Game Rewind

Wednesday, April 9th Vs Flint (Flint 5-Kalamazoo 1)

Kalamazoo, MI– With Kalamazoo and Flint both needing victories to increase their playoff chances, it was Generals that provided the offensive arsenal need to secure a 5-1 victory and an IHL playoff berth.

Neither the K-Wings nor the Generals were able to get the puck across the goal line in the first period, but Flint would make amends in the second, scoring twice in the period.

Michel Beausoleil knocked in his team-leading 35th goal of the season 1:08 into the second to give the Generals a 1-0 lead.

Nearly eight minutes later, Jaroslav Cesky (13th) put a left point blast over the glove hand of K-Wings goaltender Jeff Reynaert to extend Flint’s advantage to 2-0.

Kalamazoo cut the deficit to a single goal early in the third with a power-play tally from Kory Karlander (38th) 26 seconds into the period.

Taking advantage off a K-Wings turnover, Jaroslav Cesky sent a pass into the slot to Jordan Fox, who buried it past Reynaert for his 26th goal of the year.

Travis Granbois thought he brought the K-Wings back to within a goal at 3-2, as his shot beat Chad Alban and into the net; however, the lamp lighter was negated because of a cross check prior to the goal from Tyler Willis.

While the K-Wings couldn’t regain the momentum, the Generals could, receiving goals from Greg Bullock (26th) and Josef Fojtik (27th) en route to a 5-1 victory.

The loss, coupled with a Muskegon Fury overtime loss, put the K-Wings two points behind the Fury for fourth place in the league.

With the victory Flint will head into the playoffs for the 2nd straight season for the first time since the 1999-00 season.

Friday, April 11th @ Port Huron (Port Huron 5-Kalamazoo 4-Overtime)

Port Huron, MI– The Kalamazoo Wings battled valiantly, but for the fourth-time this season, the Port Huron Icehawks defeated the K-Wings in overtime, this time by the final of 5-4.

The Icehawks wasted no time registering on the scoreboard, as Donnie Margettie (8th) finished off a two-on-one scoring on a wrist shot 1:08 into the game.

A little over two minutes later, Nick Bootland (44th), who was camping in front of the Icehawks net, deflected a Kory Karlander shot from the left point to knot the contest at 1-1.

Gaining their first lead of the night 37 seconds later at 3:25, Lucas Drake lit the lamp off a brilliant pass from Glenn Detulleo. The assist by Detulleo was his league-leading 55th of the season.

Bootland (45th) propelled the K-Wings to a two-goal advantage at 3-1 midway through the period recording his second tally of the evening.

Battling back in the second, Port Huron responded with three goals. Jeff Zehr (32nd) brought the Icehawks back to within a single goal just 42 seconds into the period, with his team-leading 15th power-play marker of the year.

After Kris Vernarsky created a K-Wings turnover with a check on Detulleo, Vernarsky sent the puck up to Tab Lardner (38th), who scored on a breakaway to tie the game at 3-3.

Port Huron regained the lead midway into the stanza with Zehr’s second of the game and his 33rd of the season.

With 7:52 remaining in regulation, Kory Karlander (39th) lived up to his title of IHL’s Most Valuable Player, scoring on a backhander to tie the game at 4-4.

Neither team scored in the remainder of regulation, which forced overtime. In the extra session, Vernarsky gave the Icehawks the victory scoring his 20th of the season.

With the win, Port Huron secured home-ice advantage in round one of the Turner Cup playoffs.

While Kalamazoo earned a point with an overtime loss, the K-Wings were eliminated from playoff contention as a result of Muskegon’s 3-2 victory over Bloomington.

Saturday, April 12th Vs Port Huron (Port Huron 5-Kalamazoo 3)

Kalamazoo, MI– Unable to get its first victory in the month of April, the Kalamazoo Wings ended their season with a 5-3 loss to the Port Huron Icehawks.

Jeremy Leroux (8th) struck first for the Icehawks after a slapshot deflected off of defenseman Jordan Little and went into the goal.

Adding to their lead, Port Huron’s leading scorer Tab Lardner (39th) wrapped the puck around goaltender Ron Vogel 15 minutes into the first period.

The K-Wings got on the board when Nick Bootland (46th) one-timed a pass from Glenn Detulleo past goaltender Larry Sterling. The goal was also Bootland’s league-leading 19th power-play marker.

With 20 seconds remaining on the clock, Jeremy Tucker (9th) backhanded the puck to light the lamp and increase Port Huron’s lead to 3-1.

The Icehawks added the lone goal of the second period with a tally from Jamie Carroll (30th) 12 minutes into the period.

Late in the period, Tyler Willis reached a personal milestone with a 2 minute slashing call 5 minutes into the stanza. The penalty brought Willis to 3,000 penalty minutes in his career. That is the equivalent of spending 50 games in the box.

Leading a rally in the third, Kory Karlander (40th) struck shorthanded from the crease bringing the K-Wings within 2 goals.

A little over 10 minutes later, Karlander (41st) lit the lamp again, this time with a wrist shot from the left side circle.

Looking to knot the score the K-Wings pulled goaltender Ron Vogel for the final minute of the game; however, Icehawks forward Kris Vernarsky (21st) scored on the empty net to seal the game for Port Huron at 5-3.

Fast Forward

The K-Wings will commence the 2008-2009 season in October. Season tickets for next year are currently available at the Wings Stadium Ticket Office. For more information give them a call at (269) 345-5101.

Topping the List

Forward Kory Karlander ended the regular season as the league’s top scorer. The IHL’s MVP finished the year with 94 points (41 goals, 53 assists) and also shared the league-lead in shorthanded goals with four.

Kaptain K-Wing

Kalamazoo’s captain and Kalamazoo Gazette MVP Nick Bootland finished the regular season as the league’s most prolific goal scorer with 46 lamp lighters. Bootland also led the league in shots (354) and power-play goals (19).  

It’s Not Delivery, It’s Detulleo

Forward Glenn Detulleo dished out a league-best 56 assists. Detulleo, who received the K-Wings’ Kalsee Credit Union Unsung Hero Award, also established a personal career-high for points in a season with 72.

Unlucky Seven

Kalamazoo ended the regular season on a seven-game winless streak. The K-Wings were 0-3-3-1 during the stretch.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Last Saturday versus Port Huron forward Tyler Willis eclipsed the 3,000-penalty minute plateau in his career. The 3,000 PIM are the equivalent to sitting in the penalty box for 50 games.

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.

K-Wings Live

Join special guests General Manager Wade Welsh and Captain Nick Bootland as they join the “Voice of the K-Wings” Mike Modugno on the final edition of “K-Wings Live” tonight. 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.