ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

K-Wings Weekly

Published on April 30, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Kalamazoo, MI- Standing tall between the pipes, Pat Nagle (4-0) turned aside 34 shots to record his league-best second postseason shutout, as the Florida Everblades defeated the Kalamazoo Wings 2-0 in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Picture perfect passing helped put the Everblades on the scoreboard in the opening period. Working the puck tape-to-tape, David Rutherford found a cutting Bobby Raymond (2nd) open in the slot 15:54 into the period.

Pushing their lead to 2-0 midway in the second period, Trevor Bruess snuck around the K-Wings defense and beat Riley Gill on a backhand. The goal was Bruess' fourth of the playoffs, which ties with Matt Beca for the team-lead.

Despite earning the loss, Gill (7-3) kept the K-Wings chances alive all game long by making 36 saves.

The shutout marked the second-time the K-Wings have been blanked in their three-year Kelly Cup playoff history. The previous time was back on May 14, 2011, when the K-Wings lost 5-0 to the Alaska Aces in game one of the Kelly Cup Finals.

For the second straight season, the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals did not serve the K-Wings well. Kalamazoo lost last year's game one of the conference finals to the Wheeling Nailers 3-2 in overtime. The K-Wings rebounded from that loss and went on to defeat the Nailers four games to two to earn a spot in the Kelly Cup Finals.

Saturday, April 28th Vs Florida (Kalamazoo 3-Florida 2) Game 2 Eastern Conference Finals

Kalamazoo, MI- Showing the all the courage of a fighter in the last round of a championship fight, the Kalamazoo Wings punched their way back to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals at one game apiece with a thrilling 3-2 victory Saturday night at Wings Stadium over the Florida Everblades.

Playing most of opening 20 minutes in the K-Wings zone, the Everblades, who outshot Kalamazoo 14-6 in the first period, registered the lone goal of the period off the tape of Brayden Irwin (2nd) 14:28 into the period. Standing in front of the K-Wings net, Irwin tipped the shot of former K-Wing defenseman Joe Sova past the outstretched blocker of Riley Gill.

While neither team was able to score in the second period, the action continued to be slanted towards the Everblades, who outshot the K-Wings 16-1. Kalamazoo, who had a power-play chance in the period, earned their lone shot of the middle frame while shorthanded. Florida earned seven of their shots in the period in the final minute.

The K-Wings were finally able to break through and put the puck in the back of the net. Kory Karlander (3rd) scored at 6:18 into the 3rd period to tie the game and give Kalamazoo the much needed boost of confidence. The goal snapped a 110:21 scoring drought for Kalamazoo, which dates back to game-five of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

It only took Kalamazoo 1:52 to take their first lead of the series. Darren Archibald (1st) tallied his first of the post season with a quick wrist shot and celebrated emphatically with his teammates. Nick Sirota and Sam Ftorek notched assists on the lead changing goal.

Florida, as expected, would not go down without a fight. Matt Beca put home a rebound to tie the game at 2-2 with only 4:59 remaining in regulation. The tally was Beca's team-leading fifth of the postseason.

But on this night, Kalamazoo would not be denied. The K-Wings scored the third goal of the period when Dustin Cloutier (4th) banged home a rebound to give the home team a 3-2 lead with only 2:28 remaining.

Fast Forward

The K-Wings will continue the Kelly Cup Playoffs this Wednesday, May 2nd, with a 7:30 p.m. face-off versus the Florida Everblades at the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida in game three of the Best-of-Seven Eastern Conference Finals.

Game four of the series will be on Thursday, May 3rd with a 7:30 p.m. at the Germain Arena. On Saturday, May 5th, the two teams will square off in game five of the conference finals at 7 p.m.

Playoff Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings

Goals: Nick Sirota (7 Goals)

Assists: Trent Daavettila (8 Assists)

Points: Nick Sirota (12 Points)

+/-: Dustin Cloutier (+5)

Penalty Minutes: Darren Archibald (19 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Sam Ftorek (3 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Entire Team (0 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Dwight Helminen (3 GW)

Shots: Dwight Helminen (36 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Nick Sirota (29.2%)

Overtime Goals: Entire Team (0 Goals)

Goals Against Average: Riley Gill (1.92 )

Save Percentage: Riley Gill (0.940)

Ending a Drought

Kalamazoo's first goal in the third period of game two snapped a scoring drought. The goal was the first for the K-Wings in a span of 110:21, which dated back to the third period of game five of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Family Affair

Forwards Dwight Helminen (5) and Trent Daavettila (4th) rank first and second in the playoffs in power-play assists. Helminen and Daavettila, who are cousins, are tied with follow teammate Sam Ftorek for the playoff lead in power-play points with five.

Road Power

The K-Wings, who lead the league in power-play percentage at 29.7%, have been even better on the road. Kalamazoo leads the league in road power-play percentage at 44.4%.

Finishing Strong

So far in the playoffs, the K-Wings have outscored their opponents 17-9. The 17 goals are the most scored in the third period by any team in the ECHL playoffs.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Kory Karlander earned the K-Wings first goal of the Eastern Conference Finals last Saturday. The goal was the 50th playoff tally in Karlander's career.

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.

Daavettila and Helminen

Join special guests Trent Daavettila and Dwight Helminen 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 www.kwings.com from 6-7 p.m. at Old Burdick's Wings West.

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. 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, May 2nd @ Florida 7:30 PM (Eastern Conference Finals, Game Three)

Thursday, May 3rd @ Florida 7:30 PM (Eastern Conference Finals, Game Four)

Saturday, May 5th @ Florida 7:00 PM (Eastern Conference Finals, Game Five)

*Tuesday, May 8th Vs Florida 7:00 PM (Eastern Conference Finals, Game Six)

*Wednesday, May 9th Vs Florida 7:00 PM (Eastern Conference Finals, Game Seven)

(* Denotes Games that Will Only Be Played If Necessary)

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

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



ECHL Stories from April 30, 2012


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