KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Wings (3-2-0-0) rode a physically-sound defensive effort, headlined by goaltender Jonathan Lemieux, to the finish in a 2-1 victory over the Indy Fuel (2-3-0-0) at Wings Event Center Friday.
Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux (3-1-0-0) made a career-high 40 saves in the win and was named the game’s first star in front of 4,750 fans. He kept the Fuel off the board for nearly 44 minutes in the contest.
David Keefer (1) opened the Woods ‘N Water party with a one-timer strike just 3:08 into the contest. The Brighton native converted a Brad Morrison (2) feed as a trailer on the rush after Morrison created a turnover in his own zone and pushed the other way.
Keefer (2) found the scoresheet yet again when he recorded the secondary assist on Collin Saccoman’s (1) top-shelf tap-in that put Kalamazoo up 2-0 with 16:55 left in regulation. The blueliner crashed the crease as Keefer cycled the puck to Erik Bradford (4) underneath, who in turn found Saccoman open in front.
Indy wouldn’t go down easy, though. The Fuel cut the deficit to one just 46 seconds later but it was all Lemieux from there. The goaltender showcased his flexibility and made a dozen saves to shut the door in the final frame. The rookie is 2-0 against Indy this season.
Kalamazoo finished the game scoreless on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, including spending three of the final four minutes of regulation shorthanded (penalty & extra attacker combined). Indy took the final shot total, 41-26.
The K-Wings are back in action at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday versus the Fort Wayne Komets (2-2-0-0) for Military Appreciation Night at Wings Event Center.
Broadcast time on 590/106.9 WKZO is 6:35 pm.
THIS REPORT WAS WRITTEN BY CHRIS CADEAU, VOICE OF THE K WINGS
