WHEELING, WV— Dane Fox was able to extend his goal streak to four with a second period tally, but it was all the Kalamazoo Wings’ offense could muster, as they dropped a 2-1 overtime thriller to the Wheeling Nailers on Friday night at WesBanco Arena.
The first period featured end-to-end chances for the entire twenty minutes, with each team’s goalies commanding the spotlight. Joel Martin made 16 first-period saves and his Wheeling counterpart, Casey DeSmith, made seven of his own in a scoreless opening frame.
Kalamazoo cracked open the scoring with a late first-period tally from Fox. With the puck at the left-side point, Anton Cederholm blasted a slap shot that missed the goal wide, but ricocheted off the end wall and onto the tape of Fox, who tapped in his team-leading 16th goal of the season, giving the Wings a 1-0 lead.
Wheeling equalized in the early stages of the third with Connor Leen’s third tally of the season. Leen crashed the goal and received a backdoor pass from Andrew Cerretani, leaving an open goal for Leen to deposit the tying tally.
After neither team was able to tally in the remaining minutes of the third period, the two clubs headed to an overtime session tied at one.
Wheeling were able to snatch the extra point from the Wings in the extra period with the winning tally 2:17 into overtime. Cody Wydo steered a shot towards Martin, who made the initial save, but the rebound in the crease was left alone for Cerretani to lift in for the game winner.
The Wings and Nailers will close out their two-game weekend series tomorrow night at WesBanco Arena at 7:35 p.m.
Notes: Evan McEneny made his first appearance since suffering an injury on November 6 in Wheeling. Fox is on a four-game goal streak. David Gilbert played his first game against Wheeling on the season (Gilbert spent 2014-15 season with the Nailers.) Fox is on a four-game goal streak. Martin made 37 saves in the loss.
Stats: http://echl.com/stats/official-game-report.php?game_id=13174
The Kalamazoo Wings host the 2016 CCM/ECHL Hockey Heritage Week, presented by PNC Bank and Bronson Sports Medicine, from February 1-6 at Wings Event Center and throughout the city of Kalamazoo. The one-of-a-kind event features viewing/photo opportunities with the Stanley Cup, Hockey Hall of Fame exhibits and trophies, two games with the Toledo Walleye, and more. Group rates start as low as $12 per person for a group of six or more.
Single-game tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased at kwings.com or at the Wings Event Center box office. Box office hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. A $2 discount is applied on all tickets purchased before the date of the game.
Wings Event Center, owned and operated by Greenleaf Hospitality Group, is home to the minor league hockey team Kalamazoo Wings and a full entertainment venue offering concerts, sporting events, family shows and trade shows. Built in 1974, Wings Event Center values partnerships with the community to bring events and attractions that enrich the lives of residents in the Kalamazoo area.
With Wheeling Nailers release
