CORALVILLE, IA (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Wings (21-26-4-0) finished off the Iowa Heartlanders (13-26-11-1) in overtime for the fourth time in eight matchups on Saturday at Xtream Arena, 3-2.
Justin Taylor (12) scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the K-Wings skated 3-on-4. On the play, Taylor forced a turnover with a blocked shot, stormed through the neutral zone to the goal mouth and flipped a backhand shot top shelf at the 2:07 mark of the extra period.
The K-Wings enjoyed a great effort in net from Evan Cormier (6-15-3-0), who got back in the win column by making 34 saves on 36 shots including a couple of game-savers in extra time.
Kalamazoo and Iowa skated through a very quiet first period, with no goals and no penalties until Brandon Saigeon was called for tripping at the 20-minute mark.
Luke Morgan (6) was unfazed offensively, however, going top shelf for the games opening goal from the right circle at the 1:38 mark. Justin Murray (18) started the play by sending the puck off the boards to Darby Llewellyn (9), who then found Morgan in the neutral zone and let him do the rest.
Mutual roughing minors had the K-Wings and Heartlanders skating four aside when Matheson Iacopelli (15) sent the puck off the skate of Iowa defender Tommy Parran and into the back of the net at the 3:15 mark of the middle frame. Ryan Cook (8) reached a new career-high in assists on Iacopelli’s good-fortune goal.
Kalamazoo kept the pressure on and led 28-20 in shots through two periods, but Iowa wasn’t going to go down easy. The Heartlanders scored a power play goal at the 8:40 mark of the third to make it 2-1 and then scored with the extra attacker on with just 36 seconds remaining in regulation to take the game to overtime.
The K-Wings now get set for an Education Day matchup at the Indy Fuel (32-19-2-0) to finish the current four-game road trip on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. EST at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Broadcast time on 590/106.9 WKZO is 10:05 am.
THIS REPORT WRITTEN BY CHRIS CADEAU, VOICE OF THE KALAMAZOO WINGS
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