Game
Rewind
Friday, April 4th Vs Flint (Flint 3-Kalamazoo 2)
Kalamazoo, MI– Up 2-0 in the second, the Kalamazoo Wings squandered their two-goal lead allowing three unanswered goals and eventually losing to Flint Generals 3-2.
In a chippy first period of play, it was the K-Wings that drew first blood. Camping out in front of the Generals’ crease, Nick Bootland tipped in a power-play goal past former K-Wing Chad Alban. Bootland, who has lit the lamp in five straight games, leads the IHL in goals scored (42) and in power-play markers (18).
After missing the past 50 games with an injury, the game was the first for Alban since December 14th. A former K-Wing and Kalamazoo native, this evening was also Alban’s first game at Wings Stadium since Game 2 of the 2005 UHL Colonial Cup Playoffs First Round, which took place on April 16, 2005 versus the Rockford IceHogs, a span of nearly three years.
Building their lead in the second period while on the power-play, Glenn Detulleo (17th) deflected a shot from Jamie Vanderveeken to increase the K-Wings lead to 2-0. Detulleo’s goal was the 100th in his career.
The Generals got on the board late in the second when John DiPace (20th) poked a loose puck past Reynaert to bring Flint within a single goal.
Battling back 11:03 into the third, Jordan Fox (23rd) rang a slap shot off the cross bar and over the goal line to knot the game at 2-2.
Just over three minutes later, Fox (24th) gave the Generals the lead striking on the power-play.
The loss snapped the K-Wings six-game home winning streak and pushed Kalamazoo to five points behind Flint for third.
Saturday, April 5th Vs Port Huron (Port Huron 3-Kalamazoo 2-Overtime)
Kalamazoo, MI– Earning a point to move within two points of the Muskegon Fury for fourth place in the IHL standings, the Kalamazoo Wings dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Port Huron Icehawks.
Penalty killing turned into a scoring opportunity for the K-Wings, as Kory Karlander (36th) one-timed a Travis Granbois pass 10:56 into the opening period to lead 1-0.
Karlander (37th) extended Kalamazoo’s lead by lighting the lamp with a wrist shot past goaltender Marty Magers.
With 2 minutes remaining in the first period, Icehawk Jamie Carroll (29th) slid the puck past Jeff Reynaert to bring the game within one goal.
With no scoring in the second period, the K-Wings held on to their 2-1 advantage until 2:45 into the third period, when Josh Aspenlind knotted the contest at 2-2 with his 18th of the season.
Neither team would answer in the rest of regulation, which forced overtime. In the extra session, Brent Hughes (10th) scored on his own rebound to give the Icehawks a 3-2 overtime win, their third OT victory versus Kalamazoo this season.
Sunday, April 6th @ Bloomington (Bloomington 5-Kalamazoo 4-Shootout)
Bloomington, IL– In their second-to-last road game of the regular season, the Kalamazoo lost 5-4 in a shootout Sunday afternoon to the Bloomington PrairieThunder.
In a wild first period that featured a combined six goals, it was Bloomington’s John Nail (3rd) at the 4:09 mark that took advantage of a K-Wings turnover and buried a one-timer from the slot to start the game’s scoring.
Kalamazoo answered one minute and 30 seconds later with a tally from Justin Cross (18th). The K-Wings gained a 2-1 lead 35 seconds later with a lamp lighter from Lucas Drake (17th).
Not to be outdone, Bloomington came back with two goals of their own from Brent Clarke (5th) and Rod Aldoff (4th) to retake a 3-2 advantage.
Scoring the equalizer with 24 seconds remaining in the first was Nick Bootland (43rd), who in the process upped his current point streak to seven games.
While the scoring subsided in the second, the Thunder did grab their third lead of the night with a power-play marker from Casey Handrahan (2nd) with 26.8 seconds remaining in the period.
Pulling even in the third while on the power-play, Tyler Willis (6th) sent a backhander past Derek Dolson at the 15:25 mark. Four of Willis’ six goals this season have come against Bloomington.
Scoreless in the remainder of the third and through overtime, the game heading into a shootout. In the extra session, Bloomington’s Jon Booras produced the only tally in the three-man shootout to give the Thunder a 5-4 victory.
Earning a point with a shootout loss, Kalamazoo has now climbed to within a single point of Muskegon for fourth place in the IHL.
Fast Forward
It’s do-or-die for the K-Wings as they enter the final week of the regular season. With three games remaining, Kalamazoo trails the Muskegon Fury by one point for fourth place and are five points behind the Flint Generals for third. The K-Wings will start the week at Wings Stadium this Wednesday, April 9th with a 7 p.m. face-off versus the Generals on Group Appreciation Night. On the season, the K-Wings are 8-6-0-0 versus the Generals.
On Friday (4/10), the K-Wings will start a home and home series against the Port Huron Icehawks. The first half of the series will occur at McMorran Place Arena at 7:30 p.m. The contest will be Kalamazoo’s final regular season road contest. Port Huron is in second place in the IHL. On the season, the K-Wings are 5-5-3-0 versus the Icehawks.
The K-Wings and Icehawks will return to Wings Stadium this Saturday, April 12th for the regular season finale for both teams. Face-off is at 7:30 p.m. and the game will coincide with Fan Appreciation Night presented by WKFR. For the second straight year, the K-Wings will hold the Kalsee Credit Union Kash Drop during the first period intermission. Also featured during the game will be the Turner Cup and Huber Trophy. Following the contest, the K-Wings will hold their annual player award ceremony and hold their warm-up jersey auction with the proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House.
Captain Consistent
Forward Nick Bootland enters the week on a seven-game point. Besides the seven-game streak, Bootland has earned points in 10 of his last 11 games.
Better to Give Than To Receive
Forwards Glenn Detulleo and Kory Karlander have been in a giving mood this season. The duo shares the league lead for assist with 53.
Good After One
When the K-Wings hold a lead after one period of play, they usually win. Kalamazoo is 19-2-1-3 when holding a lead at the start of the second period.
Snapping a Streak
Kalamazoo enters the week looking to snap a four-game winless streak. The K-Wings are 0-1-2-1 during the current stretch.
The Obscure Stat of the Week
Tyler Willis must love playing against the Bloomington PrairieThunder. Willis, who has scored six times this season, has notched four of them against the Thunder.
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.
Granbois and Mohr on the Radio
Join special guests Travis Granbois and Jarred Mohr 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
Wednesday, April 9th Vs Flint 7:00 PM (Group Appreciation Night)
Friday, April 11th @ Port Huron 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 12th Vs Port Huron 7:30 PM (Fan Appreciation Night presented by WKFR)
-End of the Regular Season-
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