K-Wings Dominate to Take Series Versus Rush
ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Dominate to Take Series Versus Rush

Published on March 22, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


KALAMAZOO, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings (28-26-3-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, rode a dominant defensive and potent offensive performance to thump the Rapid City Rush (25-31-4-1), Sunday at Wings Event Center, 6-1.

Aku Koskenvuo (5-8-0-0) was phenomenal in this one, making 25 saves in the contest, and Kalamazoo held Rapid City to only two shots in the first period.

The K-Wings got off to the fastest start of the season as Nolan Walker (17) found the back of the net just 25 seconds into the game. On the play, Jayden Lee (21) passed from near the blue line to Zach Okabe (32) above the left circle. Okabe relayed beneath him to Walker, who dangled into the left dot and sniped a bullet inside the right post.

Walker (18) wasn't done yet as he flicked his second goal of the afternoon at the 8:02 mark to give Kalamazoo a two-goal advantage. On the setup, Powell Connor (9) sent a pass across the neutral zone to Jackson Kunz (6), who fired a right circle shot that caromed off the netminder's pillows directly to Walker on the goaltender's right flank.

The captain Collin Saccoman (5) kept the momentum rolling with a snipe inside the right post on the rush at the 14:33 mark. On the goal, Okabe (33) passed to Saccoman in the defensive zone, and the captain rushed down the ice before crossing a pass to Ryan Cox (10), who relayed back to Saccoman for the net-front goal.

After a scoreless second period, Colin Bilek (18) fired a shot that deflected off the netminder and into the roof of the net to give the K-Wings a 4-0 lead. On the play, Cox (11) sent a pass to Griffin Ness (16), who skated to the goalline before feeding Bilek at the goaltender's right flank for the bang-bang goal.

Jackson Kunz (7) then deposited a goal from the left edge of the crease to continue Kalamazoo's offensive onslaught at the 13:45 mark. On the setup, Okabe (33) passed to Davis Pennington (32) at the goal line, who wrapped around a shot that deflected off Kunz's stick and into the back of the net.

That's when the Rush spoiled the shutout on a very controversial goal at the 15:12 mark. On the zone entry, Rapid City tossed the puck off the turned glass on the K-Wings bench, but the play was not blown dead.

Evan Dougherty (5) capped the scoring on the afternoon with a top-shelf snipe at the 18:25 mark to finalize a 6-1 victory. On the play, Andre Ghantous (18) redirected an airborn pass in the slot to Pennington (33) above the left circle, who skated beneath the goalline before passing to Dougherty waiting at the paint for the goal.

The K-Wings took the shot total 44-26, marking a new season high.

Next up, Kalamazoo travels to Adirondack (34-18-7-1) for a three-game set against the Thunder, starting at 7 p.m. EDT on Friday at Harding Mazzotti Arena.

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ECHL Stories from March 22, 2026


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