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ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

Joel Martin Earns Career Wins Record in Decisive Victory

January 7, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


BRAMPTON, ONTARIO- Kalamazoo Wings goalie Joel Martin became the franchise's winningest goaltender, as he earned his 197th career victory with the Wings by backstopping a 5-2 stampede of the Brampton Beast on Friday night at the Powerade Centre.

Picking up where they left off a week ago against the Beast, Kalamazoo struck first after a textbook breakout from their own end. Ben Wilson fired the puck to the tape of Josh Pitt, who carried into the Beast end and zipped a wrist shot into the top corner of the goal. Pitt's goal- his first since October 14- was his second of the season and was the only tally of the period.

Seconds into the middle period and with time having just wound down on a power play try, Kalamazoo padded their lead after Kyle Bushee held the line and drove a shot to the goal that was stopped by Zach Fucale. Fucale leaked a rebound to the stick of Lane Scheidl, who tapped the loose puck into the goal for his seventh of the season.

Scheidl continued his energetic play into the middle stages of the second period and was rewarded for the second time on the night. Driving the goal, Scheidl hauled in a rink-wide pass from Peter Schneider and angled the puck into the top corner of the net, giving the Wings a 3-0 lead. Scheidl's goal marked the first multi-goal period for any Kalamazoo skater this season.

With time winding down in the second, Brampton came alive and tilted the ice towards Martin. Daulton Leveille was on the receiving end of a backdoor feed and cashed in for the Beast's first goal of the night. The late tally closed the margin to 3-1 after two periods of play.

The Beast showed no quit in the third, and opened the period by scoring just 29 seconds in. Chris Auger crashed the goal and tallied his tenth of the season, drawing Brampton to within a goal with plenty of time remaining.

Less than two minutes later, Kalamazoo re-upped their edge with a bizarre goal off the stick of Wilson. The Kalamazoo defenseman stepped over center ice, dumped the puck towards the goal of Fucale, and the Beast netminder missed the puck, allowing it to roll in for a 100-foot tally.

Sealing the game with under a minute remaining, Justin Taylor scored his team-leading 15th of the season after tipping a shot from Tyler Shattock while the Wings were on a power play. The goal capped off the 5-2 victory and helped earn consecutive wins for Kalamazoo for the first time since November 4.

Next: Kalamazoo vs. Brampton Beast- Sunday, January 8, 2:00 p.m., Powerade Centre.

Broadcast information: Sudnay's game will air on AM 1660 The Fan in Kalamazoo or online at www.1660thefan.com/listen-live .

Notes: Martin became the Kalamazoo Wings all-time leader in career wins with 197... Wilson had his first career three-point game... For the third time this season, Kalamazoo snapped an 0/27 power play streak on their 28th try...Taylor has six goals in his last six games...Kalamazoo are 3-0-0 against Brampton this season and have scored five goals in all three games... Kalamazoo were outshot 43-25.

Stats: http://www.echl.com/game-summary?game_id14238

Single-game tickets are on sale! Tickets start as low as $10 and can be purchased at www.kwings.com/tickets/schedule or at the Wings Event Center box office.

Wings Event Center, owned and operated by Greenleaf Hospitality Group, is home to the minor league hockey team Kalamazoo Wings and a full entertainment venue offering concerts, sporting events, family shows and trade shows. Built in 1974, Wings Event Center values partnerships with the community to bring events and attractions that enrich the lives of residents in the Kalamazoo area.

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