K-Wings Thump Komets, Notch Nine in Road Opener

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ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Thump Komets, Notch Nine in Road Opener

October 26, 2024 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


FORT WAYNE, IN - The Kalamazoo Wings (2-0-0-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, dominated the Fort Wayne Komets (3-1-0-0) in every phase Saturday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, winning 9-2.

The K-Wings saw four players notch multiple goals and added four power-play goals in the contest.

Fort Wayne scored first at the 5:13 mark of the first period, but the K-Wings wouldn't trail for long.

Just one minute later, Max Humitz (1) scored on a rebound to tie it up. Jay Keranen (1) took the initial shot, which was deflected by Ben Berard (1) straight to Humitz driving down the right circle who then rifled it home.

Zach Okabe (1) gave Kalamazoo the lead with a goal at the 9:01 mark as he jammed the puck home from the left side of the crease. Quinn Preston (2) forced a turnover by the Komets in the offensive zone to set up the score.

At the 12:51 mark of the first, Jermaine Loewen (1) forechecked underneath the goal, caused a turnover, turned around in the high slot and fired a wrister into the back of the net to make it 3-1.

Berard (1) added Kalamazoo's first power-play goal of the season with 20.9 seconds left in the opening frame to push the lead to 4-1. Humitz (1) fed Okabe (1) the puck in the left circle, and he found Berard on the far side of the crease to tuck it into the back of the net.

The K-Wings added two more goals in the second period to bring the lead to 6-1. Humitz (2) cleaned up a rebound off of a shot by Zach Berzolla (1) at the 5:44 mark on the powerplay. The puck was deflected by Lee Lapid (1) and it never made it back to the ice before Humitz slapped it home.

Okabe (2) netted his second goal of the game from the right side of the goalmouth at the 8:06 mark of the second after Josh Bloom (1) picked up the puck coming down the slot via the Fort Wayne turnover.

The Komets scored on the power play at the 5:00 mark of the third period to cut the deficit to 6-2.

Kalamazoo struck back just 18 seconds later as Ayden MacDonald (1) forced a turnover behind the Fort Wayne net and found Loewen (2) out front for his second of the contest.

After a Komets penalty gave the K-Wings another power play chance, Berard (2) put a wrist shot top-shelf off the behind-the-back pass from Lapid (2) at the 11:22 mark. Humitz (2) tied a career-high with four points in the game after picking up the secondary assist.

The power play wasn't done yet, as Theo Calvas (1) added another power play tally at the 16:49 mark after he collected a rebound outside the blue paint and placed it top-shelf for the score. Ryan Cox (1) and MacDonald (2) assisted on Kalamazoo's ninth goal.

Jonathan Lemieux (2-0-0-0) was stout in net throughout the contest, making 37 saves on 39 shots faced. The K-Wings went 4-for-6 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill, while Fort Wayne took the shot total, 39-35.

The K-Wings' next game is versus Cincinnati Cyclones (0-1-2-0) at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday at Wings Event Center.

Orange Ice, presented by Infuse Wellness, is set for Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. as the K-Wings host the Cincinnati Cyclones. Come to Wings Event Center in your spookiest outfit for the costume contest at the end of the first period on-ice for prizes (Space is LIMITED | Register on arrival). Also, a rare opportunity to skate the ice post-game is available for all fans ($5 skate rental).

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