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IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Send Six to the All-Star Game

January 3, 2007 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Wings, proud member of the United Hockey League and 2005-06 Central Division, Tarry Cup and Colonial Cup Champions, announce that goaltender Tom Askey, defensemen Jeff Brown and Adam Elzinga and forwards Nick Bootland, Justin Cross and Kory Karlander have been selected to participate in the 2007 UHL All-Star Classic. The game will be played Wednesday, January 17th at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Askey has been stellar for the K-Wings, as the netminder ranks third in the UHL in wins (15), goals against average (2.32) and save percentage (0.936). The native of Tonawanda, New York is also tied for the league lead in shutouts (3). The upcoming All-Star Classic will be the first in Askey's career.

Also making their inaugural trip to the All-Star Classic, will be defenseman Jeff Brown and Adam Elzinga. In just 23 games, Brown has racked up 14 points and a plus/minus rating of +8. Elzinga is contributed to the K-Wings offense, ranking sixth among all UHL defensemen with five goals.

Forward Nick Bootland will be heading to the All-Star Classic for the third time and his second with the K-Wings.. The veteran forward was part of the 2004 UHL All-Star Classic as a member of the Columbus Stars. The K-Wings Team Captain has led by example, scoring a team-high 19 goals and adding 13 assists for a total of 32 points, placing him tied for second on the K-Wings stat sheet in scoring. Bootland also leads the K-Wings in game-winning goals with four.

Rookie forward Justin Cross will be making his first journey to the All-Star Classic. Cross has been as hot as his native Camarillo, California weather, lighting the lamp 17 times to lead all UHL rookies. The first-year pro leads all K-Wings in scoring with 33 points.

The final K-Wing player to earn a trip to the 2007 UHL All-Star Classic is forward Kory Karlander. The veteran forward is tied with Bootland for second on the K-Wings roster with 32 points. Karlander will be making his first appearance in the UHL All-Star Classic.

"Having this many selections is a compliment to our team-first philosophy," said Vice President/General Manager Paul L. Pickard. "The entire team has been working hard this season and we (K-Wings) are pleased that their efforts have been rewarded by having six players selected to the All-Star team."

The six nominations for the K-Wings to the 2007 UHL All-Star Classic is a UHL franchise record for Kalamazoo. The previous high for the K-Wings was five all-stars set during in last year's game.

The official All-Star rosters are comprised of 20 players (18 skaters and two goaltenders) with each Member Club represented by a minimum of two players. The following is the official roster for the 2006 UHL All-Star Classic.

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS - Head Coach: Bruce Ramsey (Muskegon)

GOALTENDERS: Tom Askey (Kalamazoo), Clayton Pool (Muskegon).

DEFENSEMEN: Jeff Brown (Kalamazoo), Adam Elzinga (Kalamazoo), Dale Lupal (Elmira), Gerard Miller (Flint), Philippe Plant (Muskegon), Pat Sutton (Port Huron), Dave Van Drunen (Muskegon).

FORWARDS: Nick Bootland (Kalamazoo), Justin Cross (Kalamazoo), Brent Cullaton (Elmira), Rustyn Dolyny (Muskegon), Elias Godoy (Muskegon), Kory Karlander (Kalamazoo), Colt King (Port Huron) Todd Robinson (Muskegon), Mike Watt (Muskegon), Scott Wray (Elmira), Jeff Zehr (Flint).

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS- Head Coach: Pat Bingham (Fort Wayne)

GOALTENDERS: Frederic Cloutier (Rockford), Kevin St. Pierre (Fort Wayne Komets)

DEFENSEMEN: Chris Busby (Chicago), Guy Dupuis (Fort Wayne), Matt Gens (Rockford), Andrew Lackner (Bloomington), Mario Larocque (Fort Wayne), Nathan Lutz (Rockford).

FORWARDS: Kaleb Betts (Rockford), Justin Chwedoruk (Quad City), Nicolas Corbeil (Rockford), Martin Gascon**(Fort Wayne), Jonathan Goodwin (Fort Wayne), Alex Goupil (Bloomington), Don Parsons (Quad City), Brett Pilkington (Quad City), Bruce Richardson** (Fort Wayne), J.C. Ruid (Fort Wayne), Kevin Ulanski (Rockford), Chad Woollard (Quad City), Maris Ziedins (Chicago)

**Bruce Richardson is injured and will not play in the game, Martin Gascon will take his spot on the roster.

A complete selection process for the UHL All-Star Classic is posted at www.theuhl.com.

The starting lineups for the 2007 UHL All-Star Classic will be selected by the fans. Information about for voting can be found at the official website of the UHL, www.theuhl.com. Fans will be able to vote for the starting lineups from Thursday, January 4th through Tuesday, January 9th.

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