TOLEDO, Ohio – Joel Martin made 32 saves and moved to within one win of tying a 30-year-old franchise record for career victories, as the Kalamazoo Wings earned a hard-fought 3-2 shootout win on Friday night at the Huntington Center.
The opening period featured back and forth action as the Wings and Walleye both showcased a fast and physical style of play. With a multitude of chances for
both sides, it was the goalies that dominated the first 20 minutes. Martin registered 15 first-period saves and Toledo’s Jake Paterson steered away all nine shots sent his way by the Wings, and the teams went into the first intermission tied at zero.
After a slower-paced first portion of the second period, the teams picked up the intensity in the waning minutes of the period and the results ensued. Kalamazoo carried in with a rush, but Paterson warded off the opportunity. The rebound landed on the stick of Kyle Blaney, who fed Charlie Vasaturo between the faceoff dots. Vasaturo knuckled a wrist shot that angled over the glove of Paterson and into the goal, giving the Wings a lead.
As the final seconds of the second period were ticking away, Toledo equalized after forcing a pair of turnovers in the Wings’ end. Shane Berschbach stole the puck away and dished to Dane Walters, who wired the puck into the top corner.
With the game tied at one and less than ten minutes to go in the third period, the Walleye took their first lead of the game with Tyler Sikura’s team-leading 13th of the season. Sikura settled in front of the Kalamazoo goal and re-directed a Simon Denis shot past Martin.
With time winding down in the third, Kalamazoo entered desperation mode to tie the game and their aggressive play paid off. Justin Taylor carried into the Walleye zone and brushed a backhander towards Paterson, which was stopped, forcing the rebound below the goal line. Taylor followed up the play and banked the puck off the back of Paterson’s legs, allowing it to trickle into the net and send the game to overtime.
The overtime session didn’t yield a winner, and the game progressed to a shootout. Taylor added to his impressive night by scoring in the second round of the shootout, and Martin made all three saves on the Toledo shooters and earned the well-deserved victory.
With Kalamazoo Wings release