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K-Wings Weekly

March 29, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release


Game Rewind

Wednesday, March 24th Vs Elmira (Kalamazoo 5-Elimira 4-Overtime)

Kalamazoo, MI- Needing a little extra time, the Kalamazoo Wings have moved back into first place in the North Division and have climbed to within two points of the American Conference lead with a 5-4 overtime victory at Wings Stadium on Wednesday versus the Elmira Jackals.

Needing only 27 seconds to get on the board, Kalamazoo jump ahead with a rebound marker from Andrew Fournier (27th). Assisting on the goal was Dean Strong and Darryl Lloyd. With the assist, Strong extended his home point streak to 13 games.

Elmira knotted the contest midway in the period with a power-play strike from Thomas Beauregard. The goal was Beauregard's 35th of the season and his first as a Jackal.

Just like they did in the first period, Kalamazoo opened the second with quick tally from Sam Ftorek (20th) 2:45 into the period. The goal from Ftorek extended his point streak to eight games.

Capitalizing on a K-Wings neutral zone turnover, R.J. Anderson skated in and tied the game with a slap shot from the high slot.

Late in the period, Kalamazoo reclaimed the lead with a second chance lamp-lighter from Strong (12th).

Early in the third period, Kalamazoo pushed their advantage to two goals, when Fournier dove in the neutral zone and pushed the puck to Darryl Lloyd, who raced in and netted his 18th goal of the season.

Firing on all cylinders, Elmira mounted a comeback, starting at 14:26 into the third period with a strike from Maxime Gratchev (17th).

With less than two minutes remaining in regulation and on a 5-on-3 man-advantage, Tyler Donati knotted the game at 4-4 with a wrister from between the circles, which forced overtime.

As they did through the first three periods, Kalamazoo struck within the first three minutes of the period. Maneuvering into the attack zone, Ryan McGinnis found Strong for a blistering slap shot from the atop of the right circle to secure the victory for the K-Wings 2:11 into the extra session.

Friday, March 26th @ Wheeling (Wheeling 4-Kalamazoo 3-Overtime)

Wheeling, WV- Not wasting any time, the Wheeling Nailers turned a nail biter of a contest into sudden victory scoring in overtime before the final horn to defeat the Kalamazoo Wings 4-3.

Kalamazoo opened up the scoring 9:23 into the first period when a patient Patrick Asselin sent a crisp pass to Mathieu Curadeau for his 20th goal of the season.

Late in the period, Andrew Lord (15th) deflected a shot from Kevin Schmidt to pull the Nailers even at 1-1.

Seconds after squandering a power-play opportunity, Sam Ftorek (21) geared back and rocketed a blast from the right point to reclaim the lead for the K-Wings.

The goal extended Ftorek's point streak to nine games and his goal-streak to a K-Wings season-high tying four games.

Just like they did in the first period, the Nailers fought back to even up the score. Finding room near the middle of the blue-line, Jon D'Aversa (5th) found the back of the net after he sent a slap shot through a screen of two players.

Wheeling earned their first lead on the night early in the third period with a tap in from Dan Henningson (3rd).

Battling back midway in the stanza, Ftorek (21st) recorded the equalizer netting his second tally of the game by knocking in his own rebound.

With neither team scoring in the remainder of regulation, the game would head into overtime.

In the extra session, Wheeling's Jordan Fox (18th) beat the buzzer scoring with one-tenth of a second remaining to secure the overtime win for the Nailers.

Saturday, March 27th @ Cincinnati (Kalamazoo 6-Cincinnati 3)

Cincinnati, OH- After dropping their first six visits to the U.S. Bank Arena, the Kalamazoo Wings picked the right time to snap the streak defeating the Cincinnati Cyclones 6-3. The victory increase Kalamazoo's North Division lead to four points over Cincinnati and in the process the K-Wings leaped frog the South Carolina Stingrays for first place in the American Conference.

In six previous visits to the Queen City, the K-Wings struggled in the first period against the Cyclones. Saturday that all changed for Kalamazoo, as they exploded for three goals in the first 20 minutes.

Trying to center a cross rink pass, Mathieu Curadeau's attempted was block right back to his stick, where he then lifted past Robert Mayer to give the K-Wings the advantage 5:15 into the first period. The goal was Curadeau's 21st of the season.

A turnover in the K-Wings zone proved costly for Kalamazoo. After stealing the puck, Jimmy Kilpatrick (14th) skated to the slot and wristed the equalizer 9:44 into the period past Ryan Nie.

Just 19 seconds after relinquishing the lead, Kalamazoo grabbed it back, with a goal from Sam Ftorek (23). The goal extended Ftorek's point streak to 10 games and his goal streak to a K-Wings season-high five games.

Snapping a 0-for-11 streak on the power-play late in the period, Andrew Fournier (24th) recorded his third point (1 goal, 2 assists) of the stanza with a rebound tally to push the K-Wings advantage to two goals.

Despite being out-shot 15-5 in the second period, Kalamazoo kept Cincinnati off the scoreboard in the second period to preserve their two-goal led through 40 minutes.

Cincinnati pounced back in the third period with a pair of goals from Mathieu Aubin (16th) and Mark Van Guilder (5th) to tie the game at 3-3.

However, staying resilient the K-Wings answered back 9:22 into the final period with another power-play marker from Fournier (25th), which proved to be the game-winner.

The K-Wings tacked on a pair of empty-netters late in the game from Ftorek (24th) and a hat trick earning tally from Fournier (26th) to preserve the three-goal victory.

Cincinnati out-shot Kalamazoo 42-26 for the game.

Nie earned his league-leading 26th win of the season stopping 39 shots.

Sunday, March 28th @ Toledo (Toledo 6-Kalamazoo 3)

Toledo, OH- If the Toledo Walleye don't make it into the playoffs, they certainly gave their fans something to cheer about in their last regular season home game with a 6-3 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings.

Early in the opening period, Kalamazoo had the opportunity to jump ahead when Simon Danis-Pepin hog-tied forward Andrew Fournier down to the ice, which led to a penalty shot chance for the K-Wings.

In the ensuing penalty-shot, goaltender Jordan Pearce poked the puck away from Fournier to eliminate the chance.

On their second power-play opportunity of the night, Chris Robertson won the draw back to former K-Wing, Sal Peralta (13th), who one-timed it past Ryan Nie.

Flooding Pearce with shots in the first part of the second period, Toledo regrouped and dished out their own offensive arsenal in the second period.

Getting free from between the circles, Maxime Tanguay (25th) gave the Walleye a 2-0 lead 9:15 into the second.

Peralta (14th) extended Toledo's advantage to three goals netting his second-goal of the game.

Portage, Michigan native, Evan Rankin earned his team-leading 29th tally of the season 14:27 into the period to push the Walleye ahead 4-0.

Adding salt into the K-Wings wounds, Scooter Smith (12th) scored from between the circles with 28 seconds left in the period, which led to a goaltending change for Kalamazoo.

Nie was pulled in favor of Riley Gill. Nie finished the game allowing 5 goals on 29 shots.

Attempting to make a comeback in the third period, Rick Cleaver (30th) and Mathieu Curadeau (22nd) each scored 58 seconds apart to bring the K-Wings back to within three goals.

Any chance of a K-Wings comeback would be erased midway in the stanza with a goal from Tony Romano, his 14th of the season.

Kalamazoo added a tally from Curadeau (23rd), but it wouldn't be enough for the K-Wings, who ended a five-game unbeaten streak with the loss.

The K-Wings out-shot the Walleye 56-40 for the game, the 56 shots, a season-high for Kalamazoo.

Despite the loss, Kalamazoo remains two points ahead of the Cincinnati Cyclones for first place in the North Division and one point ahead of the South Carolina Stingrays for first place overall in the American Conference.

The victory for Toledo, coupled by a loss by the Gwinnett Gladiators, knocks the Walleye magic number to clinching a playoff berth down to one point.

Fast Forward

Wrapping of the regular season with three games at home, the K-Wings will return to Wings Stadium this Wednesday, March 31st with 7 p.m. face-off versus the Cincinnati Cyclones. Kalamazoo leads Cincinnati by two points for first place in the North Division. On the season, the K-Wings are 5-7-1-2 versus the Cyclones.

Kalamazoo will conclude the regular season with a pair of contests against the Toledo Walleye. The K-Wings will host the Walleye on Friday, April 2nd with a 7:30 p.m. face-off on Celebration! Cinema Night and a Frugal Fan Friday, which features $1 beer and $1 hot dogs. All fans in attendance will receive a FREE team poster, courtesy of Fed-Ex Office.

The regular season will conclude on Saturday, April 3rd, as the K-Wings and Walleye meet on Fan Appreciation Night. Following Saturday's game, the K-Wings will host their fan voted players awards on the ice and then head to the main lobby for the McDonald's Warm-Up Jersey Auction. On the season, Kalamazoo is 5-4-2-0 versus Toledo. Entering the week, the Walleye, who are in third place in the North Division and tied for seventh place in the American Conference need one point to secure a playoff berth.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Rick Cleaver (30 Goals)

Assists: Andrew Fournier (40 Assists)

Points: Rick Cleaver (67 Points)

+/-: Mathieu Curadeau (+20)

Penalty Minutes: Darryl Lloyd (153 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Rick Cleaver (12 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Brian McGuirk (4 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Mathieu Curadeau (6 GW)

Shots: Sam Ftorek (217 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Andrew Fournier (17.9%)

Overtime Goals: Five Players Tied (1 Goal)

Shootout Goals: Rick Cleaver (4 Goals)

Shootout Percentage: Matt Jones, Brian McGuirk (100%)

Goals Against Average: Riley Gill (2.48)

Save Percentage: Riley Gill (0.929)

Home Coming

Kalamazoo will finish the regular season with a three-game home stand. On the season, the K-Wings are 23-7-2-1 at Wings Stadium and are 12-1-0-1 at home since January 2nd.

Firing Squad

On Sunday the K-Wings posted a season-high 56 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Toledo Walleye. The previous game-high for Kalamazoo was 49 on December 5th also at the Lucas County Arena against Toledo.

Right at Home

Forward Dean Strong has definitely felt at home at Wings Stadium. Strong has earned points in all 13 games (8 goals, 11 assists) he has played on Vanrick Drive.

Lighting the Lamp

Recently, forward Mathieu Curadeau has been finding the back of the net. Curadeau starts the week on a three-game point and goal streak.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

So far this season, the K-Wings have spent a majority of the season in first place in the North Division. To date, Kalamazoo has spent 88 days in first place, 54 days in second and 24 days in third place in the division.

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 ECHL 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.

Jones and Strong on the Radio

Join special guests Matt Jones and Dean Strong as they join Head Coach Nick Bootland and the "Voice of the K-Wings" Mike Modugno this Monday 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 72 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, March 31st Vs Cincinnati 7:00 PM

Friday, April 2nd Vs Toledo 7:30 PM (Celebration! Cinema Night)

Saturday, April 3rd Vs Toledo 7:30 PM (Fan Appreciation) -End of the Regular Season-



International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 29, 2010


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