Sports stats



IHL 2 Kalamazoo Wings

Kalamazoo Wings Week in Review

November 20, 2006 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


For the first-time this season, the K-Wings played four games in five days. The stretch started on Wednesday (11/15) at Wings Stadium against rival, the Muskegon Fury. Muskegon jumped ahead with a slap shot just inside the right circle from Elias Godoy (10) 6:40 into the opening period. The Fury extended their lead mid-way through the second period with a short handed goal from the league's top goal producer, Todd Robinson (16). Kalamazoo cut the Fury lead in half early in the third period when Captain Nick Bootland (6) punched in a short hander of his own. Chase Trull (1) lit the lamp early in the third for his first goal of the season leading the Fury to a 3-1 victory over the K-Wings.

Kalamazoo returned to the ice Friday (11/17) at Muskegon to wrap up the home and home series against the Fury. Neither team scored in the opening period but the Fury came out aggressively in the second stanza, scoring three goals in under five minutes. Twenty-two seconds after the Fury extended their lead to 3-0, Kalamazoo rebounded with a quick strike by Andrew Leach (2). David Herring (3) brought the deficit to a single goal with a wrist shot from the left circle. Muskegon's Rustyn Dolyny (5) scored his second goal of the night on the K-Wings empty net with just 10 seconds left in the game. The goal led to a 4-2 win over the K-Wings.

Kalamazoo capped off an abbreviated two-game road swing with a trip to Rockford, Illinois to battle the IceHogs. For the third straight game, the K-Wings opposition scored first. Rockford's Mike Doyle (3) threw a back handed pass in front of the K-Wing net; the pass clipped off the skate of a Kalamazoo player and into the net. An early second period turnover proved costly for Kalamazoo, as Steve Yetman intercepted an errant pass and dished it to Robin Big Snake, who was able to beat goaltender Ryan Nie for his third goal of the season. Kalamazoo moved within a single goal with less than two minutes in regulation with a tally from Nick Bootland (7). The comeback would fall short as the IceHogs added an empty net goal to defeat the K-Wings 3-1.

Looking to avoid the first four-game losing streak since the 2003-04 season, Kalamazoo returned home to face-off against the Bloomington PrairieThunder. After a scoreless first period, the K-Wings registered on the scoreboard with a blast from the point by Mathieu Wathier (1). Kalamazoo's scoring assault continued 13:28 into the period, when Kory Karlander (6) tipped an Adam Elzinga shot past former K-Wing Jeff Reynaert. Kalamazoo put the game out of reach late in the third period with a goal from Bootland (8). The K-Wings put up a season high 51 shots on net, while goaltender Tom Askey denied all 25 attempts that he saw to record his league-best third shutout of the year in the K-Wings 3-0 victory.

Fast Forward

Kalamazoo opens up their four-game week with a home and home series against the Port Huron Flags. The first leg of the series will occur at McMorran Place Arena this Wednesday (11/22) night at 7 p.m. Both teams head to Wings Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. return engagement on Friday (11/24). The K-Wings have defeated Port Huron in their two previous meetings earlier this season. The Flags have a record of 4-11-2 and are tied with Flint for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The K-Wings will head back on the road Saturday (11/25) with a date against the Flint Generals. Kalamazoo will be looking for some redemption after a 7-4 loss to the Generals on November 4th. With a record of 4-10-2, Flint is tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Kalamazoo wraps up the week Sunday (11/26) with a 4 p.m. face-off versus the Quad City Mallards on K-Wings Kidz/Mascot Day presented by Meijer and WKFR. This will be the second meeting between the two teams this year, Kalamazoo won the last encounter on November 12th. Quad City starts the week in fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 2-9-1.

A Balanced Attack

Scoring this season has been a group effort for Kalamazoo. In fact, the K-Wings are the only team in the UHL to receive points from every player on their active roster (exception of goaltenders).

Moving Up the List

With a late game goal on Sunday, Captain Nick Bootland moved up the K-Wings all-time scoring list. The goal, which was Bootland's 52nd as a K-Wing, ties him with Mike Ford (2000-02) for fourth place on the franchise's all-time UHL goal scorer list.

-MORE- Free Willie

Forward Tyler Willis has spent his fair share of time in the penalty box. On Sunday, Willis became the first K-Wings player to eclipse the 1,000 penalty minute plateau in the franchise's UHL history.

Shutting them Down

With a shutout victory Sunday afternoon, Tom Askey extended his league leading shutout total to 3 games. Askey improved his overall record to 7-4-0 meaning nearly half the goaltenders wins have come via shutout.

The Obscure Stat of the Week

Kalamazoo has gone 142 games without being shutout. The last game the K-Wings were shutout, December 26, 2004 against the Rockford IceHogs. The 142 games mark the longest current streak without being shutout in the UHL.

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 UHL 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, photos, information about Wings Stadium events, and much much more. Fans of myspace can befriend the official site of Wings Stadium and the Kalamazoo Wings at www.myspace.com/wingsstadium.

Cross and Handrahan on the Radio

Join special guests Justin Cross and Casey Handrahan, as they join Head Coach Mark Reeds and the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno on "K-Wings Live". The show is on Sports Radio AM 1660 Mondays from 6-7 PM at The Cabana Bar and Grille 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 (WLKM 95.9 FM and Sports Radio AM 1660). Join the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno for all 76 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Digital Highway 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, November 22nd @ Port Huron 7:00 PM

Friday, November 24th Vs Port Huron 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 25th @ Flint 7:30 PM

Sunday, November 26th Vs Quad City 4:00 PM (K-Wing Kidz/Mascot Day Presented by Meijer & WKFR)

Wednesday, November 29th @ Chicago 7:30 PM (CST.)

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

• Discuss this story on the International Hockey League 2 message board...

International Hockey League 2 Stories from November 20, 2006


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