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IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

February 23, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Game Rewind

Friday, February 20th Vs Muskegon (Muskegon 4-Kalamazoo 2)

Kalamazoo, MI - It was a good night for the power play, but not much else went right for the home team Friday night as the Kalamazoo Wings were doubled up by the second-place Muskegon Lumberjacks 4-2 at Wings Stadium.

Lucas Drake and Glenn Detulleo chalked two points each for the K-Wings, who fell into fourth place in the IHL after Fort Wayne's win over Flint. Luke Stauffacher led the way for the victors, adding a pair of helpers to his season total.

Kalamazoo went 2-for-5 on the man advantage; the first time they're scored multiple power-play goals since a 4-3 shootout win at Fort Wayne Dec. 29. The setback was only the K-Wings' second regulation loss in the last eight games; they were 5-2-1-0 during that stretch.

The K-Wings outshot the Lumberjacks 15-7 in the first period and possessed the puck for long periods of time, but the visitors had the lead after 20 minutes of play.

John DiPace (25th), newly acquired in a trade with the Flint Generals, got the 'Jacks going at 6:40 by sneaking his own rebound past the outstretched pad of Jason Tapp.

Anthony Battaglia extended his point streak to five games to tie the game about two minutes later. With Kalamazoo on the power play, Detulleo, with his back to the slot, tossed a soft backhand pass to Battaglia, who maneuvered around goalie Clayton Pool and banked a shot off him and in for his 15th of the season.

Chad Costello (11th) would answer back at 14:57, taking a feed from Stauffacher on right wing and depositing a backhand stuff just barely over the goal line for a 2-1 score.

Kalamazoo threw 15 more shots on goal in the second period and increased their physical play, but all they had to show for it at the second intermission was a two-goal deficit.

Muskegon's Jon Grabarek, playing in his fifth game for the 'Jacks, cashed in his first professional goal at 3:17 to double the lead. Grabarek's initial shot from the inner edge of the right circle trickled through Tapp's equipment, and the rookie followed up and slammed it in with minimal interference.

The K-Wings power play kept them in the contest, as Lucas Drake flipped in his 21st of the year from right in front of the goal after his first two attempts were denied by Pool. Detulleo, working from behind the Muskegon cage, earned the primary assist on the play.

Much like the first period, though, the 'Jacks poked in another tally to grab the energy away from the K-Wings. This time it was Robin Bouchard tapping in his 22nd in 21 games played from point-blank range. A blistering Dan Boeser slapper from the blue line set up the goal.

There were no goals to be had in the third, although a major skirmish stirred things up early in the frame. Jason Robinson leveled DiPace with a clean shoulder check as the Muskegon forward skated over his own blue line, leading to a couple of DiPace's teammates to take umbrage. Bouchard attempted to jump Robinson in front of the Muskegon bench, but Robinson was ready and popped the 'Jacks sniper in the mouth with a gloved right hand.

Kalamazoo's Mark Nebus then engaged DiPace in a minor tussle that included several punches thrown before the linesman stepped between the two combatants. The K-Wings' Tommy Lange also traded punches with Darryl McArthur.

The K-Wings pulled goaltender Tapp with just over two minutes remaining, but only a Rod Aldoff wrister from long range came close to cutting the lead in half. Pool stopped that one with his mask, drawing a gasp from the Frugal Friday crowd of 3,802.

Saturday, February 21st @ Fort Wayne (Kalamazoo 5 -Fort Wayne 3)

Fort Wayne, IN - A night after dropping to fourth place, the Kalamazoo Wings jumped back into third with a 5-3 victory at Allen County Memorial Coliseum over the Fort Wayne Komets.

No scoring in the opening 20 minutes didn't mean it wasn't a productive period, especially for Fort Wayne's Brad MacMillan. The league-leader in fisticuffs added two more to his resume, dropping the gloves with Blair Stayzer just three seconds into the game and then with Jason Robinson 9:56 into the period to raise his total to 26 majors on the season. Both teams generated scoring chances, with the Komets out-shooting the K-Wings 12-11 in the stanza.

After registering two goals in his last encounter against Kalamazoo last Sunday, Mathieu Curadeau (22nd) continued to haunt the K-Wings scoring his team-high tying 8th power-play goal. Curadeau now has eight goals this season in nine games against Kalamazoo.

Just 1:31 after Fort Wayne gained the lead, it was Kalamazoo that would capitalize on a 5-on-3 power-play. Glenn Detulleo recorded the equalizer on a rebound 5:32 into the period. Assisting on the goal was Anthony Battaglia, who extended his point streak to six games with the helper.

Kalamazoo jumped ahead 2-1 later in the period with a Bryan Jurynec (5th) blast from between the circles. The Komets answered back 15 seconds later with a tally from Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn (11th) to tie the game at the 17:56 mark.

Earning his second point of the night, Detulleo setup the go-ahead goal with a drop pass to Jordan Little (3rd), who lifted the puck past Nick Boucher 9:06 into the third period.

Five minutes later, the K-Wings put the game on ice, when Battaglia found Rick Cleaver (19th), who one-timed a blast from just below the right-circle. The goal was Cleaver's rookie league-leading 19th goal of the season and also ties him with Fort Wayne's Rick Varone for the league-lead in rookie scoring with 40 points.

Trying to climb back, Leo Thomas (20th) brought the Komets back to within a goal scoring 19 seconds after Cleaver's lamp lighter.

Adding some insurance, Jurynec (6th) won a face-off deep in the K-Wings zone by sending the puck the length of the ice into an empty-net to wrap-up the game's scoring.

Fast Forward

The K-Wings will start off a busy four games in five days with an early 10:30 a.m. start on Wednesday, February 25th when they meet Port Huron on Education Day. This is the first of two Education Day games against Port Huron, who the K-Wings have a 5-4-0-0 record against. The two teams last met on Pink Ice when Kalamazoo defeated the Icehawks 5-4 in overtime. Port Huron enters the week tied for first place and five points ahead of the K-Wings who are in third.

On Friday, February 27th, the K-Wings will host the Muskegon Lumberjacks with a 7:30 p.m. face-off on Exteriors of Kalamazoo Night. The 'Jacks came into Wings Stadium last Friday to hand the K-Wings their sixth loss at home this season with a 4-2 victory. Muskegon is currently tied for first place and will be looking to continue their winning ways against the K-Wings who are 3-6-0-0 against the Lumberjacks this season. Friday is also the final Frugal Fan Friday of the season, which means $1 hot dogs and beers.

Kalamazoo will wrap-up the home stand on Saturday, February 28th with a 7:30 p.m. face-off versus the Fort Wayne Komets on Air National Guard Night, featuring the ZOOperstars!. Three of the last four games between the K-Wings and Komets have gone into the extra session. The K-Wings will look to continue their dominance against Fort Wayne who they have an 8-3-1-0 record against on the season.

Kalamazoo will conclude the week on Sunday, March 1st with a 5 p.m. encounter against the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Mark Nebus (24 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (41 Assists)

Points: Glenn Detulleo (61 Points)

+/-: Lucas Drake (+18)

Penalty Minutes: Bryan Jurynec (108 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Mark Nebus (6 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Anthony Battaglia, Glenn Detulleo (2 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Glenn Detulleo (5 GW)

Shots: Tommy Lange (175 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Tyler Willis (17.1%)

Overtime Goals: Lucas Drake (2 Goals)

Shootout Goals: Anthony Battaglia (4 Goals)

Shootout Percentage: Justin Cross (100%)

Goals Against Average: Joel Martin (2.75)

Save Percentage: Joel Martin (0.919)

Leave it to Cleaver

Forward Rick Cleaver leads all rookies in goals scored with 19. Besides scoring goals, Cleaver is tied with Fort Wayne's Rick Varone for the overall league-lead in scoring among rookies with 40 points.

Nearing Milestones

Both Blair Manning and Rod Aldoff are getting ready to eclipse impressive milestones. Manning needs one more point to reach the 800-point plateau mark in his career, while Aldoff is one goal shy of 100, three assists shy of 300 and four points shy of 400 in his career.

A Trio of Streaks

Forward Anthony Battaglia is on a six-game point streak registering 4 goals and 4 assists during the stretch. Lucas Drake (4 goals, 3 assists) has earned points in four consecutive games, while Glenn Detulleo (1 goal, 4 assists) is riding a three-game point streak

Good to Be at Home

Getting ready to start a three-game home stand the K-Wings own the best home record in the league at 17-6-1-0. With 17 home wins, the K-Wings already have surpassed their total for victories at Wings Stadium from a season ago (16).

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Kalamazoo will play their first of two Education Day games this Wednesday versus the Port Huron Icehawks. All-time the K-Wings are 6-4-0-1 in games played in the morning, including 4-4-0-1 at Wings Stadium.

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.

Glavota and Robinson on the Radio

Join special guests John Glavota and Jason Robinson 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

Wednesday, February 25th Vs Port Huron 10:30 AM (Education Day)

Friday, February 27th Vs Muskegon 7:30 PM (Exteriors of Kalamazoo Night)

Saturday, February 28th Vs Fort Wayne 7:30 PM (Air National Guard Night, Featuring the ZOOperstars!)

Sunday, March 1st @ Muskegon 5:00 PM

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics



International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 23, 2009


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