The K-Wings fell behind in the opening minute for the second straight game, as Alan Lyszczarczyk banked a shot off of a body and into the net 44 seconds in. Matthew Boudens snapped a shot over the glove of Jake Kielly to make it 2-0 just 4:26 into the game. Jake Hildebrand entered the game for Kielly and stopped 11 of 12 shots the rest of the frame.
Kalamazoo battled back to tie the game at 2-2 when Matheson Iacopelli and Justin Kovacs both scored first period goals. Iacopelli raced in on a breakaway and lifted a shot over Patrick Munson’s glove. Kovacs then cleaned up a rebound after Kyle Blaney threw a shot off of Munson’s outside pad from the right wing wall.
Fort Wayne went back in front before the first intermission as A.J. Jenks deflected a shot in front of the net for a power play goal, making it 3-2.
With 16 shots on goal in the second period, Kalamazoo found a way to tie the game at 3-3 heading into the third. Iacopelli blasted a shot off the crossbar and in with 3:03 left in the stanza for his second multi-goal game of the season.
The Komets pulled back in front with their second power play goal 48 seconds into the third period, a shot from Brady Shaw between the circles. Shaw added a second goal with four minutes left in the game to give Fort Wayne insurance, and Taylor Ross added an empty net goal to game look more lopsided than it actually was.
Hildebrand stopped 28 of 31 shots in relief, but Kalamazoo dropped its third straight in the first weekend of 2020.
The K-Wings next head to Allen, Texas for a pair of games against the Allen Americans Friday and Saturday at 8:05 p.m. ET at the Allen Event Center. Catch both games on 1660AM in Kalamazoo or ECHL TV online, with pregame coverage both nights starting at 7:45 p.m. ET.
With Kalamazoo Wings release
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