Sports stats



ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

Martin Makes History in Wings' Seventh Straight Victory

April 2, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


GREENVILLE, SC- Backstopped by Joel Martin's 31 saves, the Kalamazoo Wings defeated the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 3-1, on Saturday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and moved into the eighth position in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

For the third straight night against the Swamp Rabbits, the Wings registered the opening goal of the contest. A wrist shot by Lane Scheidl was knocked down in front by Justin Taylor, who turned to his forehand to chip the puck into the goal. The tally was Taylor's 24th of the year, and it moved his goal streak to a team-high six games.

Working on a power play late in the second period, Kalamazoo built upon the foundation of their one-goal lead. Eric Kattelus weaved into the Greenville zone and fired a shot that sailed wide of the net. Fortunately for the Wings, the lively end boards sprung the puck straight to the stick of Alex Mallet, who punched home his 22nd goal of the season.

It took the Swamp Rabbits ten minutes of the third period to finally get on the scoresheet and cut the Wings' deficit. Josh Nicholls scooted ahead with the puck and snapped a tape-to-tape feed to Tommy Thompson, who angled it into the goal for his first professional marker.

The game was put out of reach by Kalamazoo in the closing moments, with Mackenzie Skapski on the Greenville bench in favor of an extra attacker. Tyler Shattock kicked the puck ahead to Schiedl, who stuffed an empty-net tally into the goal, sealing the Wings' seventh straight victory.

The victory was Martin's 156th career ECHL win, moving him into 5th all-time on the ECHL's career wins list.

Kalamazoo ended the night in the eighth position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and officially control their own destiny. If the Wings win their last three games of the season (April 6 @ Brampton, April 8 @ Toledo, April 9 vs. Toledo), they are guaranteed a playoff position.

Next: Kalamazoo @ Brampton- Wednesday, April 6, 7:15 p.m., Powerade Centre.

Notes: The Wings have won seven consecutive games. Taylor has registered a goal in six straight games. Ludwig Blomstrand's eight game point streak came to an end. Kalamazoo finished the season 6-3-0 against the South Division. Joel Martin moved into fifth all time in ECHL wins with his 156th career victory.

Stats: http://echl.com/stats/official-game-report.php?game_id=13600

Kalamazoo continues their five-game road trip with tilts at Brampton on Wednesday, February 6 and Toledo on Friday, February 8. The Wings return home on Saturday, April 9 for their final regular season home game of the 2015-16 season, as they entertain the Toledo Walleye. The tilt is the annual fan appreciation night at Wings Event Center, with dozens of giveaways, including the 2015-16 team poster. The team awards will also be handed out during a special ceremony on the ice after the game.

Listen to all 72 regular season and post season games on AM 1660 The Fan in Kalamazoo, or online at www.1660thefan.com/listen-live. Live coverage begins fifteen minutes before puck drop with the Flame Tamer Pregame Show.

Single-game tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased at kwings.com or at the Wings Event Center box office. Box office hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. A $2 discount is applied on all tickets purchased before the date of the game. Any student that shows a valid ID can get tickets for just $10.

Check out the Kalamazoo Wings Statistics

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

ECHL Stories from April 2, 2016


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