Kalamazoo Wings Weekly Notes

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -Flint , MI- With its two previous contests leading to shootout loses; the K-Wings proved the third time was the charm with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Flint Generals Friday night at the Perani Hockey World & Event Center.

Kalamazoo made the most of its first power-play and first shot of the game, as Jamie Vanderveeken’s (3rd) slap shot 6:15 into the opening period gave the K-Wings a 1-0 lead.

Flint answered back with a pair of goals. The league’s leading scorer, Jordan Fox knocked in his 12th of the season to knot the contest at 1-1 midway through the period. Just over two minutes later at 9:16, Jason Cirone (7th) took a shot from the slot to give the Generals a 2-1 lead.

Cycling the puck on the perimeter, Matt Iannetta's slap shot with less than six minutes remaining in the period was deflected by Kory Karlander (5th) into the net to tie the game at 2-2.

Remaining tied through the second, third and overtime, the contest headed into a shootout. With tallies from Mike Bickley and Travis Granbois, Kalamazoo outscored Flint 2-1 in the extra session to defeat the Generals 3-2.

Goaltender Jeremy Symington turned aside 43 saves to record his sixth win the of season. The victory also extends Kalamazoo’s unbeaten streak to four games.

Saturday, December 1^st @ Muskegon (Muskegon 6- Kalamazoo 4)

Muskegon , MI- The weather outside was frigid, but the action inside L.C. Walker Arena between intra-state rivals the Kalamazoo Wings and Muskegon Fury was red hot.

Muskegon jumped out the gates to an early 1-0 lead, when a K-Wings turnover in its own zone led to a Fury goal by Dan Riedel (3rd) 14 seconds into the game.

Capitalizing on 5-on-3 power-play in the late stages of the first, Kalamazoo’s Kory Karlander (6th) knocked in the equalizer at 15:56, to tie the contest at 1-1.

In the second period, Joel Rechlicz lit the lamp for the first-time in his career on a wrap-around to give Kalamazoo a 2-1 lead.

Muskegon stormed back with three unanswered goals. Just 20 seconds after the K-Wings scored the go ahead tally, Jay Hardwick (1st) evened the game at 2-2 at the 8:50 mark. For the second time in the game, Riedel (4th) scored, this time on the power-play, which gave the Fury a 3-2 lead.

The Fury would find the net on its very next power-play attempt, as Billy Collins beat goaltender Tony Quesada on a deflection to extend the Fury lead to 4-2

Pulling back to within a single goal at 14:14, Tyler Willis tickled the twine with a power-play slap shot. The goal was Willis’ first of the season.

Muskegon put the contest out of reach in the third with two unanswered goals from Mike Watt (4th) and Rafal Martynowski (4th). Glenn Detulleo tallied late in the contest for his fourth of the season, but it would not be enough as the Fury defeated the K-Wings 6-4.

Fast Forward

Wrapping up a three game road swing, the Kalamazoo Wings face the Port Huron Icehawks this Friday, December 7^th at 7:30 p.m. The K-Wings defeated the Icehawks both previous encounters this season. Despite its troubles against Kalamazoo, Port Huron leads the IHL with a record of 11-8-0-0 (22 points).

The Kalamazoo Wings will return home to Wings Stadium to face-off against the Fort Wayne Komets Saturday, December 8^th at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night’s game will be the 8^th Annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Kodiak Construction, The CW 7, and WKFR. After the K-Wings score their first goal, fans are encouraged to throw new or gently used teddy bears or other stuffed animals onto the ice. Animals collected will be donated to the Salvation Army and patients of The Children’s Hospital at Bronson. After defeating the Komets in overtime in its first meeting of the season, the K-Wings have dropped three straight (0-2-0-1) against its archrivals. Fort Wayne starts the week in second place in the IHL, one point behind Port Huron.

Finishing out the weekend the Kalamazoo Wings will host the Muskegon Fury Sunday, December 9^th at 4:00 p.m. The K-Wings will be looking for payback for their 6-4 loss last Saturday. With Muskegon’s last win against Kalamazoo, the series between the intra-state rivals is tied with two wins apiece. Sunday’s game is also Sport Clips Haircuts Night. The K-Wings and Sport Clips Haircuts have teamed with Locks of Love. Anyone with at least 10 inches of clean, non bleached hair can donate it to Locks of Love, which is a non-profit organization that makes hairpieces for children suffering from medical hair loss. As a reward for their generosity, anyone who donates hair will receive a FREE season pass (6 haircuts) from Sports Clips Haircuts and two tickets to the K-Wings contest on Sunday, December 23rd versus the Bloomington PraireThunder.

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