IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Week in Review

Published on December 18, 2006 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


The Kalamazoo Wings were in Fort Wayne Friday (12/15) to face-off against the Fort Wayne Komets in the first of two meetings over the weekend. In their only previous meeting with the Komets this season, the K-Wings came away with a 3-2 victory. Just like the meeting before, the game was evenly matched. The Komets' David Hukalo (4) scored the lone goal in the first period off of a K-Wings turnover. The Komets continued the scoring in the second with a goal by Bruce Richardson (7) with 5:58 left in the period. Both the Komets goals were unassisted. The K-Wings tried to mount a comeback early in the third period with a goal by Nick Bootland (15) but the Fort Wayne goaltender Kevin St. Pierre held strong and stopped the 12 shots he faced in the third. Fort Wayne came away with the 2-1 victory.

The K-Wings wrapped up the home-and-home series against the Komets on Saturday (12/16) night during the 7th Annual Teddy Bear Toss Game presented by Kodiak Construction, WOTV and WKFR. Kalamazoo came out strong in the opening period looking to rebound from the loss the night before. Lucas Drake (1) scored the lone goal in the first stanza deflecting a Scott Dobben pass past St. Pierre. Fans rejoiced by raining 1,239 stuffed animals onto the ice. Plush toys collected were donated to WOTV's Angel Tree Foundation, as well as delivered this afternoon to the Children's Hospital at Bronson by members of the K-Wings, Slappy and Santa Claus. In the second period, the Komets tied up the score on a power play goal by Matt Syroczynski (2). The Lucas Drake show continued a little more than two minutes later when Drake (2) netted his second goal of the game on the power play. Fort Wayne evened up the score seven minutes into the third period with a goal by Bruce Richardson (8), but the Komets couldn't stop Drake (3) who scored his third goal of the night to complete the hat trick. Bootland (16) chipped in an insurance goal and the K-Wings defeated Fort Wayne 4-2.

Kalamazoo finished the weekend off with the first meeting of the year at Wings Stadium against the Elmira Jackals. The K-Wings jumped out to an early lead after a Glenn Detulleo (4) goal. Kalamazoo continued their dominant play into the second period with back to back goals two minutes apart, from Drake (4, 5). The K-Wings could not be stopped and Dobben (6) added one more goal before the end of the second period. Elmira came out fighting in the third Erik Anderson (7) scored ending Ryan Nie's 112 minute and 14 second scoreless streak. K-Wings captain Bootland (17,18) answered quickly adding two more goals to the K-Wings total. The Jackals' Mark Scott (1) scored his first goal of the season late in the third, but Nie had done his job, leading the K-Wings to their 17th win and tallying his first victory at Wings Stadium.

Fast Forward

Kalamazoo opens up the week with a game on Friday (12/22) at Wings Stadium against rival Muskegon on Fed EX Kinko's Night. The match-up between the K-Wings and Fury, the two best teams in the UHL, will be the fifth of the season. Kalamazoo defeated the Fury in their last meeting at Muskegon 3-2 on December 2nd. The Fury lead the league with 48 points and are in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Kalamazoo will cap off the weekend before Christmas with a Saturday contest against the Port Huron Flags at 7:30 p.m. at Wings Stadium. Against the Flags this season, the K-Wings are 4-1-0, including a 4-0 victory in their last meeting at Port Huron on December 10th. The Flags are in 5th place in the Eastern Conference with 24 points. Santa Claus will also be in attendance Saturday night and kids can have their picture taken with Santa in Hospitality Hall.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Nick Bootland (18 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (21 Assists)

Points: Nick Bootland (28 Points)

+/-: Jeff Brown, Joe Markusen (+8)

Penalty Minutes: Tyler Willis (73 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Justin Cross (7 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Scott Dobben (2 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Nick Bootland (4 GW)

Shots: Nick Bootland (121 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Lucas Drake (31.3%)

Shootout Goals: Alexander Valentin, Kory Karlander, Glenn Detulleo (1 Goal)

Shootout Percentage: Alexander Valentin, Kory Karlander, Glenn Detulleo (100%)

Goals Against Average: Ryan Nie (2.00)

Save Percentage: Ryan Nie (0.935)

Making an Impact

If you ask Lucas Drake he may say there's no place like home. The left-winger had no trouble getting back in the swing of things, scoring five goals in his last two games including a hat trick in his first game at Wings Stadium last Saturday vs. Fort Wayne.

On a Roll

Nick Bootland has continued his dominant ways recording a total of 15 points in nine of his last eleven games. The K-Wings captain also has a three game goal streak and four game point streak to add to his already impressive numbers this season.

Ryan Nie the Goalie Guy

Rookie Ryan Nie recorded his first home victory this season against the Elmira Jackals Sunday evening. Making 32 saves in a 6-2 victory, Nie improved his record to 5-2-0 on the season.

Nearing a Milestone

Kory Karlander is closing in on a personal milestone. Karlander's next assist will be the 300th in his illustrious career.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

On Saturday, the K-Wings improved their all-time record to 11-0-0 (7-0-0 home, 4-0-0 away) on Teddy Bear Toss games with a 4-2 victory over Fort Wayne. More impressively, Kalamazoo collected 1,239 stuffed animals that will be donated to charity.

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.

Valentin and Versteeg-Lytwyn on the Radio

Join special guests Alexander Valentin and Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn, as they join 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. Come join us for the last "K-Wings Live" of 2006.

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

Friday, December 22nd Vs. Muskegon 7:30 PM (Fed EX Kinko's Night)

Saturday, December 23rd Vs. Port Huron 7:30 PM (Santa Claus comes to Wings Stadium)

Tuesday, December 26th @ Muskegon 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 27th @ Port Huron 7:30 PM

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 18, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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