WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
By: Mark C. McGlothlen
KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings (4-4-0-1) snapped their four-game losing streak on Sunday as they defeated the Idaho Steelheads by a score of 3-1.
The K-Wings fell to the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday by a score of 7-1. Justin Taylor scored the only goal for the K-Wings.
On Saturday, the K-Wings traveled to Fort Wayne to battle the Komets. Scoring first, Chad MacDonald put the K-Wings on the board early in the first period. However, the Komets scored the next four goals to take a 4-1 lead.
The K-Wings added a goal by Wade Murphy midway into the third period to cut the Komet lead to 4-2. But the Komets Justin Hodgman scored just 36 seconds later to restore their three-goal lead.
Justin Taylor scored for the K-Wings just 37 seconds after the Hodgman goal to make it a 5-3 game. The Komets added an empty-net goal during the final minute for the 6-3 final.
On Sunday, the Idaho Steelheads made their first-ever visit to Wings Event Center. Last season, the K-Wings traveled to Idaho for three games. The Steelheads are the first team that the K-Wings have faced this season that is not in the Central Division.
Keegan Asmundson got the nod in goal for the K-Wings and performed well in his first start of the season, turning away 29 of the 30 shots he faced.
After a scoreless opening period, Murphy put the K-Wings on the board at the 13:33 mark of the second period with a short-handed tally. However, the Steelheads were able to knot the game up just under a minute later on a goal by Brady Norrish.
With the K-Wings on the power play just two minutes later, Taylor put the home team up 2-1 with his seventh goal of the year.
The score remain unchanged until Taylor struck again in the closing seconds with an empty-net goal to seal the victory for the K-Wings.
Taylor has been on a scoring tear as of late. With his goals on Sunday, Taylor extended his scoring streak to four games. This is the eighth time in his career that the forward has scored in three or more games. The longest scoring streak in the forwards career came during the 2015-16 season. Taylor tallied in seven straight games from March 23 through April 6. During that streak the forward scored once in each game. Last year, he set the second best streak of his career, scoring in five straight from December 6 through December 28. Taylor currently leads Kalamazoo with eight goals this season.
Earlier in the week, forward Reid Gardiner was called up to the Utica Comets of the AHL. The K-Wings signed forward Luke Sandler on Friday afternoon. Jimmy Mullin was placed on reserve and will be for the remainder of the regular season due to an injury.
Remaining home for a pair of game next weekend, the K-Wings will host the Toledo Walleye on Friday night and the Brampton Beast on Saturday. Both games start at 7:30 pm.
