IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Week in Review

Published on January 22, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Kalamazoo started the second half of the season continuing a four-game road trip on Friday (1/19) against the Fort Wayne Komets. Kory Karlander (21) continued to scorch the opposition, scoring shorthanded 7:52 into the opening period and increasing his goal streak to a K-Wings' and UHL season high eight games. Fort Wayne closed out the scoring in the opening period with a power-play goal from J.C. Ruid (23). After a scoreless second stanza, the Komets lit the lamp three times in the final 20 minutes of play and skated away with a 4-1 victory over the K-Wings.

Eastern Conference foe, the Port Huron Flags hosted Kalamazoo on Saturday (1/20) at McMorran Place Arena. For the second straight night, Karlander found the net while on the power-play, scoring his team tying 22nd of the season and 10th power-play goal, deflecting Jeff Brown's shot 8:13 into the opening period. Former K-Wing Paul Soli saw game action relieving injured Flag netminder Noah Ruden late in the first period and would continue to finish out the game. After a scoreless second period, Port Huron's Greg Bullock capitalized off a Kalamazoo turnover by scoring his 12th goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1. Tyler Willis gave the K-Wings the lead for good, as the veteran slid the puck past Soli for his 3rd goal of the season. Willis' lamp lighter proved to be the fuse that ignited Kalamazoo's offensive arsenal as the K-Wings added two more goals in a 1:36 span, both from Lucas Drake (9,10) propelling the K-Wings to a 4-1 victory over the Flags.

Finishing off a four-game road trip on Sunday (1/21), Kalamazoo stayed on the eastside of the state to battle the Flint Generals. Former K-Wing Shawn Snider (10) gave the Generals a 1-0 lead, when his wrist shot from the high slot deflected off goaltender Ryan Nie and into the net 14:41 into the game. Flint extended their lead to 2-0 in the second period, when Jordan Fox (7) pushed a wrap-around backhander past Nie near the midway mark of the period. Kalamazoo cut the Flint lead in half early in the third with a goal from Karlander (23), which extended his goal and point streak to 10 games. Terry Marchant (12) elevated the Generals lead back to two goals by poking a rebound underneath Nie to give Flint a 3-1 lead. Twenty-five seconds after Marchant's tally, Kalamazoo answered back with a rebound wrist shot from Nick Bootland (23). With the score 3-2, Flint put the contest out of reach by connecting on two 5 on 3 power-play chances to win the game 5-2.

Fast Forward

Kalamazoo will return home to commence a three-game homestand starting this weekend against the Elmira Jackals. The K-Wings will face-off against the Jackals on both Friday (1/26) and Saturday (1/27). Friday's contest will be WRKR's Vegas Giveaway Night. A lucky fan will leave Wings Stadium with two nights accommodations at Caesar's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On Saturday, the K-Wings will conclude the week with another battle against the Jackals on McDonald's Win-Win Night presented by WIN 98.5 FM. If the K-Wings win, everyone in attendance will receive a FREE value meal courtesy of McDonald's. Kalamazoo is 3-0-0 against Elmira this season, including a 6-2 victory in the lone appearance at Wings Stadium back on December 17th. Elmira starts the week in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Revving Up the "Kar"

With a goal last night, forward Kory Karlander extended both his point and goal streaks to 10 games. At 10 games, Karlander's point streak ties him with Lucas Drake for the K-Wings season high, while his goal streak is both a K-Wings and UHL season high. Ten of Karlander's lamp lighters have been first goals of the game, which also leads the league.

Getting off to a Good Start

A big part of the K-Wings success this season has been their ability to start off strong. Kalamazoo has outscored their opposition 36-27 in the first period. The K-Wings are 22-4-2 when they score a contests first goal.

Homeward Bound

After four straight road games, the Kalamazoo Wings are set to commence a three-game homestand starting against the Elmira Jackals this Friday (1/26). Currently, Kalamazoo has a three-game winning streak and a seven-game unbeaten streak in games played at Wings Stadium.

Firing the Puck

When it comes to shooting the puck on net, forward Nick Bootland hasn't been shy. With 201 shots on goal, Bootland not only leads the K-Wings, but ranks second behind Elmira's Scott Wray for the league lead.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Kalamazoo seems to thrive when wearing their home (white) jerseys. This year, Kalamazoo is 11-4-0 when wearing white; all-time the K-Wings have a record of 147-100-31 when they don their home jerseys.

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.

Elzinga and Rycroft on the Radio

Come see special guests Adam Elzinga and Jesse Rycroft, 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.

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, January 26th Vs Elmira 7:30 PM (WRKR Vegas Giveaway Night)

Saturday, January 27th Vs Elmira 7:30 PM (McDonald's Win-Win Night presented by WIN-98.5 FM)

Friday, February 2nd Vs Rockford 7:30 PM (Pennzoil 10-Minute Oil Change/RPM Oil Lube Night Presented by WIN-98.5 FM)

Saturday, February 3rd @ Fort Wayne 7:30 PM

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 22, 2007


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.

OurSports Central