K-WINGS GAIN A POINT AGAINST WEST’S BEST IN TEXAS

Kalamazoo comes back from 2-0 deficit to force overtime, picking up a point against the Mountain Division leading Allen Americans.

ALLEN, TX – Strong goaltending and two second period goals helped the Kalamazoo Wings (12-17-4-0) claw back to force overtime in an eventual 3-2 overtime loss to the Western Conference leading Allen Americans (25-7-6-1) Friday at Allen Event Center.

The Americans grabbed a 2-0 first period lead, although Kalamazoo finished with a 13-11 shots advantage. Allen started the scoring off of a neutral zone takeaway leading to a short-handed 2-on-1 rush, when Nick Boka snapped a shot over Jake Hildebrand’s glove. Brett Pollock then cleaned up a rebound after Olivier Archambault blocked the initial shot to give the Americans a 2-0 cushion after one.

Hildebrand stopped all 10 shots he faced in the second period, as the K-Wings battled back to break even entering the third period. Zach Diamantoni picked up a bouncing puck and snapped a quick shot past Jake Paterson to cut Kalamazoo’s deficit to one. Then just seconds after a power play ended, Zach Saar jammed home a rebound from the side of the crease to tie the game at 2-2 in his return to the lineup.

The teams skated through a scoreless third period toward overtime in a game in which Kalamazoo and Allen were 0-for-15 combined on power play opportunities. The K-Wings’ penalty kill went 7-for-7, including a key kill in the final three minutes of regulation.

Gabriel Gagne broke free on a 2-on-1 and scored from the left circle 1:15 into the overtime period to seal Allen’s 3-2 victory, but Kalamazoo earned a hard-fought point in the standings.

Kalamazoo and Allen will meet again Saturday at 8:05 p.m. ET at the Allen Event Center. Catch the game on 1660AM in Kalamazoo or ECHL TV online. An official Watch Party will be held out at Old Burdick’s at Wings West.

Kalamazoo Wings 3-Packs are now available online! Reserve your tickets for the three biggest games in the best seats with the best eats. Visit kwings.com for more information about all the perks that come with a K-Wings 3-Pack!

The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team located in southwest Michigan that has been a staple in the Kalamazoo, MI professional sports landscape since 1974. The K-Wings compete in the ECHL and are the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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