WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
The good times keep rolling for the Kalamazoo Wings (21-18-1-3). After defeating the Brampton Beast by a score of 2-1 in the shootout on Friday, the K-Wings had a day off on Saturday to prepare for the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday.
Connor Crisp gave the Beast an early 1-0 lead by scoring his sixth goal of the season just over two minutes into the opening frame.
Justin Taylor tied the game 1-1 just under two minutes later with his 20th goal of the year. The K-Wings had a chance to pad their lead later in the period as Dajon Mingo was tripped on a breakaway attempt, earning a penalty shot. Mingos shot was stopped by Beast netminder Zachary Fucale.
Plenty of shots were taken by both teams in the second and third periods, but the goaltenders for each team denied them all. Fucale and Joel Martin stopped a combined 73 of 75 shots during regulation.
After a scoreless overtime, Tanner Sorenson scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the K-Wings the 2-1 victory.
On Sunday, the Nailers came to town for a Sunday matinee.
While the K-Wings had a rare off-day on Saturday, the Nailers came into the game playing their fourth game in five days,
The K-Wings took a 2-0 lead after the first period as Lane Scheidl and Tyler Biggs scored. Peter Schneider set Scheidl up with a pass that he was able to put into the net. The goal by Scheidl was his 15th on the season.
With just two seconds left in the opening period and on the penalty kill, the K-Wings struck again. Justin Taylor fired a low shot that was kicked away by Wheeling’s goaltender Doug Carr and out to Tyler Biggs who sent the puck in for his seventh goal of the year.
Early in the second period, the Nailers hit the scoreboard as Tyler Currier fired a one-time feed from Garrett Meurs past K-Wings goaltender Nick Riopel to cut the K-Wings lead in half.
Seconds after a K-Wing power play expired, Taylor sent the puck out from behind the Nailers net to a waiting Blake Kessel, who fired a one-timer into the net for his ninth of the season.
Less than a minute later, Wheeling clawed back to within a goal of Kalamazoo. Gage Quinney corralled the puck and wrapped it around the net, tucking it inside the post and sending the game into the intermission with a 3-2 score.
Wasting little time in the third, it took only 41 seconds in the third for the K-Wings to get back on the board, as Scheidl scored his second of the game to regain a two-goal lead.
The Nailers battled back, scoring two goals in the span of two minutes to knot the game at four goals apiece. Andrew Ammon and Garret Meurs scored for the Nailers.
Avoiding overtime, Scott Henegar scored his 12th of the year with less than five minutes left in the game, for the eventual game winner.
Next Game: The K-Wings host the Nailers on Friday, February 3 at 7 pm on Star Wars night.
K-Wings News and Notes:
Friday: Kalamazoo is 8-1-1 in their last ten games… Lane Scheidl’s point streak ended at six games… Kalamazoo’s two penalty minutes were the fewest in a game this season… Martin has moved to within one win of Jason Saal for fourth all-time on the ECHL career wins leaderboard… Taylor has scored in three straight games.
Sunday: Kalamazoo went 9-1-1 in January… Taylor has points in six straight games…Biggs’s shorthanded goal was the seventh of the season for the Wings… Kalamazoo has won a season-high five straight games… Kalamazoo is 11-2-4 in one-goal games this season…Riopel has won three of his last four decisions… Kalamazoo and Wheeling have each won 23 games in the all-time series.
Submitted by Mark McGlothlen
