Sports stats



ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

January 16, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Game Rewind

Wednesday, January 12th (Kalamazoo 2-Cincinnati 3-Overtime)

Cincinnati, OH- With three of the previous four meetings between the Kalamazoo Wings and Cincinnati Cyclones decided in either overtime or a shootout, no one at the U.S. Bank Arena should have been surprised on Wednesday night that it took overtime for the Cyclones to defeat the K-Wings 3-2.

Making the most of their lone power-play chance of the night, Cincinnati jumped ahead of Kalamazoo with a tally from Mathieu Aubin 7:20 into the first period. Finding open space in the slot, Aubin rifled his ninth goal of the season past Ryan Nie, which tied him with Scott Reynolds for Cyclones team-lead.

The Cyclones extended their lead later in the period, when Scott Lehman (6th) was able to walk in from the blue-line and earn his sixth-goal of the season on a slap shot from the high slot.

Cutting the deficit in half 8:15 into the second period, while on the power-play, Kalamazoo scored the lone goal in the stanza when Brady Leisenring found Patrick Asselin (11th) for a quick redirect marker. The play was setup by defenseman A.J. Thelen, who used his athleticism to keep the puck onside by tight-walking the blue-line before passing the puck to Leisenring.

Pulling even midway in the third period, Darryl Lloyd (4th) recorded the equalizer with blue-line slap shot, which forced overtime.

Striking quick in the extra session, T. J. Fast (6th) registered the game-winner for the Cyclones 41 seconds in the period with a wrist from the slot.

With the 3-2 overtime finish, four of the five games this season been the K-Wings and Cyclones have been decided by a single-goal, with Kalamazoo holding the edge in the season series with a record of 4-1-1-0.

Saturday, January 15th (Kalamazoo 2-Greenville 1)

Greenville, SC- Traveling to play the most prolific scoring team and one of the top home teams in the ECHL, the Kalamazoo Wings used a stifling defense to edge out a 2-1 victory over the Greenville Road Warriors at the Bi-Lo Center

A night after Brandon Wong netted a hat trick in a loss to Gwinnett, the Road Warrior forward was at it again this time earning the game's first goal during a delayed penalty 7:56 into the opening period. Immediate following a Ryan Nie save on Mark Voakes, the rookie forward jammed in a rebound for this 13th goal of the season.

Just one-second following a penalty to T.J. Reynolds, Kalamazoo's Justin Taylor (12th) redirected a Patrick Asselin slap shot to tie the game at 1-1 midway in the second period. Also earning an assist on the goal was Nie, who became the first K-Wings goaltender to earn a point this season.

Taylor (13th) propelled the K-Wings ahead later in the period, when his pass to Asselin was tipped right back to his blade and quickly the forward beat Nic Riopel, who was out of position in anticipation of the cross-rink pass. The multi-goal performance from Taylor was his team-leading third of the season.

Kalamazoo kept Greenville off the board in the third, despite giving up three power-chances. On the night, the K-Wings killed off all seven man-advantage chances the Road Warriors earned in the game.

Nie was brilliant between the pipes making 30 saves to earn his 11th victory of the season.

Sunday, January 16th (Kalamazoo 3- South Carolina 1)

North Charleston, SC- For the second straight game, the Kalamazoo Wings traveled into a building where their opponent was tied for the most home wins in the ECHL, and just like the night before, the K-Wings used a defensive effort to leave victorious, this time a 3-1 decision over the South Carolina Stingrays.

Scoring just 4:33 ahead into the opening period, South Carolina struck first with a wrist shot from between the circles by Tommy Goebel (8th).

The goal from Goebel served as a wakeup call for the K-Wings, who dominated the remainder of the first period. Kalamazoo pulled even 8:42 into the stanza with a four-on-four rebound marker from Sam Ftorek (4th).

Andrew Fournier supplied the remainder of the offense for the K-Wings, as the forward scored finished the period with two goals

With the game tied at 1-1, Fournier (15th) got loose in front on the net and trickled the puck past Jared DeMichiel 11:36 into period. Assisting on the goal were Darryl Lloyd and Trent Daavettila. The assist by Daavettila was his 100th of his career. The goal also proved to be Fournier's third game-winner of the season, tying him with Kory Karlander for the team-lead.

Later in the period, Fournier recorded his team-leading 16th goal of the season five seconds into a power-play to extend the K-Wings advantage to 3-1. The goal was Fournier's seventh power-play goal of the season, which ties him with Karlander for the team-lead.

The two-goal outburst by Fournier marks the second straight game a member of the K-Wings (Justin Taylor) produced a multi-goal performance. Both Fournier and Taylor have registered three multi-goal games this season, which is a team-high.

Clamping down, neither team would surrender a goal in either the second or third periods. For the second straight night, Kalamazoo's Ryan Nie allowed just one goal to preserve the victory. Nie turned aside 28 shots to improve his record to 12-9-2-2.

Fast Forward

Kalamazoo will conclude their season-long six-game road swing this Monday, January 17th with a special 1:05 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Day encounter against the Greenville Road Warriors. Last Friday, the K-Wings became the first team from the North Division to defeat the Road Warriors (7-1-0-0). On the season, Kalamazoo is 1-2-0-0 versus Greenville, who starts the week in first place in the South Division.

For the just the second-time in the month of January, the K-Wings will return home to Wings Stadium on Friday, January 21st for a 7:30 p.m. face-off versus the defending Kelly Cup Champions, Cincinnati Cyclones on Culver's Night, as well as a Frugal Fan Friday, featuring $1 beers and $1 hot dogs. On the season, the K-Wings are 4-1-1-0 versus the Cyclones, who start the week in second place in the North Division, three points ahead of the K-Wings. Kalamazoo and Cincinnati will also meet on Saturday, January 22nd, with a 7:35 p.m. encounter at the U.S. Bank Arena.

On Sunday, January 23rd, the K-Wings will close out their four-game week versus the Elmira Jackals with a 4 p.m. face-off at Wings Stadium. Sunday's game will be a Family Hockey Day in the 'ZOO, featuring the zany and world famous ZOOperstars! During all Sunday games, all kids eat FREE and the first 500 kids will receive an inflatable megaphone courtesy of Kalsee Credit Union. On the season, the K-Wings are 3-2-0-0 versus the Jackals, who start the week in second place in the Atlantic Division.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Andrew Fournier (16 Goals)

Assists: Sam Ftorek (23 Assists)

Points: Kory Karlander (37 Points)

+/-: Andrew Fournier, Brandon Svendsen (+6)

Penalty Minutes: Darryl Lloyd (68 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Andrew Fournier, Kory Karlander (7 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Aaron Clarke (2 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Andrew Fournier, Kory Karlander (3 GW)

Shots: Andrew Fournier (112 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Justin Taylor (24.5%)

Overtime Goals: Patrick Asselin, Andrew Fournier, Sam Ftorek, Kory Karlander (1 Goal)

Shootout Goals: Aaron Clarke, Steven Tarasuk (1 Goal)

Shootout Percentage: Aaron Clarke, Steven Tarasuk (33.3%)

Goals Against Average: Riley Gill (3.09)

Save Percentage: Riley Gill (0.902)

Rolling Along

Kalamazoo enters the week on a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1-0) in regulation. The four-game unbeaten streak ties a season-high for the K-Wings.

Mr. 300

Forward Sam Ftorek is closing in on a personal milestone. Ftorek needs two more assists to reach 300 in his career.

It's Been Awhile

After six games on the road, Kalamazoo will return to Wings Stadium this Friday, January 23rd to host the defending Kelly Cup Champions, Cincinnati Cyclones. The K-Wings, who will play eight out of their next nine games at home, have only played one game at Wings Stadium this month (January 1st).

End of the Road

The K-Wings will close out their season-long six-game road swing this afternoon at the Bi-Lo Center. Entering today, the K-Wings are 3-2-1-0 during the first five legs of the swing.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Kalamazoo has grown fond of their alternate jerseys. On the season, the K-Wings are 3-0-0-1 when wearing the blue jerseys.

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 can be purchased 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.

No K-Wings Live

Due to the K-Wings game in Greenville this afternoon, there will be no "K-Wings Live" presented by Miller Lite tonight, January 17th. Join Head Coach Nick Bootland and the "Voice of the K-Wings" Mike Modugno next Monday, January 24th, when "K-Wings Live" presented by Miller Lite returns to the airwaves. The show is broadcast on The Classic Hits Station WLKM (95.9 FM) and online through www.kwings.com from 7-8 p.m. at Old Burdick's Wings West inside Wings West on Sports Drive.

K-Wings on Radio

Catch all the K-Wings games, home and away, on the K-Wings Radio Network (95.9 FM WLKM & 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 and wraps up immediately after the final buzzer with the Discover Kalamazoo Post-Game Show. 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

Monday, January 17th @ Greenville 1:05 PM

Friday, January 21st Vs Cincinnati 7:30 PM (Culver's Night and Frugal Fan Friday)

Saturday, January 22nd @ Cincinnati 7:30 PM

Sunday, January 23rd Vs Elmira 4:00 PM (Family Hockey Day in the 'ZOO, Featuring the ZOOperstars!)

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from January 16, 2011


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