K-Wings Top Fuel Saturday in OT

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ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Top Fuel Saturday in OT

December 14, 2024 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


FISHERS, IN - The Kalamazoo Wings (8-11-1-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, used overtime to beat the Indy Fuel (8-7-2-1) Saturday in the franchise's first visit to Fishers Event Center, 4-3.

Zach Okabe (6) won it for Kalamazoo with a goal at the 2:32 mark of the extra frame. Zach Berzolla (4) started the two-on-one sequence with a long stretch pass connect from the defensive zone to Ryan Cox (5). Cox brought the puck down the right side and fired from the faceoff dot, and Okabe was waiting on the left side of the goal mouth to slam home the rebound.

Travis Broughman (5) started the scoring for the K-Wings at the 2:04 mark of the opening frame. An errant pass by Indy, created by Ted Nichol's booming forecheck, found Broughman's stick in the left circle, and he walked to the goalmouth and buried it.

Late in the first, while skating 4-on-4, Lee Lapid (1) scored his first goal as a K-Wing to make it 2-0 at the 18:38 mark. On the play, Max Humitz (5) forced a turnover in the defensive end and connected with Lapid who broke behind the Indy defense to finish off the breakaway.

The Fuel scored twice in the second period, at the 6:41 and 15:30 marks, to tie the game. Indy's second goal was scored shorthanded.

Kalamazoo regained control again in the third when Cox (2) scored at the 2:56 mark of the third. The forward jumped behind the Indy defense, after Jermaine Loewen's (3) backhand pass from the blue line, and fired a wrister just inside the left post for the goal. Mark Cheremeta (1) earned his first professional point with the secondary assist on the go-ahead goal.

Indy struck back with a goal at the 14:26 mark to tie it and force overtime, setting up Okabe's game-winner.

Ty Young (2-1-0-0) was stout in net in the victory, making 23 saves. He helped the K-Wings go 2-for-2 on the penalty kill as well.

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