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Jr. K-Wings Weekly

March 13, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings News Release


Game Recap- Saturday, March 10th Vs. Springfield Jr. Blues. 3-2 Win.

Kalamazoo, MICH- The Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings scored twice in the final five minutes to complete a comeback and beat the Springfield Jr. Blues 3-2. Andrew Graves scored with five minutes remaining to tie the game and Kyle Gattelaro scored with 43 seconds left to secure the victory.

The first period featured no goals for either team, as each goaltender was solid. Kalamazoo's Kenneth MacLean finished the period with 11 saves and Springfield goaltender Gabe Antoni also stopped 11 of 11 shots faced.

The second period finally produced a goal when Springfield's Josef Pontasch (19th) scored off the rebound left in the crease off of Chris Sitler's slap shot from the right circle giving the Jr. Blues a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, Pontasch (20th) produced a carbon copy of his first goal. Crashing the net hard, Pontasch buried the loose puck to extend Springfield's lead to 2-0. Kyle Cook was credited with the only assist after taking the initial shot.

The Jr. K-Wings would answer back with a goal of their own with a deflection scored by Trevor Boyd (9th). Chris Leone took a shot from the point, which was redirected by Boyd that cut deficit to just one goal at 2-1.

The third period was scoreless for both squads until Brandon Flood darted through the neutral zone, creating a 2-on-1 and zipped a backhand pass over to Andrew Graves. Graves (24th) put the puck underneath the crossbar and tied the game at two with five minutes remaining.

Then, with under a minute remaining, the Jr. K-Wings found themselves again on a 2-on-1. This time Danny Hamberg found the streaking Kyle Gattelaro (18th) who made no mistake scoring the go-ahead goal with 43 seconds left on the board.

The late goal proved to be enough for the K-Wings who skated away with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Springfield Jr. Blues. Gatterlaro and Graves tallied the late 3rd period goals to secure the comeback.

Sunday, March 11th Vs. Springfield Jr. Blues. 5-1 Win.

Kalamazoo, MI- Four unanswered goals in the third period propelled Kalamazoo to a 5-1 victory over the Springfield Jr. Blues on Sunday at the Borgess Health Rink at Wings West.

A scoreless first period was not without quality chances from both squads, as Kalamazoo fired 18 shots on Springfield goaltender, Tyler Parks. The Jr. Blues couldn't beat Jr. K-Wings goalie Alex Okicki on their eight first period shots either.

The middle frame featured a goal from each team. Just 1:19 into the second, Chris Sitler notched a power play tally, his 23rd of the year, to give his team a one-goal lead.

With time ticking down in the second, Kalamazoo drew even with an even strength goal. Brett Beauvais (4th) ripped a slap shot directly off a faceoff win by Kalamazoo that found the back of the net for the tying tally.

The third period belonged to Kalamazoo, as they took a one-goal lead on Jacob McDowell's 14th of the season.

Drew Graves followed that goal up four minutes later with his 25th of the season on a wrist shot from the left circle.

Two and a half minutes later, Dan Cesarz scored his sixth of the season on a corner seeking wrist shot of his own to make the score 4-1.

Taylor Burden capped off the four-goal third for Kalamazoo by burying an empty netter with just over a minute to play. The goal for Burden was his tenth of the season, making him the sixth Jr. K-Wing to reach double digit goals.

Game stats can be found at: http://pointstreak.com/prostats/gamesheet_full.html?gameid=1647734

Looking Ahead

The Jr. K-Wings only play once this week, as they enter the final home stretch of the season. They take on the Michigan Warriors at home on Saturday this weekend. Kalamazoo has had Michigan's number all season, as they hold a record of 9-1-0 against them in their ten games of action.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings

Goals: Drew Graves, Robbie Payne (25 Goals)

Assists: Drew Graves (29 Assists)

Points: Drew Graves (54 Points)

+/-: Anthony Appleyard (+25)

Penalty Minutes: Brandon Flood (114 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Robbie Payne (9 PPG)

Short Handed Goals: Robbie Payne, Nick Kovalchik, Drew Graves, Brandon Flood, Danny Hamburg, Jacob McDowell (1 SHG)

Game Winning Goals: Robbie Payne (5 GWG)

Shots: Robbie Payne (156 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Brock Raffaele (19.6%)

Goals Against Average: Alex Okicki (2.54 GAA)

Save Percentage: Alex Okicki (.921%)

Tickets! Get Your Tickets!!

Tickets for all Jr. K-Wings home games are now on sale. Catch all the action as your Jr. K-Wings play the very best the NAHL has to offer. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Wings West office.

Get On-Line

This season, the best way to keep track of the Jr. K-Wings is to log onto www.jrkwings.com. The site has player profiles, information about Wings Stadium events, and much, much more.

Jr. K-Wings on The Air

Catch all the Jr. K-Wings games, home and away, on www.fasthockey.com. The home games will be with the "Voice of the Jr. K-Wings" Joey Roberts. The pre-game will start five minutes before puck drop.

Upcoming Games

Saturday, March 10th Vs. Michigan 2:00 PM

Friday, March 23rd @ Michigan 2:00 PM

Saturady, March 24th Vs. Jamestown 2:00 PM

Sunday, March 25th Vs. Jamestown 2:00 PM



North American Hockey League Stories from March 13, 2012


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