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IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

April 6, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Game Rewind Friday, April 3rd Vs Port Huron (Port Huron 4-Kalamazoo 3)

Kalamazoo, MI - Bryan Smolinski turned in his best game so far in his return to pro hockey, netting a pair of goals to pace the Port Huron Icehawks to a 4-3 road victory over the Kalamazoo Wings Friday night.

The second-place Icehawks put a substantial down payment on the win by surging to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes, giving them an IHL-best plus-56 margin (98-42) in the first period. Port Huron also moved to within three points of Fort Wayne for first place, pending the conclusion of the Komets' game in Bloomington, Ill.

Blair Stayzer (5th) deposited a hard backhand shot under the crossbar to make it 4-3 with 15:11 to play, the second time the K-Wings rallied to within one goal, but they were stymied the rest of the way to put an end to their 5-0-1-0 run. Kalamazoo also had a three-game home winning streak snapped.

On the positive side of the ledger, Lucas Drake (10 games), Rick Cleaver (eight) and Dominic Osman (six) each extended their individual point streaks by getting on the scoresheet.

On the Icehawks' most recent trip to Kalamazoo, a 6-5 K-Wings victory March 25, a Justin Cross hat trick helped seal the visitors' fate. Port Huron got a bit of revenge in Friday's first period by scoring a unique "hat trick" of their own, racking up goals while shorthanded, at even strength and on the power play.

A five-on-five tally by former NHL'er Smolinski got the Icehawks rolling at 3:02. After K-Wings goaltender Jason Tapp made a top-notch save on a Steve Rymsha backhand flip from in tight, the puck fluttered to the bottom of the left circle, where Smolinski (6th) banked in a quick shot off a scrambling Tapp.

Derek Patrosso (17th) added to the lead about three minutes later with a solid second effort. With the Icehawks enjoying a power play, defenseman Paul Esdale's point shot was deflected by Patrosso on goal, only to be turned away by Tapp. Undeterred, Patrosso lunged to his right and tossed the rebound into the cage while falling.

Jeremy Tucker (9th) made the score 3-0 with a shorthanded breakaway goal at 16:48, set up by Nick Lindberg and Derek Merlini. Tucker deked to the backhand and slid a changeup through Tapp for the K-Wings' fifth shorty allowed in three games.

Down three after a period and working on a six-game unbeaten streak, it would've been easy for the K-Wings to conclude that they were due for a bad night. However, they rejuvenated themselves and the crowd with two goals 1:15 apart, both made possible by glorious passes.

Rick Cleaver (26th) solved Port Huron goalie Larry Sterling for the first time at 7:24 with a breakaway from the blue line, but it was Osman that befuddled the defense by gliding a 40-foot diagonal feed through the neutral zone and onto Cleaver's stick blade.

The Icehawks' Merlini took a slashing penalty after the ensuing faceoff, and the K-Wings drew within one - with Osman finishing a gorgeous play this time. Drake drew a defender to him at the bottom of the left circle and tossed the puck in front, where Osman (29th) pulled it around a prone Sterling and made no mistake in burying it.

Port Huron turned the momentum back in its favor at 12:43 thanks to a savvy play from Smolinski. Leading a two-on-one rush with Rymsha, Smolinski threw a no-look shot past Tapp on the short side from the top of the circles to push the score to 4-2 at the second intermission.

Saturday, April 4th Vs Bloomington (Kalamazoo 4-Bloomington 3)

Kalamazoo, MI - Trent Daavettila made his Kalamazoo debut March 4th, and in the month since he has established himself as a valued cog in the K-Wings machine.

Saturday night, he took a turn as the motor.

Daavettila scored the Kalamazoo Wings' first and final goals, the latter providing the winning margin with less than five minutes to play, to lift his club to a 4-3 decision over the Bloomington PrairieThunder Saturday night at Wings Stadium.

The forward from Howell, Mich. also added an assist for a three-point evening, matching his career high set March 21st against Flint. Glenn Detulleo rivaled the youngster on the scoresheet, nailing two goals himself. Blair Stayzer, who has now racked up a point in four of his last five games, earned the primary assist on the game-winner.

Daavettila's heroics trumped a three-goal rally by Bloomington that Mike Liambas capped with his first professional goal at 11:16 of the third. Kalamazoo rebounded from Friday night's defeat to Port Huron, improving to 5-1-1-0 in its last seven games, advancing to within five points of third-place Muskegon in the process.

Applying the lesson they learned the previous night in falling behind by three early to Port Huron, the K-Wings put together one of their most airtight first periods of the season en route to a 3-0 lead.

Kalamazoo generated their first two goals with help from Bloomington penalties, as Daavettila (6th) converted a rebound at 4:39 and Detulleo (25th) tipped in a Martin Ondrej blast at 6:53 to make the home side's power play 2-for-2.

Detulleo followed up his workmanlike first goal with a dazzling second tally at 15:35. With Kalamazoo shorthanded, the captain lassoed in an errant Bloomington crossrink feed and sped up ice, deked a defender and cut into the slot while placing a forehand chip off past goaltender Jason Wolfe, off the crossbar and in.

The K-Wings nearly made it 4-0 on two separate occasions early in the second, but Wolfe came up with two desperation saves that loomed large by the time the frame expired.

The PrairieThunder caught a fortunate break while shorthanded late in the period when K-Wings goalie Joel Martin charged out of his net to attempt to clear the puck away from a forechecking Mike Kusy. Martin couldn't strike it cleanly and it ended up on Kusy's stick high in the slot, who promptly tossed his fifth of the season into an open net at 16:54.

Breaking the ice must have gotten the 'Thunder's adrenaline flowing, because Marty Standish (12th) rapped a rebound under Martin on the power play at 19:17 of the second, to suddenly bring a healthy dose of doubt to the proceedings.

Sunday, April 5th @ Bloomington (Kalamazoo 3-Bloomington 1)

Bloomington, IL- Using a pair of goals in the second period, the Kalamazoo Wings defeated the Bloomington PrairieThunder 3-1 and pulled to within three points of the third place Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Despite no scoring in the opening period, the K-Wings dictated a majority of the quality shots. Kalamazoo remained disciplined, relinquishing no power-play opportunities. In fact, the K-Wings lone penalty came on a fight between Blair Stayzer and Mike Liambas. The fight was the second in as many nights for the combatants.

On the other hand, the K-Wings collected four man-advantage chances, with two of them rolling over into the second period on a double-minor penalty on Bloomington's Marty Standish for hooking and unsportsmanlike with five seconds remaining in the period.

Showing no ill effect of playing four games in five days, Thunder goaltender Jason Wolfe stopped all nine chances he faced, a majority from between the circles. Kalamazoo's Joel Martin was equally as impressive, turning aside all 11 shots that came his way in the opening period.

Standish's penalty proved costly for the Thunder early in the second. Camping out in front of the net, Dominic Osman deflected a pass from Lucas Drake past Wolfe 58 seconds into the period to give Kalamazoo a 1-0 lead. The goal was Osman's team-leading 30th overall and team-leading 14th on the power-play.

Extending their lead nearly six minutes later, Justin Cross' (13th) wrist shot from atop the left circle popped off the shoulder of Wolfe, bounced behind the netminder and trickled into the net.

Bloomington's Jason Lapine's (4th) power-play blast at the 4:51 mark of the third period brought the PrairieThunder to within a single goal; however, five minutes later the K-Wings put the game on ice with a tally from Blair Manning (4th).

Martin made 35 saves to earn his 17th victory of season.

Fast Forward

Kalamazoo will continue their two-game road swing in Port Huron on Tuesday, April 7th with a 7:30 p.m. face-off. The K-Wings will look to continue their two-game winning streak and four-game road unbeaten streak. Port Huron enters this week in second place in the league, three points behind Fort Wayne for first. On the season, the K-Wings are 7-7-0-0 versus the Icehawks, and 3-3-0-0 at McMorran Place Arena.

Kalamazoo will return to Wings Stadium on Friday, April 10th for their final regular season home game. The 7:30 p.m. face-off against the Fort Wayne Komets, on fan appreciation night, will include the K-Wings' end of the season award ceremony as well as their warm-up jersey auction. On the season, Kalamazoo is 8-6-1-0 versus the first place Komets.

The K-Wings will complete the 2008-09 season with a face-off against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Saturday, April 11th at 7:00 p.m. The final game of the season for both teams could hold heavy implications for playoff positioning. The Lumberjacks, currently in third place, are only 3 points ahead of Kalamazoo going into the week. The K-Wings are 6-8-0-0 against Muskegon and have won two of their last three at L.C. Walker Arena.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Dominic Osman (30 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (53 Assists)

Points: Glenn Detulleo (79 Points)

+/-: Mark Nebus (+16)

Penalty Minutes: Jordan Little (147 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Dominic Osman (14 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Glenn Detulleo, Lucas Drake (3 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Glenn Detulleo (6 GW)

Shots: Tommy Lange (254 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Trent Daavettila (18.4%)

Overtime Goals: Lucas Drake (2 Goals)

Shootout Goals: Anthony Battaglia (5 Goals)

Shootout Percentage: Justin Cross (75%)

Goals Against Average: Joel Martin (3.12)

Save Percentage: Joel Martin (0.908)

Road Warriors

The Kalamazoo Wings are on a four-game road unbeaten streak. The K-Wings, who are 3-0-1-0 during the stretch, haven't lost on the road in regulation since their 5-3 loss to Fort Wayne on March 14th.

Four in a Row

Blair Stayzer enters the week on a four-game point streak. In fact, Stayzer has earned points in five of his last six games.

Little Reaches Milestone

Defenseman Jordan Little is closing in on a personal milestone. On Tuesday, April 7th against Port Huron, Little will reach 200 games played in his pro-career.

A"Tilla" the Hun

Rookie forward Trent Daavettila registered his first game-winning goal on Saturday, April 4th against Bloomington. On top of the game-winner, Daavettila also recorded the first two-goal game of his pro-career.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Dominic Osman's addition to the K-Wings roster has helped the team's power-play. Osman, who is tied for third among league leaders for power-play goals scored with 14, has lit the lamp seven times with the extra-attacker as a K-Wing, while Kalamazoo has earned at least one power-play goal in 11 of the 12 games Osman has dressed.

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.

Lange and Little on the Radio

Join special guests Tommy Lange 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

Tuesday, April 7th @ Port Huron 7:30 PM

Friday, April 10th Vs Fort Wayne 7:30 PM (Fan Appreciation Night, Presented by WKFR)

Saturday, April 11th @ Muskegon 7:00 PM

-END OF THE REGULAR SEASON-

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics



International Hockey League 2 Stories from April 6, 2009


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