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Following their thrilling 5-2 win over the Toledo Walleye to open the 2021-22 season, the Kalamazoo Wings (2-1-0-0) hosted two more division rivals this past weekend at Wings Event Center.
On Friday, the Cincinnati Cyclones made their first visit to Kalamazoo since February 1st, 2020. Like the K-Wings, the Cyclones did not play during the 2020-21 season due to Covid-19.
Goaltenders Mat Robson for Cincinnati and Jet Greaves for Kalamazoo combined to make 50 saves in a game that saw just one goal.
While the K-Wings led in shots with 32, it was the Cyclones Louie Caporusso who scored in the second period to give the Cyclones the eventual win.
Both teams came up empty on the power play.
On Saturday, the K-Wings battled the defending Kelly Cup champions, the Fort Wayne Komets on Orange Ice Night.
Like any good rivalry game, the winner was not decided until the last 30 seconds of the game. The Komets struck first in the game as Anthony Petruzzelli scored at the 3:40 mark of the first period.
The K-Wings came out swinging in the second period by scoring three goals in the first 8:05 of the stanza.
Rookie Collin Saccoman made his first professional goal memorable by putting the K-Wings on the board with a short-handed goal.
With just under four minutes remaining in regulation, the Komets Matt Murphy redirected a shot that found the back of the net to tie the game at 3-3.
Minutes later, Komets captain, Matt Boudens, was called for a five-minute major penalty for boarding, causing an injury to K-Wings player Brenden Miller.
Taking advantage of the situation, Justin Murray took a pass from Tanner Sorenson and pushed it past the Komets goaltender Jiri Patera for the exciting 4-3 victory.
The K-Wings were 2-for-4 on the power play and were outshot 39-23 in the victory. The K-Wings host the Toledo Walleye this Friday night at 7 pm. The K-Wings will then make their first road trip of the season as they battle Toledo on their home ice on Saturday night.
Submitted by Mark McGlothlen
