Game Rewind

Thursday, February 14th vs. Flint (Kalamazoo 5-Flint 4)

Kalamazoo, MI- If Valentine’s Day was meant to be spent with loved ones, no one told the Kalamazoo Wings and Flint Generals, who played a physical contest filled with three fights and nine combined goals.

In a night that saw a fan ask another fan’s hand in marriage and the wedding of Shannon Perry and Jack Fritz, it was the K-Wings that gave the gift of victory to the enthusiastic crowd of 3,928 with a 5-4 come-from-behind win during the 8th Annual Borgess Health Pink Ice Game presented by WKFR and The CW 7.  

Nick Bootland gave the K-Wings an early 1-0 lead scoring on his own rebound 6:46 into the game. The tally from Bootland was his team-leading 29th of the season.

Flint answered back two minutes later on the power-play when Jordan Fox finished off a two-on-one for his 26th goal of the season.

Regaining the lead at the 13:20 mark, Bootland scored his second of the game and his league-leading 30th of the year with a slap shot from the high slot.

The Generals pulled even in the second with a blast from the left circle from Jarred Dumba (18th).  Kalamazoo responded moments later with a 5-on-3 power-play goal from Kory Karlander (25th).

Using two unanswered goals in the third period from Josef Fojtik (21st) and Michel Beausoleil (20th), Flint pushed ahead 4-3,

Just 28 seconds after Beausoleil gave the Generals the first lead of the night, Kalamazoo’s Ryan Kindret (1st) tipped in the equalizer. Kindret was one of four K-Wings making his debut for Kalamazoo.

Building on the momentum of Kindret’s strike, Tyler Willis found Karlander (26th) on the door step for his second of the night. The goal from Karlander, which proved to be the game-winner, ties him with Bootland, Travis Granbois and Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn for the team lead with two.

The goal also capped off a big night for the K-Wings top line. Bootland and Karlander each finished the game with three points (2 goals, 1 assist), while Willis sparked the K-Wings with two fights and four assists.

With the win, Kalamazoo snapped a three-game winless streak at home and upped their pink ice winning streak to five games. The K-Wings, who gave up a season-high 48 shots, are now 4-0-0-0 when allowing over 44 shots on net.

Friday, February 15th @ Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne 2-Kalamazoo 0)

Fort Wayne, IN – Fort Wayne received a pair of goals and stingy defense to defeat Kalamazoo 2-0 Friday night at Memorial Coliseum.  

In an otherwise even played opening period, Fort Wayne was able to generate the only offense of the period, a slap shot from Matt Reynolds (17th) from the right circle that snuck past goaltender Jeff Reynaert 6:32 into the game.

In the second, neither team was able to find the back of the net, but they were able to find the penalty box. Both teams combined for 40 minutes in penalties in the stanza headlined by fights between Mark Nebus and Oliver Legault and ten minutes later by Tyler Willis and Colin Chaulk.

P.C. Drouin gave Fort Wayne some insurance in the third with his 9th tally of the season midway through the period.

Kevin Reiter earned his league-leading 7th shutout of the season and second against Kalamazoo by turning aside 19 shots, while Reynaert played solid in defeat stopping 33 shots.

Saturday, February 16th  @ Port Huron (Kalamazoo 2-Port Huron 0)

Port Huron, MI – Three months between starts didn’t seem to bother Ron Vogel. In his Kalamazoo debut, Vogel stopped a K-Wings season-high tying 44 shots to defeat his former team, the Port Huron Icehawks 2-0 at McMorran Place Arena.

Gotham City had Batman and Robin; Kalamazoo has the equally effective dynamic duo of Nick Bootland and Kory Karlander and both players played had a part in the K-Wings success in the first period.

Scoring shorthanded, Bootland gave the K-Wings an early 1-0 lead 2:12 into the game. The goal was Bootland’s league-leading 31st of the year and team leading 3rd shorthander.

Late in the period, Karlander took a wrist shot from the left circle that rode up the arm of Icehawks goaltender Larry Sterling and into the net. Karlander’s goal was his IHL-leading 63rd point of the season.

Vogel was the difference in the second and third, as the netminder stopped all 36 shots he faced in the periods to earn his first victory as a member of the Kalamazoo Wings. Vogel was waived by Port Huron on Monday and signed by Kalamazoo Friday.

The shutout marks the second straight game that the K-Wings have earned a shutout versus the Icehawks.  

Fast Forward

For the third straight week, the Kalamazoo Wings will play three games in three nights starting at Wings Stadium Friday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m. versus the Bloomington PrairieThunder on Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change/RPM Oil Lube Night. Bloomington heads into the week in sixth place in the IHL; however, they are riding a two-game win streak. With a record of 5-3-0-1, the K-Wings currently lead the series against the PrairieThunder.

On Saturday (2/23), Kalamazoo will head on the road to battle the Muskegon Fury. In fourth place, Muskegon starts the week just three points ahead of Kalamazoo. On the season, the K-Wings are 5-5-0-2 against their intra-state rivals.

Finishing the week on Sunday (2/24), the K-Wings will host the Fort Wayne Komets at 4 p.m. on Meijer Scout Day. Kalamazoo is 2-8-0-1 against their arch-rivals this season, who commence the week atop of the league standings.

Nearing Milestones

Defenseman Ed Campbell and forward Glenn Detulleo are nearing personal milestones. Campbell is one game shy of 800 in his career, while Detulleo’s next contest will be the 400th of his career.

Making Your Mark

Goaltender Ron Vogel made the most of his K-Wings debut. Making his first appearance in three months and facing his former team, Vogel stopped 44 shots to shutout Port Huron 3-0 last Saturday night.

Nearing 600

Double Threes

K-Wings Captain Nick Bootland scored a shorthanded game-winning goal last Saturday to help Kalamazoo defeat Port Huron. Both the shorty and the game-winner were Bootland’s third of the season and both equal K-Wings season-highs in their respective categories.

Loving Valentine’s Day

The Obscure Stat of the Week

So far this season, the K-Wings have missed 191 man-games to injuries. In fact, Kalamazoo has played with a full 19-man roster only four times this season, with the last time occurring December 8th.

Tickets! Get Your Tickets!!

Tickets for all K-Wings home games are now on sale. Catch all the action as your K-Wings play the very best the IHL has to offer. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Wings Stadium Ticket Office at (269) 345-5101.

Get On-Line

This season, the best way to keep track of the K-Wings is to log onto www.kwings.com. The site has player profiles, information about Wings Stadium events, and much, much more.

Willis and Vanderveeken on the Radio

Join special guests Tyler Willis and Jamie Vanderveeken as they join Head Coach Brian Curran and the “Voice of the K-Wings” Mike Modugno on “K-Wings Live”. The show is on The Classic Hits Station WLKM (95.9 FM) and online through the B-2 Networks through www.kwings.com from 7-8 p.m. at Old Burdick’s Bar and Grill inside the Holiday Inn Kalamazoo on South 11th Street. 

K-Wings on Radio

Catch all the K-Wings games, home and away, on the K-Wings Radio Network (95.9 FM WLKM & B-2 Networks on kwings.com). Join the “Voice of the K-Wings” Mike Modugno for all 76 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Digital Highway Pre-Game Show 15 minutes prior to face-off. For the most complete coverage of the K-Wings from the opening face-off to the final buzzer, keep your radio tuned this season to the K-Wings Radio Network.

Upcoming Games

Friday, February 22nd                  Vs Bloomington   7:30 PM (Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change/RPM Oil Lube Night)

Saturday, February 23rd              @ Muskegon          7:30 PM

Sunday, February 24th                 Vs Fort Wayne       4:00 PM (Meijer Scout Night)

Wednesday, February 27th          Vs Flint                 10:30 AM (Education Day)