ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

Published on January 24, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Last Week's Record: 2-2-0-0 Overall Season Record: 18-17-2-2 Game Rewind

Monday, January 17th (Kalamazoo 3-Greenville 4)

Greenville, SC- A gutsy third period effort, in which the Kalamazoo Wings outshot the Greenville Road Warriors wasn't enough for the K-Wings to overcome a three-goal deficit, the Road Warriors hung on to defeat Kalamazoo 4-3.

In the first period, both teams would have chances on a five-on-three power-play. While the K-Wings weren't successful, Greenville would cash in on theirs.

Setting up their man-advantage from the left circle, Jimmy Kilpatrick sent a cross-rink pass to Mark Voakes, who one-timed in his 14th goal of the season midway through the opening period.

With 30 seconds remaining in the period, an innocent dump-in behind the Greenville net from Kalamazoo proved costly for Greenville, as Andrew Fournier (17th) was able to steal the puck away from goaltender Nicola Riopel and beat the netminder back to the net to extend his team-leading total in goals scored.

Greenville regained the lead early in the second period with a tally from Paul Mcllveen (4th). Keeping the pressure on the K-Wings, the Road Warriors extended their advantage to 3-1, three minutes later with a slap-shot marker from Conner Shields (11th).

Chris McKelvie (4th) concluded the scoring in the second period by sliding the puck past Ryan Nie from just in front of the crease. All three goals in the stanza for Greenville were assisted by Jacob Lagace.

Dictating the tempo in the third period, Kalamazoo earned power-play goals from Patrick Asselin (12th) and Justin Taylor (14th) to cut the Road Warriors lead to one-goal. The K-Wings pelted Riopel 13 times in the final three minutes with a barrage of shots, but couldn't record the equalizer.

The one shot allowed by the K-Wings in the third period, was the fewest shots on goal recorded by an opponent of Kalamazoo in a single period this season.

The K-Wings finish their season-long six-game road swing with a record of 3-2-1-0.

Friday, January 21st (Kalamazoo 4-Cincinnati 2)

Wings went 3-for-8 on the power-play, while the penalty-kill went 7-of-7 in a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones in the first half a home-and-home series.

Trying to play the puck behind his own net, Ryan Nie lost the puck to Chase Watson, who was making his Cyclones debut after being traded earlier in the week from the Trenton Devils. Watson tossed a pass in front to Jon Higgins (1st), who was also making his Cincinnati debut, to score into the empty-net 5:19 into the contest.

Kalamazoo responded with a pair of tallies late in the period. Darryl Lloyd tied the game at 1-1 with his fifth goal of the season with a left circle slap shot at the 15:19 mark of the stanza.

Andrew Fournier, who earned an assist on the Lloyd goal, gave the K-Wings the lead less than two minutes later with his team-leading 8th goal of the power-play. Fournier's wrister from the right circle also pushed his team-leading goal total to 18.

Continuing to utilize the second-best power-play in the league, the K-Wings lengthen their lead in the second period. Kalamazoo pushed their advantage to 3-1 with marker from Patrick Asselin (13th), who has scored over half of his goals this season on the power-play (7).

Later in the period, Kalamazoo needed only five seconds of a four-on-three power-play to extend their lead to three goals, when Sam Ftorek (5th) ripped a left circle slap shot past Marc Cheverie for the K-Wings third power-play goal of the game.

Cincinnati tried to creep back late in the third period with a goal from Barrett Ehgoetz (8th), but it wouldn't be enough, as the K-Wings closed the gap between them and the Cyclones to a single point for second place in the North Division.

Saturday, January 22nd (Kalamazoo 3-Cincinnati 4)

Cincinnati, OH- Increasing their lead for second place in the North Division over the Kalamazoo Wings to three points, the Cincinnati Cyclones escaped the U.S. Bank Arena with a 4-3 victory over the K-Wings on Saturday night.

A night after going 0-for-7 on the power-play against Kalamazoo, Cincinnati struck gold on their first attempt on the game with a rebound marker from Chris Clackson (4th) 9:35 into the first period.

Pulling even with a four-on-four later in the period, Andrew Fournier deflected a Ryan McGinnis slap shot to push his team-leading goal total to 19. The goal also extended Fournier's goal and point streaks to four games. The four-game goal streak ties a K-Wings' season-high.

Earning his team-leading four-multi goal performance of the season, Fournier (20th) notched his second goal of the game off a drop pass from Trent Daavettila early in the second period.

Cincinnati stormed back registering three unanswered goals. Dustin Sproat (9th) tied the game at 2-2 5:53 into the second period with a wrister over the shoulder of Ryan Nie.

Barrett Ehgoetz (9th) and Sam D'Agostino (8th) regained the lead for Cincinnati late in the stanza by earning goals 1:09 apart from each other.

In the third period, Kalamazoo cut the deficit to a single goal with a redirected tally from Justin Taylor (15th).

Cincinnati killed off two Kalamazoo power-play chances in the third period, including a man-advantage to end the game.

After going 3-for-8 on Friday versus Cincinnati on the power-play, Kalamazoo finished the game 0-for 4, while the Cyclones went 1-for-3.

Sunday, January 23rd (Kalamazoo 6- Elmira 3)

Patrick Asselin added the final goal of the game, his 14th of the season at the 11:30 mark to cap off his impressive four-point performance during the matinee.

Kalamazoo, MI- Commencing a season-long seven-game home stand, the Kalamazoo Wings proved there is no place like home, as the K-Wings defeated the Elmira Jackals 6-3.

Justin Taylor (15th) put the K-Wings on the scoreboard 8:18 into the opening period with a power-play tally. Taylor's goal marked the first time in the last 11 games that Kalamazoo scored the first goal of a game.

Kalamazoo extended their lead 2:17 into the second period, when Trent Daavettila (12th) knocked in a Darryl Lloyd rebound. Both players extended their respective point streaks to five games with the marker.

Storming back, Elmira answered back with three unanswered tallies. A.J. Perry (13th) earned the Jackals first goal of the game on the power-play 3:50 into the second period.

Elmira pulled even later in the period, with Josh Brittain's second goal of the season.

Yannick Tifu (13th) gave the Jackals the lead midway in the stanza with a quick wrister from just beneath the right circle.

Answering back minutes later, Aaron Clarke (8th) recorded the equalizer off a cross-rink pass from Mitch Versteeg.

It was all Kalamazoo in the third period, as AJ Thelen netted his third goal of the season and the eventual game-winner, off of a wrister that beat Elmira goalie Dan Machesney over his extended trapper-glove.

Just past the half-way point of the period, Andrew Fournier (21st) extended both the K-Wings lead, and his goal streak with a snap-shot that snuck past the Elmira goalkeeper. The goal continued his goal streak that sits now at K-Wings season high five games.

Fast Forward

Fresh off the all-star break, Kalamazoo will continue their season-long seven-game home stand with the second-leg of the stand this Friday, January 28th with a 7:30 p.m. face-off versus the Florida Everblades on Longbranch Saloon & Eatery Viva Las Vegas Night, featuring a $300 Elvis costume contest. Friday's game also coincides with a Frugal Fan Friday, featuring $1 beers and $1 hot dogs. Kalamazoo is 0-3-0-1 versus Florida this season. The Everblades start the week in second place in the South Division, two points behind the division leading Greenville Road Warriors. The Everblades have played 46 games this season, the most of any team in the ECHL and seven more than the K-Wings.

The K-Wings will conclude the week with a pair of games versus the Gwinnett Gladiators on Saturday, January 29th and Sunday, January 30th at Wings Stadium. The Gladiators start the week in third place in the South Division and are tied for second most games played (Idaho) in the ECHL with 44. Kalamazoo is 0-1-0-0 versus Gwinnett this season, and 3-8-0-1 against teams from the South Division. Saturday's 7:30 p.m. contest will be the 3rd Annual McDonald's Golden Ice Game, featuring a performance from the Mulch Brothers, presented by WNWN. The K-Wings will also be wearing special themed jerseys for the game, which will be auctioned off after the contest with the proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House of West Michigan.

On Sunday, the K-Wings will battle the Gladiators again during a 4 p.m. Family Hockey Day in the 'Zoo. The first 500 kids will receive a FREE, draw string back pack courtesy of Little Caesars. Customary with all Sunday games at Wings Stadium, all kids (12 and under) eat FREE.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Andrew Fournier (21 Goals)

Assists: Kory Karlander (26 Assists)

Points: Kory Karlander (41 Points)

+/-: Ryan McGinnis (+8)

Penalty Minutes: Darryl Lloyd (72 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Patrick Asselin, Andrew Fournier (8 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Aaron Clarke (2 Goals)

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

Shots: Andrew Fournier (125 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Justin Taylor (24.6%)

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 (3.08)

Save Percentage: Riley Gill (0.904)

Mr. 300

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

Five Alive

Forwards Trent Daavettila, Andrew Fournier and Darryl Lloyd each enter the week on five-game point streak. Fournier, who leads the team in multi-goal games with four, is also on a K-Wings' season-high five-game goal streak.

Power Up

Forward Patrick Asselin has established himself as one of the top power-play specialist in the league. Tied for the K-Wings' team-lead in power-play tallies, Asselin has scored eight of his 14 goals this season on the man-advantage.

Power Surge

While the K-Wings rank second in the ECHL in power-play percentage at 22.2%, they have been even better at home. Kalamazoo leads the league in home power-play percentage at 24%.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

For the first time in their last 11 games, the K-Wings scored before their opponents last Saturday versus Elmira. On the season, the K-Wings have scored before their opponents a league-low 16 times and have won a league-tying low in seven of those games.

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.

Asselin and Gill on the Radio

Join special guests Patrick Asselin and Riley Gill as they join Head Coach Nick Bootland and the "Voice of the K-Wings", Mike Modugno this Monday on "K-Wings Live" presented by Miller Lite. The show is 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 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 with the Discover Kalamazoo Post Game Sow. 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 28th Vs Florida 7:30 PM (Longbranch Saloon and Eatery Viva Las Vegas Elvis Night and Frugal Fan Friday, Featuring a $300 Elvis Costume Contest)

Saturday, January 29th Vs Gwinnett 7:30 PM (McDonald's Golden Ice Game Featuring a Performance from the Mulch Brothers, Presented by WNWN)

Sunday, January 30th Vs Gwinnett 4:00 PM (Family Hockey Day in the 'Zoo)

Mike Modugno Director of Public Relations/BroadcasterWings Stadium/Kalamazoo Wings3600 Vanrick DriveKalamazoo, MI 49001

mmodugno@kwings.com www.kwings.com www.echl.com

Phone: 269-345-1125, ext. 220Fax: 269-345-6584

Frugal Fan Fan Friday $ 1 Beers & $ 1 Hotdogs Friday, January 28th 7:30 PM Kalamazoo Wings Vs. Florida Everblades Longbranch Saloon & Eatery Viva Las Vegas Elvis Night, Featuring a $300 Elvis Costume Contest

McDonald's Golden Ice Game, Featuring a Perfomance from the Mulch Brothers, Presented by WNWN Saturday, January 29th 7:30 PM Kalamazoo Wings Vs. Gwinnett Gladiators Post Game Jersey Auction with Proceeds Going to the Ronald McDonald House of West Michigan

Sunday Family Hockey Day in the 'ZOO Sunday January 30th 4:00 PM Kalamazoo Wings Vs. Gwinnett Gladiators

All Kids Eat FREE! First 500 Kids Receive a Back Pack, Courtesy of Little Caesars. Click Here for Ticket Information

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from January 24, 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