WINGS READY TO 'CRUNCH' ON CLEVELAND; BATTLE FOR TOP OF THE TABLE THIS WEEKEND

Be ready to cheer. Hartman Arena in Park City will be the hot place to be tonight as Wichita Wings return to action in front of a crowd, post-COVID restrictions, against rival Cleveland Crunch. Game time is 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 5. 

And it has the potential to be a rumble. 

"Saturday’s home game has some big playoff seeding implications with the top two teams in the table going at it," said owner Blake Shumaker. 

Coach Roger Downing agrees. 

"The Crunch have quality players all over the pitch and they have very few weaknesses," said Downing.  "We will need to capitalize on our chances to get a result on Saturday."

And the team, he says, is ready.

"I feel like I say it every week but David Lucio looks lights out.  He’s going to have a good game Saturday.  Daniel Sack had been getting forward a lot more in practice, look for him to put his stamp on the score board," said Downing, who added the newly signed MASL players will be incorporating into the game plan a little differently Saturday to help them mesh with the existing Wings' players and pace.

However, Downing said new player Togbah is still not cleared to play due to a wrist injury, so Wings' fans will have to wait until June 11 to see him in action. 

"We really look forward to having him on the pitch with us, he’s looking great in practice," said Downing.

The Wichita Wings are coming off a weekend trip to Chicago, where they split two hard-fought games with the Mustangs. Cleveland is riding a four-game winning streak. They have a goals-for average of +11 and a goal differential of +41, which is more than the Wings who are sitting at a +7.6  goals-for average and a  goal differential of just +10. 

But, if you're into stats - look at the differences in the power play action of both teams. The Wings do amazingly well on penalty killing, shutting down 80 percent of the penalties levied against them, while sitting even at 50 percent in converting opportunities when they are a man up. Cleveland, on the other hand, converts on only 44 percent of their power play opportunities and kill less penalties than that at just 40 percent.

After taking on the Crunch this weekend, the Wings will have two regular season home games left in June (both against the Amarillo Bombers) before hosting the M2 championships July 17 and 18. 

ARENA MASK & BAG POLICY 

 Please make sure to check the specific event page at Hartmanarena.com for details on masks guidelines.

Please note that Hartman Arena does not require masks however, a Clear Bag Policy has been implemented and bags larger than 14" x 6" x 14" will not be allowed. Each ticketed guest can carry one large clear bag – either a one-gallon plastic storage bag or the 14" x 6" x 14" clear bag – plus a small clutch purse (5.5” x 8.5”). The clear bag policy will speed up the entry process into the venue, improve security and limit touch points. Clear bags allow staff to check for prohibited items without having to touch or open a bag.

Visit. https://www.hartmanarena.com/events/2021/wichita-wings-vs-cleveland-crunch for ticket sales and game information.

ARENA ENTRY

Doors open to the public at 6:00 P.M. 

Orange Army Fan Club Members at 5:00 P.M.