The 10-year veteran forward received a framed jersey Saturday at Wings Event Center honoring him for breaking the franchise record for games played Wednesday. He then scored with 31 seconds left in the extra period to send the K-Wings to a 4-3 victory over the Tulsa Oilers.
Kalamazoo fell behind early after former Wing Danny Moynihan put Tulsa on the board 5:40 into the game. The Oilers carried the 1-0 lead and Brent Gates Jr. made it 2-0 midway through the middle frame on a one-timer from the high slot.
Tanner Sorenson gave the K-Wings shortly after Gates’ goal when he caught a Luke Sandler saucer pass and ripped a short-handed goal under the crossbar to bring the K-Wings within one. Boston Leier then capped off a tic-tac-toe passing play with his first goal of the season to break even at 2-2.
Moynihan buried his second of the game on a spin-o-rama at the side of the net to give Tulsa the 3-2 lead entering the third period but the K-Wings found some late game magic again, this time on the Halloween-themed Orange Ice.
Dylan Sadowy fired a shot from the point that ricocheted off of an Oilers skate and into the net to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:57 left in regulation. It was Sadowy’s fifth goal in the last three games.
Taylor provided the heroics late in the newly-configured seven minute overtime, catching a pass in the slot and quickly firing a shot into the top corner of the net to seal Kalamazoo’s 4-3 comeback win.
Rookie goaltender Jake Kielly stopped 42 of 45 shots to earn his first professional win, including 11 saves in the third period and six more in overtime, as the K-Wings remained unbeaten (3-0-0-0) on home ice.
The K-Wings host the Toledo Walleye in Kalamazoo’s annual Education Day game at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Wings Event Center. Kalamazoo will then welcome the Wheeling Nailers to town next Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:00 p.m. for the Star Wars Night, featuring the K-Wings attempt at a Guinness World Records title for the largest lightsaber battle at the end of the first period.
With Kalamazoo Wings release