WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
The Kalamazoo Wings (20-25-7-1) earned three out of the possible four points available to them this past weekend as both of their games were nail biters.
On Friday night, the K-Wings hosted the Indy Fuel. Jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, Aaron Thow was credited with a goal that was actually sent into the net off the skate of a Fuel player just over two minutes into the opening period. The goal by Thow was his sixth of the season.
The Fuel would answer back just over four minutes later on a goal by Spencer Watson.
Bouncing back, Brennan Sanford regained the lead for the K-Wings with his third goal of the season with a blast from the left circle that slid just under the crossbar for a 2-1 advantage.
However the Fuel stormed back for a pair of goals in the second half of the period, including a short-handed goal, to take a 3-2 lead after one period of play.
Neither team scored in the second period.
Garrett Ross evened the score with his tenth goal of the season while on the power play and Eric Kattelus pushed the K-Wings back into the lead with his fifth of the year minutes later for a 4-3 K-Wings lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
The Fuel’s Derian Plouffe scored the equalizer with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.
Plouffe struck again in overtime while on the power play, to give the Fuel the 5-4 victory. Both teams went one-for-five on the powerplay. The teams combined for a whopping 85 shots in the contest, with the K-Wings earning 43 of them, which matched a season high. Jake Kielly was in net for the loss.
On Saturday night, the K-Wings tangled with the visiting Wheeling Nailers.
The Nailers took just 39 seconds to score the game’s first goal on Saturday night as Blake Siebenaler sent a slapshot from the right circle past goaltender Jake Hildebrand.
Austin Farley scored later in the period, his eighth of the year, to knot the game at 1-1.
Brandon Hawkins gave the Nailers a 2-1 lead in the second period, scoring the only goal of the frame.
Midway into the final period, Ben Wilson fired the puck past the Nailers goaltender Alex D’Orio to tie the game 2-2.
Kyle Blaney, who returned to the K-Wings lineup after being sidelined by an injury for one month, gave the K-Wings the 3-2 win with a blast from the right circle with just 10.1 seconds left on the clock.
Hildebrand stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in the win. The K-Wings came up empty on their lone power play of the game, while the Nailers did the same on their three attempts.
The K-Wings remain home for a game against the Fort Wayne Komets tonight. Game time is 7:00 pm.
K-Wings News and Notes: Goaltender Jake Kielly was recalled by the Utica Comets of the AHL on Monday afternoon. No word on his replacement with the K-Wings as of yet.
Submitted by Mark McGlothlen
