Game Rewind

Wednesday, March 17th Vs Wheeling (Wheeling 7-Kalamazoo 3)

Kalamazoo, MI- Defeating the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday, the Kalamazoo Wings couldn’t make it two in a row against their division rivals, losing 7-4 during the 29th Annual “World Famous” St. Patrick’s Day Green Ice Game, presented by Fifth-Third Bank and WWMT.

Special teams played a role in every goal of the first period. Kalamazoo rung up the first goal of the night 7:28 into the period with a power-play tally from Jon Landry (9th).

Wheeling’s first power-play of the game was productive for both teams. Rick Cleaver registered his team-leading 29th goal of the season with a shorthander 14:39 into the stanza.

Less than a minute later, the Nailers cut the lead to a goal with a power-play strike from T.J. Fox (23rd).

Wheeling tied the contest late in the period with their second man-advantage strike, this time from Jordan Fox (17th).

Reclaiming the lead with less than a minute remaining in the first, Andrew Fournier struck for a power-play goal, his 21st overall marker of the season. The goal extended Fournier’s point streak to five games.

Assisting on Fournier’s goal was Dean Strong and Sam Ftorek. Strong has now earned points in six straight games and in 11 home games he has played for Kalamazoo, while Ftorek extended his point streak to five games.

Both teams finished the period 2-for-2 on the power-play in the opening 20 minutes.

Despite giving up a late goal in the first, the Nailers found momentum in the second period and in the process controlled the middle stanza.

Aaron Clarke knotted the game at 3-3 just 16 seconds into the period, recording his 21st goal of the season.

Two minutes later, Blair Yaworski (12th) scored on a backhander to give the Nailers their first lead of the night.

In his first pro game, Kyle Kerbashian extended the Nailers advantage to 5-3 scoring the first goal in his career. Kerbashian joined Wheeling after starting the season in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting.

Pulling away in the third, the Nailers tacked on two more goals from Yaworski (13th) and Clarke (22nd) to snap the K-Wings 13-game home unbeaten streak and six-game home winning streak with a four-goal win.

Friday, March 19th Vs Wheeling (Kalamazoo 5-Wheeling 2)

Kalamazoo, MI- A historic night for the Kalamazoo Wings at Wings Stadium. The K-Wings defeated the Wheeling Nailers 5-2 in front of 4,248 on PNC Bank Night and in the process clinched their first ECHL Kelly Cup playoff berth.

After no scoring in the first period, Kalamazoo earned the game’s first tally 4:27 into the second period with a strike from Sam Ftorek (18th). The goal now gives Ftorek a point in six straight games.

Answering back later in the period, T.J. Fox (24th) registered his team-leading 12th power-play marker to tie the contest at 1-1.

Answering late in the stanza, Andrew Fournier (22nd) knocked in a loose puck on the power-play to push Kalamazoo ahead 3-2. The point extended Fournier’s point streak to five games.

Assisting on the tally was Trent Daavettila and Dean Strong. With the helper, Strong has earned points in six straight games and pushed his home point streak to 12 games.

Mathieu Curadeau (18th) gave the K-Wings a two-goal cushion 59 seconds into the third period with a wrister from the slot. The eventual game-winner from Curadeau was his team-leading fifth of the season.

Not giving up, Wheeling crawled back to within a goal with a power-play marker from Aaron Clarke (23rd). However, it would not be enough, as Kalamazoo tacked on two more goals, both with a man-advantage from Brian McGuirk (14th) and Patrick Asselin to secure the three-goal victory.

The goal for Asselin extended his point streak to six games. It was also the forward’s 100th point in his career.

Saturday, March 20th @ Wheeling (Kalamazoo 2-Wheeling 1)

Wheeling, WV- Earning a playoff spot the night before, the Kalamazoo Wings kept momentum on their side defeating the Wheeling Nailers 2-1 at the WesBanco Arena and in the process moved into first place in the North Division.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in a free-flowing first period, which featured no penalties. The Nailers out-shot the K-Wings 11-5 in the period. 

Wheeling earned the game’s first goal midway in the second period with a power-play marker from Jordan Fox (18th).

With the K-Wings back in the box two minutes later, Sam Ftorek (19th) intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and raced up ice for a shorthanded breakaway goal. The goal extended Ftorek’s point streak to seven games and was his fourth shorthanded tally of the season, which ties him for the team-lead (Brian McGuirk), as well as league-lead (McGuirk and Aaron Clarke).

Storming out of the locker room for the third period, Mathieu Curadeau (19th) gave the K-Wings the lead for good 38 seconds into the period. The goal was Curadeau’s team-leading sixth game-winner of the season and his second in as many games.

In his first pro game, Riley Gill stole the show, stopping 36 saves to earn his first victory. Kalamazoo was out-shot for the game 37-24.

Fast Forward

Preparing for four-games in five night nights, the K-Wings will return to Wings Stadium this Wednesday, March 24th for a 7 p.m. face-off versus the Elmira Jackals. Kalamazoo is 13-2-1-0 against the East Division and 2-0-0-0 versus Elmira. With 77 points, the Jackals lead the East Division by six points over the Reading Royals. Elmira, who also plays on Tuesday at Cincinnati, needs four points (combination of wins or Gwinnett losses) to clinch a playoff berth. Wednesday will be the final regular season out-of-division contest for Kalamazoo. 

On Friday, March 26th, the K-Wings will start a three-game road swing at the WesBanco Arena to battle the Wheeling Nailers. This will be the fifth contest in the last six between the teams, with Kalamazoo owning a record of 3-1-0-0 during the stretch. On the season, the K-Wings are 5-3-0-0 versus the Nailers. Friday will be the last regular season encounter between the teams. Wheeling starts the week in fourth place in the North Division. With four games remaining in their regular season, Wheeling has 68 points and are in ninth place in the American Conference, three points behind the Reading Royals for the final playoff spot in the conference.

The K-Wings will travel to the U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, March 27th for a 7:30 p.m. battle against the Cincinnati Cyclones. On the season, Kalamazoo is 4-7-1-1 against Cincinnati and are 0-6-0-0 at the U.S. Bank Arena. Already clinching a playoff berth, the Cyclones are in second place in the North Division, one point behind Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo will conclude the week on Sunday, March 28th against the Toledo Walleye. The game, which was originally scheduled for 5:30 p.m., has been rescheduled a few weeks back for 4 p.m. Kalamazoo is 5-3-2-0 against Toledo. Including Sunday, three of the K-Wings final four contests will be against Toledo. Sunday will also be the final regular season road game for the K-Wings. Toledo starts the week in third place in the North Division. With 77 points, the Walleye are in seventh place in the American Conference.

One for the Road

Kalamazoo will commence their final road swing of the season this Friday.  The K-Wings, who are 16-12-3-2 away from Wings Stadium, will visit all three North Division rivals during the trip.

On a Roll

Two members of the K-Wings enter the week on impressive multi-game point streaks. Sam Ftorek and Patrick Asselin have each earned points in seven straight games. 

Right at Home

Forward Dean Strong has definitely felt at home at Wings Stadium. Strong has earned points in all 12 games (6 goals, 10 assists) he has played on Vanrick Drive.

Impressive Debut

Goaltender Riley Gill looked impressive in his K-Wings debut. Gill stopped 36 shots on Saturday during the K-Wings 2-1 victory against Wheeling to earn his first pro win.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Recently, Kalamazoo, who has scored 12 times shorthanded this season, has been scoring them more frequently. The K-Wings have scored shorthanded in three of their last four games.

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 ECHL 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.

Gill and Landry on the Radio

Join special guests Riley Gill and Jon Landry as they join Head Coach Nick Bootland and the “Voice of the K-Wings” Mike Modugno tonight 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 72 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Kalsee Credit Union 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.