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Jr. K-Wings Weekly

November 20, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings News Release


Game Recap-

Friday, November 14th @ Michigan Warriors. 3-2 OT/Win.

Flint, MI - The Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings needed two rallies on Wednesday night to defeat the Michigan Warriors. Kalamazoo was able to score late in the third to erase the one goal deficit to take the game into overtime. Then, at the 4:48 mark in overtime, when a shootout seemed imminent, Kalamazoo was able to earn the victory.

The first period was one dominated by the goaltenders. Kalamazoo's Alex Okicki and Michigan's Trevor Gorsuch each saw nine shots, and each saved all nine. Both teams had one power play, but neither were able to take advantage.

Early into the second, Darren McCormick (3rd) broke the scoreless tie, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead. He was the beneficiary of a pass from Shawn Badali that was able to split the two Kalamazoo defenders.

With 4:03 left in the second period, the Jr. K-Wings took advantage of a power play and evened the score at one. Mark Esshaki fired a shot through traffic and was able to record his first goal of the season. In his first game with the Jr. K-Wings, Mac McDonnell recorded a point by getting the assist. Josh Dangel also had an assist on the goal.

At the 10:28 mark in the third, Rob Click (1st) was able to end the tie. His unassisted goal gave the Warriors the 2-1 lead.

This 2-1 lead would hold for Michigan for over seven minutes, but with 3:23 left in the game, Brett Beauvais was able to tie the game back up. His goal was from the top of the point and was assisted by Taylor Burden.

After three periods, the teams were still tied, so they went to overtime. There were some near goals on both sides, but with only 12 seconds remaining in overtime, Robbie Payne scored the game winner for the Jr. K-Wings. With that goal, his 13th of the season, Payne not only secured the win, but also became the team's leading scorer.

Official game stats can be found at:

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/gamesheet_full.html?gameid=1993567

Looking Ahead

The Jr. K-Wings will have to shake out their heavy Thanksgiving legs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, as they will skate in two consecutive contests against the Springfield Jr. Blues at the Borgess Health Rink inside Wings West. The two home games are followed by three straight on the road, so it provides an opportune time for the Jr. K-Wings to try and climb the ladder in the North Division standings. Springfield is led by Brett Skibba who leads the team with 19 points in twenty games on eleven goals and eight assists. The Jr. Blues are currently ranked sixth in the North Division with 22 points, two spots behind Kalamazoo, who is in fourth with 25 points of their own.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings

Goals: Luc Boby, Robbie Payne (13 Goals)

Assists: Josh Dangel (16 Assists)

Points: Robbie Payne (23 Points)

+/-: Sam Johnson, Luc Boby, Brett Beauvais (+10)

Penalty Minutes: Josh Dangel (52 PIMs)

Power Play Goals: Robbie Payne (5 PPG)

Short Handed Goals: Mikhail Bushinksi (1 SHG)

Game Winning Goals: Robbie Payne (3 GWG)

Shots: Kyle Gattelaro (66 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Luc Boby (33.3%)

Goals Against Average: Alex Okicki (3.28 GAA)

Save Percentage: Alex Okicki (.889%)

Overtime? No Worries.

With Kalamazoo's 3-2 overtime victory over the Michigan Warriors, the Jr. K-Wings are now 3-1 in overtime and shootouts on the season. Forward Robbie Payne has notched the game winner in two of those overtimes, including the victory against the Warriors, as well as a 5-4 OT winner on October 27th against the Johnstown Tomahawks.

Getting the Monkey off his Back

Two year veteran defenseman, Mark Esshaki, was able to score his first career NAHL goal on Wednesday against the Warriors on a power play, late in the first period of action. For Esshaki, who has battled the injury bug for two seasons, notched the goal in the 34th game of his career which has spanned over two seasons with the St. Louis Bandits, Jamestown Ironmen, and the Jr. K-Wings.

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, November 24th Vs. Springfield 2:00 PM

Sunday, November 25th Vs. Springfield 2:00 PM

Friday, November 30th @ Janesville 7:00 PM CST

Saturday, December 1st @ Janesville 7:00 PM CST

Friday, December 7th @ Port Huron 7:00 PM

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