IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

Published on December 22, 2008 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Game Rewind

Tuesday, December 16th (Kalamazoo 4-Port Huron 2)

Port Huron, MI - Led by two goals by Anthony Battaglia, the Kalamazoo Wings snaped a two-game road losing streak and move into third place in the International Hockey League with a 4-2 victory over the Port Huron Icehawks.

Despite giving up both power-play opportunities and being out shot 14-9, it was the Icehawks that led after the first period.

Jason Selleke (4th) registered the lone goal in the first frame with a wrist shot between the circles with 1:02 remaining in the period. The goal was Selleke's first since the first period of the Icehawks' second game of the season and was the team's league-leading 42nd first period lamp lighter of the season.

While outscoring their opponents 30-24 in the first period of games this season, Kalamazoo has had a reverse of fortune. In their last three games, the K-Wings have been outscored 5-1 in the opening 20 minutes.

Unable to score with a man-advantage in the first stanza, the K-Wings would have better luck scoring shorthanded in the second. Deflecting a pass in the neutral zone, Battaglia (4th) scored the equalizer on a breakaway midway through the second period.

Nearly seven minutes later at 14:34, it was Battaglia (5th) again, this time receiving a Justin Cross pass and stepping around Port Huron's Ian Turner and scoring on backhander five-hole on Larry Sterling to give the K-Wings the lead at 2-1.

In the third, Mark Nebus out-skated two Icehawk players to wipe out an icing and then found Tommy Lange, who recorded his 10th goal of the season and the eventual game-winning goal.

Tab Lardner (11th) brought Port Huron back to within a single goal at 3-2 with a slap shot from the left circle. However, the K-Wings put the game on ice with an empty-net marker in the final minute of play from Glenn Detulleo (8th).

With Muskegon idle, Kalamazoo's victory propelled the K-Wings past the Lumberjacks into third place in the league.

Friday, December 19th Vs Flint (Kalamazoo 6-Flint 3)

Kalamazoo, MI - Timely scoring and stellar goaltending has been a recipe for success for the Kalamazoo Wings, and Friday night was no different as the K-Wings defeated the Flint Generals 6-3.

The K-Wings came out flying against the Generals with a Mark Nebus (13th) goal 2:48 into the first period. Less than 34 seconds later, Glenn Detulleo (9th) made it 2-0, scoring five-hole on Flint goaltender Bill Zaniboni.

Detulleo (10th) recorded his second-goal of the night late in the first period, taking a pass from Rick Cleaver and shooting it top shelf extending the K-Wings lead to 3-0.

Mid-way through the 2nd period Rick Cleaver (8th) recorded the eventual game-winner, burying a Detulleo rebound, increasing Kalamazoo's cushion to four goals.

After witnessing 20 consecutive saves from Kalamazoo's Jason Tapp, Flint finally solved the netminder's puzzle getting on the board with only 12.9 seconds remaining in the second period when Greg Bullock (10th) shoved in a rebound that squirted into the goalmouth off of the post.

Each team traded a pair of goals in the third period. Rob Jarvis (5th) and Blair Manning (1st) tallied 48 seconds apart from each other early in the third to give the K-Wings a 6-1 advantage.

Former K-Wing Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn (3rd) and Steve Rymsha (15th) pulled the Generals closer scoring midway in the period, but by that time Kalamazoo already had the game in hand.

Tapp finished the contest with 33 saves. The victory by Kalamazoo improved their home record to 7-2-0-0 and extended their Wings Stadium winning streak to an impressive six straight games.

The win also propels the K-Wings past the Fort Wayne Komets, who were idle, into second place in the International Hockey League standings.

Saturday, December 20th Vs Bloomington (Kalamazoo 6-Bloomington 3)

Kalamazoo, MI - Bears, hats and ejections were the appetizers, while a five-goal outburst and a surprise appearance from Tyler Willis served as the main course in the Kalamazoo Wings 6-3 victory over the Bloomington PrairieThunder during the 9th Annual Teddy Bear Toss Night, presented by Hydro Aluminum.

With abundant space available during a period of four-on-four play, the K-Wings took advantage of the open ice to bring the anticipated deluge of stuffed animals from the stands. Lucas Drake started it all with a shot from the top of the right circle that PrairieThunder goaltender Scott Fankhouser kicked out into the slot. Glenn Detulleo calmly scooped up the puck and dished it to the right edge of the crease where defenseman Rod Aldoff (3rd) one-timed it into the open side of the net.

After the goal, fans flooded the Wings Stadium ice with 1,924 bears and other stuffed animals. The items collected will go to the Salvation Army as well as be delivered by the K-Wings to the patients of The Children's Hospital at Bronson this Monday morning.

Aldoff's goal at 14:33 was the only score of the first period, despite Kalamazoo enjoying a two-man advantage for 1:18 late in the frame.

Bloomington struck back for a pair of power-play tallies in the second to take their first lead of the game. At 7:53, Marty Standish (4th) ripped a snap shot over Jason Tapp's blocker from the right corner to tie the score. Standish was off-balance as he one-timed a pass from Jon Booras and he ended up on the ice just after releasing it.

Booras lent a key helping hand to the PrairieThunder's second goal as well, centering the puck from the right boards for a charging Shaun Fisher (3rd). Fisher changed the shooting angle and dumped a wrister off the left post and in at 14:16 for a 2-1 Bloomington lead at the second intermission.

The middle period was quite eventful in all the wrong ways for the K-Wings, as they were whistled for 12 penalties for 51 total minutes in the stanza, including two game-misconducts. The second match penalty went to Kalamazoo head coach Nick Bootland, who walked off the ice to a warm ovation at 13:33.

But Kalamazoo's 20 minutes of frustration soon transformed into a third period of elation, led by a resurgent power play unit and Willis, while on the 30-Day IR, emerging from the locker room to serve as bench boss.

The home side's offensive onslaught began with two quick man-advantage scores in the opening minutes of the third to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Anthony Battaglia (6th) backhanded home the tying goal off the rush at 1:09, followed by Aldoff's second of the game and fourth of the season at 5:11. Blair Manning received primary assists on both scores.

Momentum seemed to switch hands 17 seconds later when Brett Holmberg beat Tapp on a shorthanded breakaway to tie the game again, but Rob Jarvis (6th) stole it right back at 8:22 with a beautiful rising wrist shot from the high slot, set up by Rick Cleaver.

Battaglia (11:13) and Aldoff (14:11) added window dressing as part of a 14-shot effort for the K-Wings in the final frame. Aldoff's goal came on a power-play, the third Kalamazoo man-advantage goal of the period.

In a rare feat, Aldoff, who earned his first-pro hat trick, received the honor of fans throwing stuffed animals after his first goal and hats after his third.

Sunday, December 21st @ Fort Wayne (Kalamazoo 2-Fort Wayne 1)

Fort Wayne, IN - The Kalamazoo Wings wanted to be in first place for the holiday. With the K-Wings 2-1 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets, coupled with a Port Huron loss to Muskegon, the K-Wings made their holiday wish come true.

Despite a majority of the first period being played in the K-Wings end, it was Kalamazoo that enjoyed the lead after the first period.

With the face-off deep in the Komets zone midway through the stanza, Mark Nebus found the puck along the wall atop of the left circle and flung it over the shoulder of Nick Boucher to give Kalamazoo a 1-0 lead. The goal for Nebus was his team-leading 14th of the season.

Assisting on the marker was Rod Aldoff and Tommy Lange. Aldoff has now recorded five points (3 goals and 2 assists) over his last two games.

Taking advantage of their lone power-play opportunity in the second period, Fort Wayne tied the game at 1-1 with a rebound equalizer from Leo Thomas (8th). Thomas has now scored seven of his eight goals on the year with a man-advantage.

Kalamazoo regained the lead with 7:16 remaining in regulation. With a delayed penalty against Fort Wayne, the K-Wings used the extra skater to their advantage. With the puck behind the net, Glenn Detulleo centered a crisp pass to Lucas Drake, who drilled in his 13th tally of the season and his team-leading 3rd game-winner of the year.

Joel Martin closed the door on the Komets, stopping 32 shots to earn the victory. The win gives the K-Wings a four-game overall winning streak and a three-game win streak over the Komets.

Fast Forward

Tied for first place with the Port Huron Icehawks heading into the holiday break, Kalamazoo will play two games this week. The K-Wings will play the second-leg of a four-game road trip this Friday, December 26th with a 7:30 p.m. face-off against the Flint Generals. The K-Wings are 6-0-0-0 against the Generals this season. Flint starts the week in fifth place in the league, 11 points behind the K-Wings.

Kalamazoo will conclude the week on Saturday, December 27th with a 7 p.m. encounter against the Muskegon Lumberjacks at L.C. Walker Arena. The K-Wings are 1-2-0-0 versus the intra-state rivals and 0-2-0-0 at L.C. Walker Arena. Led by Todd Robinson, the Lumberjacks are in fourth place in the league, five points behind Kalamazoo.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Mark Nebus (14 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (22 Assists)

Points: Glenn Detulleo (32 Points)

+/-: Rick Cleaver (+15)

Penalty Minutes: Jordan Little (56 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Tyler Willis (4 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Anthony Battaglia (2 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Lucas Drake (3 GW)

Shots: Tommy Lange (93 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Anthony Battaglia (26.9%)

Overtime Goals: Lucas Drake, Mark Nebus (1 Goal)

Shootout Goals: Justin Cross, Glenn Detulleo (1 Goal)

Shootout Percentage: Justin Cross, Glenn Detulleo (100%)

Goals Against Average: Joel Martin (2.64)

Save Percentage: Joel Martin (0.922)

Hitting His Target

Forward Anthony Battaglia has been a marksman on the ice. Battaglia, who has scored seven goals on 26 shots, leads the league with a 26.9 shooting percentage.

What's On Tapp

Goaltender Jason Tapp has been stellar between the pipes for the K-Wings, winning 11 of his last 12 starts. Tapp leads all IHL netminders in wins (13) and is tied for the league-lead in saves (537).

Rolling Right Along

The K-Wings head into the holiday break on a four-game winning streak. Over the course of their last 17 games, the K-Wings are 14-3-0-0 and, as a result, are tied with the Port Huron Icehawks for first place in the league.

Red Hot

Several K-Wings players enter the week on multi-game point streaks. Glenn Detulleo is currently enjoying a four-game point streak, while Rick Cleaver and Lucas Drake are riding three-game streaks.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Last Saturday, Kalamazoo defeated Bloomington during the 9th Annual Teddy Bear Toss game, presented by Hydro Aluminum and WKFR. With the victory, the K-Wings snapped a three-game teddy bear toss losing streak and improved their record in the stuffed animal classic to 8-1-0-0 at home 12-3-0-0 all-time.

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 IHL 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, information about Wings Stadium events, and much, much more.

Detulleo and Little on the Radio

Join special guests Glenn Detulleo and Jordan Little as they join Head Coach Nick Bootland and the "Voice of the K-Wings" Mike Modugno on "K-Wings Live". The show is on The Classic Hits Station WLKM (95.9 FM) and online through the B-2 Networks through www.kwings.com from 7-8 p.m. at Old Burdick's Bar and Grill 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 (95.9 FM WLKM & B-2 Networks on kwings.com). Join the "Voice of the K-Wings" Mike Modugno for all 76 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Kalsee Credit Union 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 26th @ Flint 7:30 PM

Saturday, December 27th @ Muskegon 7:00 PM

Monday, December 29th @ Fort Wayne 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 31st Vs Muskegon 7:30 PM (7th Annual New Year's Eve Bash Presented by COOL 101 FM and WWMT)

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 22, 2008


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