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Kalamazoo Wings (IHL, 1986-87)

1986-87 Regular Season:
K-Wings vs. Flint Spirits

      1986-87 was the twelfth season of Kalamazoo Wings hockey in the International Hockey League. The Wings were a secondary farm club of the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. The K-Wings played their home games at 5,113-seat Wings Stadium (now Wings Event Center). Ted and Martha Parfet owned the franchise, while Bill Inglis was Head Coach/GM.
     Kalamazoo was coming off a strong season in 1985-86, which saw the K-Wings finish in second place with a strong 47-29-6 record, just five points back of first-place Muskegon. 1986-87 would be a different story, as the K-Wings stumbled to last place in the Eastern Division with a 36-38-8 record. Their 80 points were 11 back of third-place Flint and 19 back of first place Muskegon.
     Kalamazoo scored the second-fewest goals in the IHL this season, lighting the lamp just 331 times. Bob Curtis scored the most goals, with 44, and veteran Claude Noel was the only other K-Wing with over 30 (33). Veteran center Brent Jarrett led the team in points with 72 (17 goals, 55 assists) in his last full season. Future Flint Generals head coach Robbie Nichols had 29 goals and 56 points in 71 games. 
     The K-Wings were actually decent on defense, allowing 353, which was the fourth fewest in the league. Bill Schafhauser was the leading scorer on defense, with 6 goals and 55 points in 82 games. Tom Serle, before being shipped to Milwaukee, had 15 goals and 53 points in 64 games. Kalamazoo used three goaltenders this season. Longtime K-Wings net minder Georges Gagnon played 43 games, with a 20-21-1 record and 4.25 GAA in the final season of his career. Gagnon, considered the best goaltender in Kalamazoo hockey history, would later have his number retired by the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings in 2019. Shawn Kilroy was next, playing 25 games and sporting a 8-17-0 record and 4.35 GAA. Randy Hansch was the lone K-Wings goalie with a winning record, going 8-7-0, two shutouts and a 3.89 GAA. Gagnon drew the nod for the postseason.
     While Kalamazoo had a so-so season, opposing teams had to fight for wins and every inch of ice. The K-Wings led the league in penalty minutes, piling up an "Old-Time Hockey"-sized 2,896 minutes in the penalty box. Leading the march to the sin bin was Kevin Evans. In his first full season in pro hockey, Evans racked up an astounding 648 minutes in 73 games. Evans was no goon, though, as he still found time to score 19 goals and 50 points! Robbie Nichols was next in penalty minutes, spending a mere 357 minutes and defenseman John Beukeboom was third with 270 PIM and former Goaldigger defenseman Mike Greeder had 200 minutes in penalties. It was a different sport back then...
     Kalamazoo qualified for the playoffs, as the Peoria Rivermen were the lone team eliminated. Their opponent was the defending Turner Cup champs, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, who went 48-30-4. The series was close, as two games went to overtime and the Lumberjacks outscored Kalamazoo by only a 16-12 margin. However, other than a 1-0 Gagnon shutout in Game 4, the Lumberjacks downed their West Michigan rivals in five games. The Lumberjacks would get back to the Turner Cup Finals, but would be dethroned by the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in six games.
     All my Kalamazoo Wings programs from the IHL days look great, and this one is no different. It's 54 pages, mostly in black-and-white and loaded with advertisements. The usual team records, hockey rules and schedules are included. Forward Bernie Saunders contributed an article on pages 26 and 30. Saunders's autobiography, Shut Out, is highly recommended, btw. Brent Jarrett and Greg Evtuvshevski are each interviewed. That night's opponent is the Flint Spirits, a much-improved team from their 16-win inaugural season. Future Team USA net minder Ray LeBlanc was in net for the Spirits, and future Sabres head coach Rick Dudley was behind the bench. No idea who won that game.
     Local advertisements include Little Caesars, R&N Sport Buggy, The Crossroads shopping mall, WQSN 1470 AM, and Harold Ziegler Ford.


References:
International Hockey League Statistics: 1986-87, from hockeydb.com
     
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