KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Wings (18-22-3-0) scored early and often to compliment an outstanding defensive performance to beat the Cincinnati Cyclones (24-12-5-2) at Wings Event Center Sunday, 5-2.
The K-Wings scored on the power play, shorthanded, 5-on-5 and twice during 4-on-4 action while going 7-for-7 on the penalty kill in the win. Pavel Cajan (5-2-0-0) was stout in net throughout the game, stopping 36 of 38 shots faced including all 17 shots by the Cyclones in the second period.
Kalamazoo took it to Cincinnati immediately, capitalizing with a power play goal on a Cyclone penalty for too many men on the ice at the 1:33 mark of the first period. Mason McCarty (12) notched his fifth power play strike of the season at the 2:42 mark after banging home the trash in front of the net. Collin Saccoman (8) swished the puck from the blue line to Olivier LeBlanc (6) at the top of the slot for the initial shot.
The Cyclones responded quickly, with a goal at the 4:45 mark, but that’s when the K-Wings took off, scoring four consecutive goals.
At the 10:23 mark of the first, skating 4-on-4, Justin Murray (2) went top-shelf from the bottom of the left circle to regain the lead for Kalamazoo. Tyler Rockwell (4) and Matheson Iacopelli (11) assisted on Murray’s go-ahead goal.
The K-Wings started the second on the power play, but picked up a penalty at the 0:13 mark. Unphased by the residual power play time left over (:52), Brandon Saigeon (8) stole the puck from Jalen Smereck at the defensive blue line, skated in all alone, and finished the breakaway opportunity off with a shot over the left shoulder of Cyclones goalkeeper Mark Sinclair (7-6-2-1) at the 2:08 mark. Saigeon’s shorthanded tally went in the books as the game-winning goal.
Then, it was Iacopelli’s turn to get in on the goal scoring at the 7:30 mark. On the play, Max Humitz (14) clanged the crossbar, and Iacopelli (10) scooped up the rebound, ripping it to the back of the net from right out front. Carson Focht (12) earned the secondary assist on the Humitz feed.
Another 4-on-4 opportunity arose with both teams picking up a penalty 11 seconds apart. And that’s when Iacopelli and Justin Taylor (13) stepped up and executed a beautiful two-on-one rush. First, Iacopelli fed Taylor at the top of the circles, then Taylor pushed a pass back across the goalmouth to Iacopelli (11) for the goal at the 7:49 mark. Murray (14) picked up the secondary assist to earn his second multi-point game of the season.
The Cyclones notched another goal at the 9:14 mark, but Cajan slammed the door shut the rest of the way out.
Kalamazoo heads to Toledo, OH for a matchup with the Walleye (23-15-4-2) on Friday at 7:15 p.m. EST at Huntington Center.
Broadcast time on 590/106.9 WKZO is 6:50 pm
THIS REPORT WAS WRITTEN BY CHRIS CADEAU, VOICE OF THE K WINGS
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