Thomas scores game-winner in OT

Wrapping up their fourth game in five days, the Kalamazoo Wings (27-21-1-2) surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period to the Brampton Beast before coming back to win the game in overtime on Monday afternoon.

Kyle Thomas paced the K-Wings with two goals, including the game winner in OT, to secure the victory.  With the win, the K-Wings remain in third place in the Central Division standings with 57 points. They trail the second place Toledo Walleye by 10 points.  The Cincinnati Cyclones lead the division with 78 points. Rounding out the division, the Fort Wayne Komets and Wheeling Nailers have 54 points while the Indy Fuel have 53.

The Beast struck first on Monday afternoon as former K-Wing, David Pacan, who was camped out in front of the net, was able to redirect the puck into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Tanner Sorenson scored his 14th goal at the 16:38 mark of the opening period to tie the game at 1-1, but Pacan scored his second of the afternoon just over a minute later to give the Beast a 2-1 lead after the first 20 minutes.  The goal by Sorenson was unassisted.

Reeling off three unanswered goals in the second period, the K-Wings took a 4-1 lead.  Chad McDonald scored his sixth of the season just 1:40 into the period. Michael Neal scored his fifth of the season on a breakaway minutes later to give the K-Wings a 3-2 lead.

Kyle Thomas, extending his point streak to 15 games, scored his 14th goal of the year, in the closing minutes of the stanza to give the K-Wings a 4-2 advantage.

A K-Wing turnover lead to Pacan netting his third of the game to open the third period to cut the K-Wings lead to 4-3.   As time winded down in the period and the K-Wings clinging to their one-goal lead, the Beast scored the equalizer with just 4.6 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

Thomas struck again just 1:34 into OT to give the K-Wings a hard-fought 5-4 win.   K-Wings goaltender, Matiss Kivlenieks, stopped 29 of 33 shots claiming his first victory as a K-Wing.

Over the weekend, the K-Wings defeated the Adirondack Thunder by a score of 4-1 at Wings Event Center on Saturday night and then dropped a 5-3 decision to the Toledo Walleye on Sunday at the Huntington Center.   The K-Wings travel to Cincinnati on Wednesday to take on the first place Cyclones.

K-Wings News and Notes:   Reid Gardiner was called up to the Utica Comets of the AHL last week.   Chris Collins returned to the K-Wings from his PTO (player try out) agreement with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.   The Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL have reassigned goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks to the K-Wings from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL.  In a related move, the K-Wings released netminder Keegan Asmundson.

Submitted by Mark McGlothlen