Kalamazoo generated nine shots on goal in the opening period but the Wings were turned away each time by Oilers goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek. Tulsa put 11 shots on Jake Kielly, who stopped ten, but the Oilers struck first after a neutral zone takeaway that led to Jack Nevins beating Kielly on an odd-man rush.
Eriksson Ek left the game after the period due to an apparent injury, and Tulsa replaced him with Evan Fitzpatrick. Kalamazoo tied the score at 1-1 when Ross tipped a point shot from Matt VanVoorhis into the net 6:49 into the middle frame.
After a scoreless third period and seven-minute overtime, Kalamazoo went to a shootout for the first time this season. Fitzpatrick stopped all three K-Wings shooters in the skills competition, while Charlie Sampair scored the only goal for Tulsa against Kielly to seal the Oilers’ win. Kielly stopped 40 of 41 shots in the shootout loss.
The K-Wings and Oilers face-off one more time Saturday at 8:05 p.m. ET at the BOK Center in Tulsa, before Kalamazoo continues on its season-long road trip to Kansas City Tuesday. Catch all the action on 1660 AM in Kalamazoo or ECHL TV online, with pregame coverage starting at 7:45 p.m. ET.
With Kalamazoo Wings release
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