KALAMAZOO, Mich. – With the clock nearing zero and a player sitting in the penalty box, the Kalamazoo Wings (2-0-0) scored in overtime against the defending Kelly Cup Champion Cincinnati Cyclones (1-1-1) with 13.3 seconds left to play.
Alternate Captain Kory Karlander scored his second goal of the season in as many games to secure points three and four on the season for the defending North Division champions. The goal came during a 4-on-3 power play after Cyclones defender T.J. Fast committed a hooking minor in the last minute of the overtime period.
Photo by Larry Burdick
“We had a lot of sustained pressure in their end and I think we started to gain confidence from that,” Karlander said.
Coach Nick Bootland agreed.
“You give a guy like Kory Karlander that much time and he’s going to put the puck in the net,” Bootland said.
Despite the win, Bootland felt there was plenty of room for improvement.
“We were pretty sloppy in our defensive zone and that’s something we’re going to have to continue to work on if we’re going to have success,” Bootland added.
The K-Wings joined the ECHL last season as an expansion team, losing the first round of the playoffs to the Reading Royals in five games. Coach Bootland and twelve players return to this year’s team with hopes of delving even deeper toward a championship.
Both teams got off to a fast start, scoring on their first shots of the game before leaving the score tied 2-2 at the end of the first period. The score stayed that way until the overtime winner.
K-Wings goalie Ryan Nie had a theory for the sloppy start.
“It’s tough to come out on the home opener. You have all the intros, the fireworks and you’re sitting around for ten minutes before everything gets started,” Nie said. “It’s tough to come out and be ready for that.”
K-Wings forward Jordan Fulton tied the game at one, only 15 seconds after the Cyclones Mathieu Aubin opened the scoring early in the first period. Trent Daavettila and Fast scored power play goals for the K-Wings and Cyclones respectively.
The home opener marked the seventh annual Orange Ice Game in honor of the Halloween season. Several staff members and fans showed off their spooky spirit during a mid-ice costume contest between the first and second periods in front of the announced crowd of 4,772.
The K-Wings also dressed for the occasion, wearing special jerseys imprinted with skeleton bones behind their logo, numbers and a “Happy Halloween” greeting along the back. The players auctioned off the jerseys after the game but some had other ideas.
“The jerseys tonight were pretty nice. These were the best ones I’ve ever seen,” Bootland said. “I’d be pretty happy to wear that one.”
Contact the writer Ryan.Loren@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.