against Cincinnati on Sunday, becoming the first Wings player to score since Aaron Irving notched four on Feb. 21, 2018 (W, 6-5) in Wheeling. Bloom now has 17 points in the last 10 games (10g, 7a)
• K-Wings alternate captain Collin Belik has 10 points in his last nine games (3g, 7a)
• K-Wings rookie defenseman Orlando Mainolfi scored his 1st professional goal against Cincinnati on Sunday

TEAM TRENDS

• 18-5-3-3 in 1-goal games this season
• 11-2-0-0 when scoring a power-play goal on the road
• 10-1-0-0 when scoring 5 goals or more

STATISTICAL LEADERS

POINTS:              47 – Quinn Preston

GOALS:                19 – Quinn Preston

ASSISTS:          29 – Zach Okabe

PLUS/MINUS:    +8 – *Hunter Strand

ROOKIE GOALS:    11 – *Hunter Strand

ROOKIE ASSISTS:   27 – *Davis Pennington

PIMS:                   87 – Spencer Kennedy

PP GOALS:      7 – Colin Bilek, Quinn Preston

PP ASSISTS:         10 – Nolan Walker

SH GOALS:      2 – Ryan Cox, *Hunter Strand

GW GOALS:    6 – Zach, Okabe

SHOTS:           124  – Quinn Preston

WINS:                 7 – Jonathan Lemieux, Ty Young**

GAA:                   2.98 – Jonathan Lemieux

SAVE %:             .902 – Jonathan Lemieux

*     Rookie

**   Currently with Abbotsford (AHL)

*** Currently with Vancouver (NHL)

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY:   Last Week – 1/8  (12.5 %)

                            This Season – 33/163 (20.2 %) | No. 9 (ECHL)   

PENALTY KILL:   Last Week – 8/13 (61.59%)

                             This Season – 115/148 (77.7%)| No. 25 (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 its 36 regular-season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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