Sports stats



IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

January 19, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Game Rewind Wednesday, January 14th Vs Flint (Kalamazoo 3-Flint 2 OT)

Kalamazoo, MI - It took two full weeks for the Kalamazoo Wings to register their first power-play goal of 2009, but as it turned out the wait was well worth it.

Rob Jarvis (8th) ripped a wrist shot from the top of the left circle off the post and in at 4:10 of overtime to give the K-Wings a 3-2 sudden victory over the visiting Flint Generals Wednesday night. The four-on-three marker came on the K-Wings' eighth overtime shot and was Jarvis' third game-winner of the season, tying him with the injured Lucas Drake for the team lead.

Jason Tapp was strong between the pipes for Kalamazoo, turning 34 of 36 Flint shots aside for the victory. Justin Cross earned two assists, including the primary helper on Jarvis' OT dagger.

A relatively quiet first period featured two penalties - both to Kalamazoo - and a goal for each club. Flint grabbed the game's initial tally when defenseman A.J. Bozoian (5th) pinched into the high slot to one-time a Josef Fojtik dish pass into the upper-left corner of the net at 6:03.

The K-Wings were able to counter at 14:29 on Tommy Lange's 13th goal of the season, set up by fellow rookies Jarvis and John Miller. Following a face-off win, Jarvis snapped a shot on goal from the right point and Lange was able to corral the rebound and bury it past Generals' goaltender Chad Alban.

In the second period, the penalty balance swung the other way, as Flint was whistled for three minors. Although Kalamazoo was unable to score a man-advantage goal during those chances, they did strike during a delayed penalty situation. With an extra Kalamazoo skater on the ice, defenseman Casey Handrahan (2nd) crept in from his point position to take a pass from Cross as he was cycling in the left corner. Handrahan's first shot was stopped, but he managed to flip the second chance into the top of the goal at 11:41.

Despite two more power plays for Kalamazoo in the third frame, it was Flint that generated the better scoring chances. The Generals' efforts paid off at 12:48, when Zach Pearson (4th) cruised down the slot on his backhand, turned to the forehand and stashed a shot past Tapp's blocker hand.

The third period would expire with no further scoring, so the teams skated four-on-four in a five-minute sudden death overtime period. Ryan Jorde's tripping penalty at 2:44 set up the K-Wings for the eventual winning tally.

Kalamazoo finished the contest 1-for-6 on the man advantage, while Flint came up dry in two attempts. Alban was credited with 39 saves on 42 shots in the losing effort.

Friday, January 16th @ Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne 2 -Kalamazoo 0)

Kalamazoo, MI - The Kalamazoo Wings' road woes continued, dropping their third straight, this time to the Fort Wayne Komets 2-0.

The rivalry remained fierce between the K-Wings and the Komets. A drop of the puck led to the dropping of gloves just two seconds into the first period with a fight between Kalamazoo's Blair Stayzer and Fort Wayne's Brad MacMillan. The Komet's penalty minute leader, MacMillan went toe-to-toe with Stayzer who was appearing for the first time in four games for the K-Wings.

An evenly matched game turned in the Komet's favor late in the second period when Danko Mironovic lit the lamp, tallying his first professional goal. Shortly after P.C. Drouin extended Fort Wayne's lead registering his team-leading 22nd goal of the season with 50.5 seconds remaining in the period.

Despite Kalamazoo out-shooting Fort Wayne 14-10 in the final period, the K-Wings were unable to get on the board and back into the game.

Nick Boucher was steady between the pipes for the Komets, stopping all 30 shots the K-Wings sent his way, recording his first shutout of the season and leading Fort Wayne to the 2-0 victory over Kalamazoo.

Saturday, January 17th @ Muskegon (Kalamazoo 5-Muskegon 4 OT)

Muskegon, MI - The Muskegon Lumberjacks' comeback attempt came to a sudden end in sudden death as Glenn Detulleo scored at 2:32 of overtime to give the Kalamazoo Wings a riveting 5-4 win at L.C. Walker Arena Saturday night.

Detulleo's skate-off goal was gift-wrapped by linemate Anthony Battaglia, who stole a Lumberjacks pass near the Muskegon net and quickly centered for the K-Wings' captain. The sudden victory was Kalamazoo's second in four nights, as Rob Jarvis ended the Wednesday home game against Flint in similar fashion.

In a development that surprised exactly no one, these West Michigan rivals started the game with back-to-back fights. Four seconds in, Muskegon's Alex Lamontagne squared off with Bryan Jurynec of Kalamazoo in a fairly even battle that ended with Lamontagne headed to the locker room with a bloodied nose. Just one second later, Frank Littlejohn and Blair Stayzer matched fists in a bout that included two knockdowns, one for each combatant.

Once the teams decided to play a little hockey, it was the K-Wings enjoying the better chances in the first half of the period. Lumberjacks' goaltender Clayton Pool was equal to the task, though, as he turned the visitors away despite multiple point-blank opportunities.

When Frank Littlejohn (16th) chipped a loose puck into the Kalamazoo goal at 7:46, it seemed the K-Wings would be fortunate to escape the opening frame down just one score.

But with the ‘Jacks pressing for a 2-0 lead late in the period, Mark Nebus picked up the puck at center, deked around a defender and dished to an open Tommy Lange on the left wing. Lange (14th) ripped a hard wrist shot past Pool's glove from 15 feet to tie the score at 17:57. Rick Cleaver got the secondary assist on the highlight reel play by Nebus.

The offensive action pickup considerably in the second, led by an early pair of Kalamazoo tallies. At 4:24, John Miller (2nd) finished a tidy tic-tac-toe passing play by dumping the puck into an open net from in front. Detulleo and Battaglia were the first two links in that goal-scoring chain.

Just over six minutes later, Nebus (20th) took a long lead pass from Jason Robinson, looked off the goalie and scored through the five-hole for a 3-1 K-Wings advantage.

The tide flowed in the other direction after Robin Bouchard (2nd) scored on his own rebound at 12:19. During four-on-four action three minutes later, Bouchard (3rd) picked up his second of the game on a one-timer from the left circle set up by Todd Robinson.

Late in the second, the ‘Jacks' Luke Stauffacher was forced to slash Battaglia in order to deny the K-Wings a prime scoring chance. The visitors would cash in on the resulting power play on a screen shot from the left point taken by defenseman Rod Aldoff (6th). Pool never saw the puck until he fished it out of his net because the K-Wings had two players stationed in front.

With just under seven minutes left in the third period the Lumberjacks got a man-advantage goal of their own off the stick of Adam Bartholomay (5th). Stauffacher made the tying marker happen by streaking down the right side and centering the puck for a charging Bartholomay, who finished the play through Joel Martin's legs.

Martin would redeem himself at 14:21 by stoning Muskegon's Robinson on a penalty shot attempt. Robinson attempted to get Martin to open the five-hole, but the Kalamazoo goaltender closed it down just in time to keep the score at 4-all.

The game went to overtime, but the Muskegon comeback dreams vanished abruptly when Battaglia stole an attempted ‘Jacks breakout pass and slid a cross-crease pass to Detulleo (12th), who made no mistake in burying the game-winning goal.

Battaglia, Detulleo and Nebus each had two-point evenings for the victorious visitors, who remained the only team in the IHL to be undefeated beyond regulation play. The K-Wings are now 6-0 in overtime/shootout games.

Fast Forward

Starting the week this Friday (01/23) the K-Wings will host the Fort Wayne Komets at 7:30 p.m. on Corporate Partner Appreciation Night. Kalamazoo is 5-3-0-0 versus Fort Wayne this season, with two of those victories coming at Wings Stadium. Fort Wayne starts the week in fourth place in the IHL and just one point behind both Kalamazoo and Muskegon for second place.

For the first time in 37 days, this Saturday (01/24) Kalamazoo will battle the Port Huron IceHawks with a 7:30 p.m. face-off at McMorran Place Arena. The IceHawks, who are currently in first place, lead the K-Wings by three points for the top spot in the IHL. Kalamazoo holds a 3-2-0-0 record against Port Huron, two of those K-Wings victories came on the road at Port Huron.

The K-Wings will finish the week on Sunday (01/25) with a 4 p.m. encounter against the Flint Generals. With a 9-1-0-0 record against the Generals, Kalamazoo will look to continue their dominance at home against Flint, where they are 4-0-0-0.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Mark Nebus (20 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (31 Assists)

Points: Glenn Detulleo (43 Points)

+/-: Lucas Drake, Mark Nebus (+16)

Penalty Minutes: Bryan Jurynec (80 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Rod Aldoff, Mark Nebus, Tyler Willis (4 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Anthony Battaglia (2 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Glenn Detulleo, Lucas Drake, Rob Jarvis (3 GW)

Shots: Mark Nebus (130 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Blair Manning (23.1%)

Overtime Goals: Glenn Detulleo, Lucas Drake, Rob Jarvis, Mark Nebus (1 Goal)

Shootout Goals: Anthony Battaglia (2 Goals)

Shootout Percentage: Anthony Battaglia, Justin Cross (100%)

Goals Against Average: Joel Martin (2.80)

Save Percentage: Joel Martin (0.914)

Perfect in the Extra Session

With two victories in overtime this week for the Kalamazoo Wings, they continue their dominance in the extra session. The K-Wings are now 4-0 in overtime and 2-0 when taken to a shootout. They are the only team in the league to boast an undefeated record in overtime.

Holding the Lead

The K-Wings are undefeated when leading after two periods at home. With a 9-0-0-0 record when leading after two the K-Wings make Wings Stadium a hard place for visiting teams to make a comeback.

Unexpected Closer

Rookie defenseman Rob Jarvis has been chipping in offensively as of late. Jarvis has three game winning goals, tying him with forwards Glenn Detulleo and Lucas Drake. He trails only Jamie Lovell of the Port Huron IceHawks for game winning goals among defenseman.

Feeling Blue

The K-Wings are now 4-1-0-0 when wearing their alternate blue jerseys. The jerseys aided the K-Wings in snapping their losing streak at L.C. Walker Arena over the weekend.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

The Kalamazoo Wings won for the first time this year at L.C. Walker Arena Saturday with their 5-4 OT victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Not only was it their first victory in Muskegon this season but their first victory in almost a year in Muskegon where they had not won since January 20th, 2008.

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.

Aldoff and Lange on the Radio

Join special guests Rod Aldoff and Tommy Lange 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, January 23rd Vs Fort Wayne 7:30 PM (Corporate Partner Appreciation Night)

Saturday, January 24th @ Port Huron 7:30 PM

Sunday, January 25th Vs Flint 4:00 PM

Friday, January 30th Vs Muskegon 7:30 PM

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 19, 2009


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