IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Week in Review

Published on November 13, 2006 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Friday night (11/10) had the atmosphere of playoff hockey, as the Kalamazoo Wings hosted the Fort Wayne Komets. Kory Karlander put the crowd of 4,152 on their feet late in the opening period, capitalizing on a shorthanded breakaway for his 5th lamp lighter of the season, giving the

K-Wings a 1-0 lead. After Fort Wayne scored the lone goal of the second stanza to tie the game at 1-1, Kalamazoo answered back in the third period. Shawn Snider (2) deflected a centering pass off of goaltender Kevin St. Pierre into the net, propelling the K-Wings to a 2-1 lead. A few moments later, Fort Wayne's Bruce Richardson (2) skated in the mid-slot, ripping a one-timer past K-Wing Tom Askey knotting the contest at 2-2. Kalamazoo went ahead for good late in the third period. With just 2:20 remaining in regulation, Nick Bootland (3) one-timed a Tyler Willis pass thrusting the K-Wings to a 3-2 victory over their archrivals.

Concluding a four-game home stand, Kalamazoo remained at Wings Stadium Saturday (11/11) versus the Chicago Hounds. Neither team scored in the opening period, but the K-Wings would make up for it three-fold in the second stanza. Adam Elzinga (3) snuck between the circles and buried the loose puck to give Kalamazoo a 1-0 lead. Kalamazoo continued the offensive assault midway through the period. First it was forward Brett Pilkington scoring his first goal of his pro career; then, just 25 seconds later, another rookie, Andrew Leach, notched his first pro tally extending the K-Wings lead to 3-0. With a slap shot from the point, Hounds defenseman Bob Rapoza rang up the lone goal for Chicago. Kalamazoo registered another mark in the third period; when Bootland tapped in a rebound boosting the K-Wings to a 4-1 win over the Hounds.

Kalamazoo capped off the week Sunday (11/12) with a road trip against the Quad City Mallards. Pilkington (2,3) stole the show for the K-Wings scoring twice and adding an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Mallards. For the third straight game, Bootland posted two points (1 goal, 1 assist), while defenseman Chris McAllster lit the lamp for the first time as a member of the K-Wings. Goaltender Ryan Nie set aside a K-Wings' season high 40 saves to ring up his second victory of the year.

Fast Forward

Kalamazoo opens up their four-game week with a home and home series against the Muskegon Fury. The first leg of the series will occur at Wings Stadium this Wednesday (11/15) night at 7 p.m. Both teams head to L.C. Walker Arena for a 7:30 p.m. return engagement on Friday (11/17). With 70 goals scored, Muskegon is defiantly the most prolific offensive squad in the UHL. The Fury, who own a league best 12-1-0 record, have won four straight games.

The K-Wings will remain on the road Saturday (11/18) with a date against the Rockford IceHogs. Saturday is the first-time the K-Wings and IceHogs have met since Kalamazoo eliminated Rockford in the playoffs last May. With a record of 5-5-0, Rockford is in second place in the Western Conference.

Kalamazoo wraps up the week Sunday (11/19) with a 4 p.m. face-off versus the Bloomington PrairieThunder on Scout Day presented by Meijer. This will be the inaugural contest between the two franchises. Bloomington starts the week in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 4-7-0.

De-Nie

Goaltender Ryan Nie was spectacular Sunday in the K-Wings 4-1 victory over Quad City. Nie stopped a K-Wings' season high 40 saves to increase his season record to 2-0-0.

Willis Reaches 200

Forward Tyler Willis reached a personal milestone yesterday. With an assist on Chris McAllister's goal against Quad City, Willis reached the 200-assist plateau in his career.

Captain K-Wing On Fire

K-Wing Captain Nick Bootland has been on a goal scoring tear. Bootland starts the week on a

K-Wings' season high tying three-game goal streak.

Rolling Along

Both Justin Cross and Kory Karlander have been racking up the points. Cross has registered a point in six straight games, while Karlander has tallied a point in five straight contests. The six-game streak ties Cross with Shawn Snider for the K-Wings' season high.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

With an assist on Brett Pilkington's goal last Saturday versus Chicago, forward Nick Bootland reached the 100-point plateau in his K-Wings career. Bootland became just the tenth K-Wings' UHL player to record 100 points with the franchise.

Tickets, Get Your Tickets!!

Tickets for all K-Wings home games are now on sale. Catch all the action as your K-Wings play the very best the UHL has to offer. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Wings Stadium Ticket Office at (269) 345-5101.

Get On-Line

This season, the best way to keep track of the K-Wings is to log onto www.kwings.com. The site has player profiles, photos, information about Wings Stadium events, and much much more. Fans of myspace can befriend the official site of Wings Stadium and the Kalamazoo Wings at www.myspace.com/wingsstadium.

McAllister on the Radio

Join special guest Chris McAllister, as he joins Head Coach Mark Reeds and the Voice of the

K-Wings, Mike Modugno on "K-Wings Live". The show is on Sports Radio AM 1660 Mondays from 6-7 PM at The Cabana Bar and Grille inside the Holiday Inn Kalamazoo on South 11th Street.

K-Wings on Radio

Catch all the K-Wings games home and away on the K-Wings Radio Network (WLKM 95.9 FM and Sports Radio AM 1660). Join the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno for all 76 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Digital Highway Pre-Game Show 15 minutes prior to face-off. For the most complete coverage of the K-Wings from the Opening Face-Off to the Final Buzzer, keep your radio tuned this season to the K-Wings Radio Network.

Upcoming Games

Wednesday, November 15th Vs Muskegon 7:00 PM

Friday, November 17th @ Muskegon 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 18th @ Rockford 7:00 PM (CST)

Sunday, November 19th Vs Bloomington 4:00 PM (Scout Night Presented by Meijer)

Wednesday, November 22nd @ Port Huron 7:00 PM

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from November 13, 2006


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