Game Rewind
Wednesday, March 31st Vs Cincinnati (Cincinnati 6-Kalamazoo 5-Shootout)

Kalamazoo, MI- Scratching and clawing all night long, the Kalamazoo Wings could pull ahead on the scoreboard, but in the end they still forged ahead in the North Division standings with a 6-5 shootout loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Most fans would of guess that Wednesday’s night contest between the K-Wings and Cyclones would be a defensive battle and they would have presumed wrong.

Cincinnati pulled ahead with three unanswered goals, starting with the first shot of the game from Scott Reynolds (23rd) 1:39 into the game.

Stealing the puck from Ryan Nie, Dustin Sproat (22nd) slid the puck underneath the netminder to push Cincinnati up by two goals 11:35 into the period.

Continuing to light the lamp, a blue-line power-play blast from Jason Jozsa (4th) extended the Cyclones lead to 3-0.

Mounting a comeback, Dean Strong (14th), extended his home point streak to 14 games, with a power-play marker 16:35 into the period.

Two minutes later, Sam Ftorek (25th) finished off a two-on-one odd-man rush from a pass from Andrew Fournier to bring the K-Wings back to within a single goal.

In the second period, Kalamazoo kept the pendulum swinging their way, with a power-play equalizer from Jon Landry (10th).

Cincinnati regained the lead later in the period with a man-advantage goal from Jimmy Kilpatrick (15th).

Always relentless, Strong (15th) brought the game back to even scoring his second of the night.

Claiming the lead for the third time in the contest, Sproat gave the Cyclones a 5-4 lead just 18 seconds after Strong’s goal.

Entering the night, with only a two-point lead in the division, it was imperative that the K-Wings either win the game or at least force overtime. Rick Cleaver helped Kalamazoo achieve their objective recording his team-leading 69th point on his team-leading 31st goal of the season. Mathieu Curadeau, who received the primary assist on the tally, extended his point streak to four games.  

Eventually heading into overtime, neither team was able to score in the five-minute session. Kalamazoo had a best of the chances in overtime, as they finished the OT on a four-on-three power-play.

Outlasting the K-Wings in the shootout, the Cyclones won the contest in the fifth round with a goal from Barrett Ehgoetz. Cincinnati out-scored Kalamazoo 2-1 in the shootout, with the K-Wings lone tally coming from Matt Jones, who his now 3-for-3 in the extra session.

The teams each finished the game with 29 shots. Nie stopped 23 shots in the shootout loss, while Jeremy Smith turned aside 24 shots in the victory.

Friday, April 2nd  Vs Toledo  (Kalamazoo 6-Toledo 2)

Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Wings moved closer to securing the North Division title defeating the Toledo Walleye 6-2 on Celebration! Cinema Night. The victory places the K-Wings within a one of securing the division title and keeps them one point behind the Charlotte Checkers for the overall lead in the American Conference.

After suffering through slow starts in back-to-back games, Kalamazoo turned the tide by striking twice on their first three shots in the opening four minutes on Friday’s contest.

Netting his team-leading 70th point on his team-leading 32nd goal, Rick Cleaver put in a rebound 2:07 into the contest to give the K-Wings an early jump-start.

Two minutes later while on a power-play, Patrick Asselin (11th) found a loose puck in front of the crease and slid it past Jordan Pearce to extend the K-Wings lead to 2-0.

Asselin (12th) kept his scoring touch alive in the second period, recording his second goal of the night and third point (2 goals, 1 assist) overall. Off the draw, Mathieu Curadeau sent the puck to Asselin, who snipped it past Pearce.

With the assist, Curadeau lengthen his point streak to five straight games.

Toledo tried to fight back early in the third period with a goal from Evan Rankin (32nd) to bring the Walleye back to within two goals.

The K-Wings reeled in the Walleye later in the period by ringing up three unanswered goals. Falling off to the ice while he was shooting, Dean Strong (16th) continued his dominance at Wings Stadium by extending his home point streak to an incredible 15 games. Strong’s off-balance shot bounce off a defender and into the net.

Darryl Lloyd (19th, 20th) poured salt into the Walleye’s wound by tacking on two straight goals midway in the stanza.

The Walleye closed out the scoring with a tally from Akim Aliu (5th).

After allowing 10 goals in his last five periods of hockey, Ryan Nie was stingy allowing two goals on 28 shots to preserve his league-leading 27th win of the season.

Saturday, April 3rd Vs Toledo (Kalamazoo 3-Toledo 2)

Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Wings capped off their first ECHL regular season by defeating the Toledo Walleye 3-2 on Saturday at Wings Stadium and in the process captured the North Division title.

A night before it was the K-Wings that scored on their first shot of the game, 24 hours later, the Walleye returned the favor by scoring on a slap shot from Anthony Perdicaro (1st) 47 seconds into the game. The goal was Perdicaro’s first point in his professional career.

Toledo increased their lead 1:52 into the second period with a power-play marker from Kyle Page. The goal was Page’s first in his professional career.

Down 2-0, Kalamazoo cut the deficit in half late in the period with a goal from Brian McGuirk (15th). Camped out in front of Toledo’s Jordan Pearce, McGuirk deflected a back handed shot from Louis Liotti with 13 seconds remaining in the period. Besides Liotti, Dean Strong also assisted on the goal to extend his home point streak to 16 games.

Just 3-18-2-2 entering Saturday night when trailing after two periods of play, the K-Wings didn’t let statistics get in the way of history.

Scoring the equalizer 6:17 into the third period with a quick hand-eye coordination tally from Sam Ftorek (26th). After a wrist shot from Strong was deflected and popped into the air, Ftorek, who in a single motion from in front of the Walleye net, caught the puck and brought it to his back hand for the goal.

With less than three minutes left, Andrew Fournier (27th) attempted to pass the puck cross rink to Ftorek; however, the pass caromed off a Toledo defender and into the net for the eventual game-winner. The goal was Fournier team-leading 71st point of the season.

Fast Forward

With the regular season complete, it’s time to “Step Up or Step Aside.” The K-Wings will begin the 2010 Kelly Cup Playoffs with a American Conference Quarterfinal match-up versus the Reading Royals.

Game one of the K-Wings-Royals series will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, April 6th at Wings Stadium with a 7 p.m. face-off. Capturing the North Division crown last Saturday, Kalamazoo is the second seed in the conference, while the Royals, who finished in second place in the East Division, are the seventh seed. On the season, the K-Wings were 5-0-1-0 versus the Royals.

Game two of the series will occur on Wednesday, April 7th, with a 7 p.m. face-off at Wings Stadium.

Getting fans in the mood for the teams first Kelly Cup Playoff run, Wings Stadium has decided to expand the $1 beer, $1 hot dog promotion to include all round one postseason home games. While supplies last, fans attending game one and two of the series will receive a FREE playoff rally towel courtesy of the United Kennel Club.

The series will shift to the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania starting for game three of the series on Friday, April 9th.

If necessary, game four of the series will occur on Sunday, April 11th, while game five would be on Monday, April 12th. Face-off for each of the three possible games in Reading are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Crowing Achievement

On Saturday, the K-Wings clinched the North Division title with a victory over the Toledo Walleye. Kalamazoo will be the second overall seed in the American Conference.

Fournier Takes Scoring Title

In dramatic fashion, forward Andrew Fournier captured the K-Wings scoring title. Entering the final game of the regular season tied with Rick Cleaver with 70 points, Fournier scored the game-winning goal on Saturday.

Right at Home

Forward Dean Strong has definitely felt at home at Wings Stadium. Strong has earned points in all 16 games (11 goals, 13 assists) he has played on Vanrick Drive.

Career Year

Forward Darryl Lloyd finished the regular season with 44 points. The 44 points was the most recorded in a single-season by Lloyd.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

In the regular season, the K-Wings found ways to win the close games. Kalamazoo was 19-4-6-4 in games decided by a single goal.

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.

Ftorek and Nie on the Radio

Join special guests Sam Ftorek and Ryan Nie 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.