KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo Wings opened their season away from home. In enemy territory, the Wings needed to set the tone for the season.

“Last year, it came a little bit down to the wire for us to get into playoffs,” said veteran defenseman Kyle Bushee. “This year, obviously, our goal is to get into playoffs, but now, to have home ice and not have to fight every game down the stretch to get in, be a little bit more comfortable heading into playoffs.”

An early playoff exit and a suspension that still keeps veteran Ben Wilson from joining their ranks means this team has something to prove.

So they’re proving it.

The season opener in Cincinnati never saw the Wings play from behind. Out of the gate, Eric Kattelus opened scoring off a feed from Lane Scheidl. Later in the period, Kyle Blaney would widen the lead to two.

In a fashion that will quickly become familiar, the Cyclones caught up in the second period. One power play goal, and one at even strength, and it was a tied game. With both teams scoreless in the third, they went to 3-on-3 for five minutes. Jon Jutzi netted his first goal as a Kalamazoo Wing, winning the game 3-2 in the final minute of overtime.

The home opener was a little better. Much like the Wings had done a week prior, the visiting Brampton Beast found the back of the net first with a power play goal. The Wings regrouped and Kyle Bushee answered back, knotting the game at one.

While Kalamazoo dominated in shots, neither team was able to capitalize until the third period, when the Wings’ offense exploded. Goals from Scheidl and Kattelus widened the gap, though the Beast came back with a goal from Corey Durocher. They never got a chance to build on that, though, because Scott Henegar scored off a Danny Moynihan rebound, followed by an empty net goal from Justin Taylor.

The Wings made the trip to Brampton to see the Beast against the very next day. Once again, the opponent opened scoring, with a goal from former Wing, Stefan Fournier. Fournier would go on to earn a game misconduct for leaving the penalty box to fight. With a 5-on-3, the Wings matched the Beast with a goal from Captain Justin Taylor. The two teams would exchange chances, but Kalamazoo ultimately came out on the right side of a 5-4 game, completing a weekend sweep.

The team headed back to Kalamazoo for a couple days of rest and an early start on Wednesday morning, facing off against the Kansas City Mavericks at 10:30 am. Already out Peter Schneider (lower body) and Eric Kattelus (lower body), Kyle Blaney was injured during warm-ups, leaving the Wings short-staffed.

Danny Moynihan continued his impressive offensive efforts, striking first for the Wings. The Wings struggled to maintain possession, but would still out-shoot the Mavericks through the period. With less than a minute to go, Kansas City answered back and they went into the second period tied at one.

Early in the second frame, Moynihan would net his second goal of the morning, giving the Wings their edge back. After taking a holding penalty, Scott Henegar hopped out of the penalty box and into a breakaway, putting the Wings up by two. Once again, though, the Wings would see a late period goal from the Mavericks on the power play, cutting the lead back down to one.

Matt Robertson would tie it just over halfway into the third and the Wings saw their second overtime game this season. With just three seconds left in overtime, Henegar found the back of the net, but the goal went under review and didn’t tip in the Wings’ favor. Mike McMurtry would be the only player to score in the ensuing shoot out and just like that, the Wings dropped their first game of the season.

Danny Moynihan, a recent reassignment from the Utica Comets who is already leading the Wings with five points in three games, didn’t seem too worried. “I think we played a really good game. I thought it could’ve gone either way tonight. I thought we played really strong. I think we’re gonna continue doing what we’ve been doing and I think it’s gonna work for us.”

That doesn’t mean there aren’t issues with their game. Special teams are going to be a major factor in this team’s success. They’re currently four for eighteen on the power play and fourteen for nineteen on the penalty kill. With all of their games resulting in tight scoring, a solid power play and penalty kill are absolutely crucial.

“It’s no excuse,” Bushee said. “We blew a 3-1 lead here. It’s disappointing to get just one point out of this outcome.”

Bushee played as Ben Wilson’s defensive partner last season. Wilson won’t be back in the line-up until December 1^st, as he’s serving a suspension for cross checking Simon Dennis of the Toledo Walleye seven times during the Kelly Cup Playoffs last year, six of which came after Dennis had already fallen to the ice. The past couple games have seen Bushee paired with rookie Aaron Irving.

“It’s been a little bit of a transition. Irv’s a first year guy. [He] skates really well, sees the game really well, talks, communicates really well, so he’s made it easy on himself. Just two different styles. Irv’s a little bit more of an offensive guy, likes to shoot and jump in the rush, whereas Ben is more of a stay-at-home – I don’t have to really worry about him not being on the blueline.”

The different styles of D-partners are easy enough for Bushee to roll with, though. While he’s coming off a more offensive year himself, he doesn’t mind taking the backseat. “Whatever’s gonna help us win, honestly. I’m to the point in my career where points, all that, doesn’t really mean a whole lot, just because the only thing I haven’t really done in this league is win a championship. If we win one of those, it’d be all that matters to me, at this point.”

At 3-0-1 to start the year, they’re on the right track.

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