FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 6, 2026

K-WINGS WIN BACK & FORTH TILT OVER ICEMEN IN OT 

Kalamazoo enjoys six different scorers in a home overtime victory over Jacksonville.   

BOX SCORE

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (24-23-3-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, start the weekend victorious, downing the Jacksonville Icemen (19-26-7-1) Friday in overtime at Wings Event Center, 6-5.

Andre Ghantous (14) sent the K-Wings fans home happy, crossing up the netminder and depositing the game-winning overtime goal 5:07 into the extra frame. On the game-winner, Collin Saccoman (10) collected a loose puck against the K-Wings' endboards and sent the puck up the ice to Nolan Walker (24) outside the defensive left circle. Walker fed Ghantous on the rush with a tap pass along the sideboards, and Ghantous did the rest. 

David Keefer (5) started the scoring for the K-Wings by taking advantage of an out-of-position goaltender, firing a shot into the twine before the netminder could return to his paint at the 4:56 mark of the first period. On the play, Kylor Wall (5) intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and wrapped the puck off an endboard stanchion that took a wicked bounce and stopped at the top of an empty crease as Keefer rushed in for the goal. 

The Icemen responded with a short-handed goal on the first penalty of the contest at the 12:12 mark. 

However, Josh Bloom (13) didn't let the man advantage go to waste, finessing the puck inside the left post on the same power-play opportunity 44 seconds later. On the power play strike, Jackson Kunz (2) backhanded a neutral zone pass to Bloom, who rushed into the offensive zone with Zach Okabe (30). The duo went back and forth before Bloom slammed in his own rebound.

Jacksonville answered back, scoring a goal at the 13:22 mark. The Icemen struck first in the second period as well, scoring at the 2:29 mark to take a 3-2 advantage. 

Evan Dougherty (2) then evened the game, deflecting a shot over the netminder’s pads and into the back of the net at the 10:24 mark. On the setup, Hunter Strand (15) sent a pass to a firing Jayden Lee (19) from just inside the blue line that found the stick of Dougherty at the top of the crease. 

However, Jacksonville regained the lead, scoring a goal just before the second period horn at the 19:18 mark. 

Wall (4) answered with a net front goal to tie the game at the 2:20 mark of the third frame. On the goal, Ghantous (16) passed the puck to Keefer (19) outside the right circle, who crossed a beautiful rinkwide backhanded feed to Wall in the slot for the bang-bang goal. 

Okabe (13) then powered the puck through defensive sticks and into the back of the net at the 6:40 mark. On the go-ahead goal, Ryan Cox (8) won a battle for the puck against the left corner boards that found Kunz (3) nearby. Kunz skated into the trapezoid before finding Okabe rushing the net for the five-hole goal from the top of the crease. 

Unfortunately, the Icemen responded with a goal at the 15:10 mark to knot the game at five and send the contest to overtime.

Aku Koskenvuo (4-6-0-0) made 38 saves in the contest. Kalamazoo went 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Tomorrow, Kalamazoo takes on Jacksonville for the second game in the set featuring ‘EmpowHER Night,’ presented by Girl Scouts Heart of America, for a 4:30 p.m. EST puck drop presented by Discover Kalamazoo at Wings Event Center. 

Celebrate strength, spirit, and the power of women at K-Wings EmpowHER Night! We're spotlighting the incredible impact women make both in Kalamazoo and in sports at 4:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 7, at Wings Event Center. 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!

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Mascot Madness is back and Slappy’s throwing the wildest party of the season at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 8, 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.

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.

March into the weekend with $3 Friday, presented by Bud Light, on Friday, Mar. 20 at 7:00 p.m. EST 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?

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The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team based in southwest Michigan, having 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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