O'Connor, Komets Shoot Down Ice Hawks 4-2

Neither playing their third game in three nights nor suffering a troubling loss to the Muskegon Lumberjacks in an away game the night before could slow the Fort Wayne Komets (11-5-0-0) on Saturday night as they logged a convincing victory over Port Huron (11-5-0-1) and claimed 4 points out of a possible 6 for the holiday weekend. The Komets wasted little time in getting on the board to start the contest. Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock honed in on a loose puck and shot the puck into the top of the net past Port Huron goalie Adam Russo at 2:35. Bobby Phillips picked up an assist on the play. Fort Wayne increased their lead to 2-0 at 18:37 of the period when forward Justin Chwedoruk deflected the puck off Russo’s skate and it bounced into the net. Guy Dupuis and Colin Chaulk were awarded the helpers. The Ice Hawks struck back in the middle frame, finally getting their first tally at the 6:52 mark when Mike Gershon came out of the penalty box after serving a 2-minute boarding penalty, took the puck and beat Komets goalie Tim Haun on a rush. At 16:40, Port Huron evened the score at 2-2 on a power play goal by Daniel Tetrault with the Komets Colin Chaulk off serving a 4-minute double minor for high sticking. It was the second home game in a row that the Komets had given up a power play goal after holding visiting teams scoreless with the extra man since the beginning of the season. Mickael Bedard and Cory Stillman got the assists. But Fort Wayne pulled away again in the third period, thanks mostly to the play of recently re-acquired forward Sean O’Connor. After being cut by his ECHL team, the Kalamazoo Wings, O’Connor decided to rejoin the Komets, for whom he also played in 2008-2009. The Komets were certainly happy to have him back. With forward David Hukalo in the box for tripping, O’Connor tallied the go-ahead goal short-handed at 5:50 off an assist from Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock. O’Connor then iced the victory at 12:56 when he scored off a rebound set up by Guy Dupuis and P.C. Drouin to cap the scoring at 4-2. Tim Haun stopped 24 of 26 shots for the victory. Adam Russo made 31 saves on 35 shots in the loss.

Notes: Port Huron was 1-4 on the power play; Fort Wayne went 0-2. It was only the third Komets game of the season with no fights. The previous two were against Quad City. Announced attendance was 7283, the smallest crowd thus far this season. Fort Wayne has won 4 of their last 5 games. Port Huron has lost 2 of 3.

Muskegon Tops Komets Again

The Fort Wayne Komets (10-5-0) dropped a third consecutive game to the Muskegon Lumberjacks (12-3-1) on Friday night. The Lumberjacks wasted no time in getting their first goal on a fluky play in which the puck took an unexpected bounce and caught Komets goalie Tim Haun far away from his net. Defenseman Adam Welsh was awarded the unassisted tally at 2:48. At the 11:50 mark, the Lumberjacks starting goalie Sebastien Centomo left the game due to an apparent injury. He was replaced by back-up Matt Lundin. Despite the change, Muskegon continued their dominance into the middle frame. After failing to score on an abbreviated 5-on-3 early in the period, Robin Bouchard found the net immediately following a face off at 7:35. Todd Robinson assisted by winning the draw and pulling the puck to Bouchard at the blueline. Meanwhile, the Komets continued to struggle with bad breaks. In the second half of the period, Matt Woodard missed a nearly open net, and Lundin came up with a huge save on a shot by the Komets David Hukalo to preserve his team’s 2-0 lead. Fort Wayne finally got on the board at 1:07 with a power play goal by Justin Chwedoruk, who found the puck lying in the crease. P.C. Drouin picked up the assist. The power play was the result of a slashing penalty given to John DiPace with 10 seconds remaining in the second period. Shortly after the score, the Komets got another 4 minute power play when Muskegon’s Mark Cody received a 4 minute spearing penalty, but they could not convert. The Lumberjacks sealed the win when they netted a power play goal of their own at 10:18. With Fort Wayne’s Kevin Bertram off for hooking, Matt Krug put the puck past Haun for a 3-1 lead, capping the scoring. Adam Welsh was credited with the helper. But the hostility between these two teams was still very much in evidence, and at 19:44 there was a fight between Fort Wayne’s Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock and Muskegon’s Billy Collins. The Lumberjacks Matt Krug picked up a roughing penalty as well. The victory gave Muskegon a 9 game winning streak and snapped Fort Wayne’s 3 game winning streak.

Notes: The Komets have not defeated Muskegon since the two teams met on Halloween night. The Lumberjacks now lead the series 3 games to 1. They will meet seven more times this season. Both teams went 1-10 on the power play. Fort Wayne’s Blair Stayzer returned from a minor shoulder injury he suffered as a result of a fight in Muskegon on November 15. The Komets outshot the Lumberjacks 39-19 overall and 16-3 in the third period.

Dan Duesler to Appear on "Fans in the Stands"

Dan Duesler (a.k.a. “Deuce” on the blogs) will be joining Wendy Bartle for this week’s Komets Game of the Week “Fans in the Stands” interview. Dan has been a fan of the Fort Wayne Komets for many years and lists one of his favorite moments in team history as being the sweep of the 1993 playoffs that gave the Komets their first championship in 20 years. He is an avid harasser of Port Huron goalie Larry Sterling, whom the Komets bested in a game 7 triple-overtime thriller to win the 2008 Turner Cup Championship. Duesler also works as a delivery driver for Fed-Ex and has had some interesting encounters with Komets players who lived along his route as a result. Remember to tune in to Comcast channel 55 or Verizon Fios 25 on Wednesday, December 2 at 8 PM or Thursday, December 3 at Noon to watch the unpredictable “Deuce” recount his experiences as a Komets fan.

Komets Conquer Generals in Annual Turkey Day Contest

The Fort Wayne Komets (10-4-0) finally broke out of their goal-scoring drought on Thanksgiving night, and that was a very good thing, as it turned out that they needed every single point to top the struggling Flint Generals (3-12-2). The Komets had scored 3 or fewer in 8 straight prior to their annual turkey day bought. Fort Wayne drew first blood just 5 minutes into the opening frame when the crowd cheered local favorite Brandon Warner upon getting his first goal of the season, giving the K’s a 1-0 lead. Kevin Bertram and P.C. Drouin picked up the assists. At 11:20 something that vaguely resembled a fight took place between Bertram and the Generals’ Pascal Rheaume. The crowd indicated their disapproval of the hugging match with a smattering of boos. Flint finally got on the board at 18:07 with an unassisted short-handed goal by John Mori that evened the score at 1-1. Former Komets defenseman Jake Pence, who was traded to the Generals prior to the start of the season, was in the box for roughing at the time. The second period got off to a fast start when Komets scoring leader P.C. Drouin netted his 4th goal and 14th point in 14 games just 57 seconds in to put the K’s up 2-1. At 8:15, Rick Varone made it 3-1 on a power play just before time expired on Armando Scarlato’s tripping penalty. Assist were awarded to Guy Dupuis and Leo Thomas on the play. But the Generals’ weren’t about to surrender. At 11:39 they responded with a power play goal of their own by forward John Ronan, a tally that reduced the deficit to 3-2 and snapped the Komets home penalty killing streak at 30 successful kills. Fort Wayne’s Frankie DeAngelis had been sent off to serve a too many men on the ice penalty just 7 seconds prior to the goal. It was the first time this season that a team had scored on the power play against Fort Wayne at the Memorial Coliseum. Pascal Rheaume and Steve Silver picked up the helpers. Another fight broke out at 12:57 when Bobby Phillips took exception to Tyler Willis’ interference with Fort Wayne goalie Tim Haun. Both picked up 5 minute majors for fighting, but Willis received an additional 2 minutes for goaltender interference. Exactly 3 minutes later, tempers flared again with the Generals’ Armando Scarlato trying his luck with Komets forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock, who didn’t take long to best his opponent. Fort Wayne stretched their lead to 4-2 to end the period when Justin Chwedoruk scored at the 17:53 mark. After going scoreless in his first Komets game, Chwedoruk now has 3 goals and 4 points in the 4 games he has played for Fort Wayne. Guy Dupuis got the assist. The back and forth play would continue into the third period as Flint’s Jamie Schaafsma pulled his team to within 4-3 striking distance at 4:05. Brandon Gentile and John Mori assisted on the tally. But the Komets pulled away again following a controversial play just under 1:30 later. Keith Rodger’s rush up the ice appeared to be off-sides, but no call was made, so the game continued. Rodger went on to set up teammate Sean O’Connor for what would become the game-winning goal. Goalie Tim Haun was awarded his 2nd assist of the evening on the play that restored Fort Wayne’s 2 goal cushion. Flint cut the Komets lead to 1 again at the 9:11 mark when Nathan Ward’s shot got by Haun. Chris Bogas and John Mori were assigned the helpers. But the second half of the third period was a fruitless one for both teams, despite Flint pulling goalie Jean-Francois Labbe for the additional attacker. The Generals could draw no closer as the clock ticked down, and the Komets held on for the 5-4 victory.

Notes: This was the 48th consecutive year that the Komets have played on home ice for Thanksgiving, and the team is 30-14-4 in that time. Announced attendance was 8243. Flint was 1-5 on the power play. Fort Wayne went 1-4 with the extra man. Jean-Fracois Labbe stopped 24 of 29 shots. Tim Haun made 23 saves on the 27 shots he faced. Rick Varone suffered a minor knee injury during the game and is listed as day-to-day. The Komets have won 3 straight games. Flint has lost 7 straight. Former Komets tough guy Olivier Legault attended the game.

Komets Get Shootout Victory Over Mallards

The Fort Wayne Komets (9-4-0) played their third game in three nights on Sunday, but managed to overcome the fledgling Quad City Mallards (2-7-3) in the end. The first period was a bit like being pecked to death by ducks for the K’s. Mike Zbriger got Quad City on the board first with a fluky play just 47 seconds into the game. The puck hit a Komets defenseman, flipped into the air, struck Fort Wayne goalie Tim Haun on the back and bounced into the net. Patrick Levesque and Chris Lipsett were awarded the assists. The Mallards struck again at the 18:28 mark. Juris Stals got the tally to put the Mallards up 2-0 with helpers going to Ryan Fultz and Justin White. But the Komets came to life in the second. At 2:07, a power play goal which some are crediting to P.C. Drouin even though the official score sheets give it to Justin Chwedoruk cut the deficit in half. Guy Dupuis evened the score when his shot, again coming on a power play, found the net at 7:56. Just 1:20 later, Dupuis had the go-ahead goal at 9:16 to give the Komets a 3-2 lead. Dupuis’ second tally was assisted by David Hukalo. Colin Chaulk picked up assists on all three plays. But Quad City wasn’t content to watch their lead evaporate and their team fall behind. The Mallards rallied to tie the game at 15:35, when Chris Lipsett’s shot found the net with assists going to Darren McMillan and Patrick Levesque to cap the scoring in regulation. Things heated up in the third period and overtime, with both teams pressing for the game winner. Ultimately, though, it would take a shootout to decide the contest. The Mallards had every reason to be disappointed by this development, after Chris Lipsett missed a shot at an open net on a 2-on-1 rush with 10 seconds remaining in overtime. Quad City’s shooters were Mike Zbriger, Chris Lipsett and Juris Stals, but none of them could get the puck past Haun. Leo Thomas, P.C. Drouin and Justin Chwedoruk took aim at the net for the Komets, with Drouin being the only one to successfully beat Quad City goalie Sebastien Laplante, giving Fort Wayne a hard-fought 4-3 victory.

Notes: Haun made 30 saves on 33 shots for the Komets. Laplante stopped 35 of 38 for Quad City. Fort Wayne was 2-4 on the power play, while the Mallards went 1-7. The Komets have won all three of their games against Quad City this season. Announced attendance was 2586.

Komets Outlast Prairie Thunder 3-1

The Fort Wayne Komets rebounded to snap their two game losing streak when they defeated the Bloomington Prairie Thunder 3-1 on Saturday night. They also took out some of the frustration over seeing their undefeated streak at home end by blemishing the record of another previously undefeated home team. Colin Chaulk, who had missed Friday’s tilt against the Muskegon Lumberjacks to attend his grandmother’s funeral in Toronto, was flown back in time for the game. Chaulk took part in a first period fight with Bloomington’s Ryan Finnerty. Both received 5 minute fighting majors for the duel, but Chaulk received an additional 2 minute unsportsmanlike penalty and a 10 minute misconduct for not having his jersey tied down. Komets coach Al Sims protested the call to no avail. Neither team got on the board until 3:52 of the second period, when the Prairie Thunder’s Jamie Carroll got a shot past Komets goalie Tim Haun. Assists went to Bill Bagron and Ryan Finnerty. Fort Wayne responded at the 8:22 mark as defenseman Keith Rodger evened the score. Recently signed Justin Chwedoruk picked up his first point as a Komet with the assist. The visitors would strike again nearly a minute and a half later on the power play. With Bill Bagron off for hooking, Forward Leo Thomas netted the go ahead goal against his former team at 9:48. Rick Varone and Tomas Klempa were awarded the assists on the play. In the third period, the Komets were given a scare when Haun was shaken up after being run over by Kevin Bertram, his own defenseman, on a play, but the goalie was able to shake it off and stay in the game. Haun, who had his sixth consecutive start, is filling in for the injured Nick Boucher. Tyler Sims, his emergency back-up, could only come into the game if Haun were physically unable to continue. Having failed to get the tying goal, Bloomington pulled their goalie Andrew Martin for an extra attacker as the period drew to a close, but the play, which is always a gamble, backfired. At 19:04, Justin Chwedoruk put the game out of reach with an empty netter that was assisted by Sean O’Connor and Colin Chaulk to seal the victory.

Notes: Announced attendance was 2624. Bloomington’s U.S. Cellular Coliseum has a seating capacity of roughly 7000 for hockey. Bloomington, which leads the IHL in power play conversion was 0 – 4 with the man advantage. Fort Wayne was 1- 4. The Komets have only allowed 2 power play goals in the last 41 chances. Tim Haun made 35 saves on 36 shots for the victory. Andrew Martin stopped 24 of 26 shots he faced.

Komets Drop Two Straight to Lumberjacks

The Fort Wayne Komets lost a second straight game to the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday night, this time on home ice, snapping the Komets 4 game winning streak at the Memorial Coliseum. Things looked positive early on when Leo Thomas netted a power play goal just 45 seconds into the contest after Muskegon’s Travis Banga was called for a hooking penalty. Matt Woodard and Frankie DeAngelis picked up assists on the play. At the 15 minute mark, Fort Wayne’s Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock took on the Lumberjacks’ Mark Cody in a spirited bout that ended with Cody pulling Schrock to the ice on top of him. But there was more fight to come from this Muskegon team, and at 19:09 Lumberjacks forward John DiPace got his team on the board to even the score. Todd Robinson and Robin Bouchard were awarded the assists. The second period began in similar fashion to the first. Muskegon’s Ryan Palmer was whistled for boarding 33 seconds into the middle frame, and the Komets took advantage. Sean O’Connor put the puck past Lumberjacks’ goalie Sebastien Centomo at 1:11 to restore Fort Wayne’s lead. P.C. Drouin was credited with an assist. But at 7:31, Muskegon responded with a goal by forward Todd Robinson to tie the game a second time. Robin Bouchard and John DiPace assisted on the tally. With tempers occasionally flaring throughout the third period, it was Muskegon that capped the scoring at the 14:50 mark when Brian Bicek put a shot past Komets goalie Tim Haun for the go ahead goal. Bobby Bolt was awarded the only assist. As the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, Fort Wayne fans seated behind the Muskegon bench were outraged when Robin Bouchard and a few visiting fans began openly taunting and insulting the audience. A few Komets fans began throwing objects onto the ice in retaliation. Anger over Muskegon’s last appearance on Fort Wayne ice on Halloween night was also in evidence. Though Fort Wayne’s Brad MacMillan and Muskegon’s Robin Big Snake are still serving suspensions, Muskegon’s Jason Lawmaster was booed heartily every time he touched the puck. Centomo made 24 saves on 26 shots for the victory. Haun stopped 22 of 25 shots.

Notes: Fort Wayne’s Colin Chaulk missed the game to attend a funeral in Toronto. It was Kevin Bertram’s first appearance since the season opener, during which he suffered a hamstring injury. David Hukalo also made his first home ice appearance after playing his first game of the season the previous weekend in Muskegon. Fort Wayne forward Justin Chwedoruk made his debut with the team, but was scoreless. Muskegon was 0-7 on the power play. Fort Wayne was 2-8. The game had an announced attendance of 8,176.

Blogger "Mightbite" to Appear on Game of the Week

Richard Smith (a.k.a. mightbite) will be Wendy Bartle's guest for the Komets Game of the Week “Fans in the Stands” interview this week. Smith is well-known amongst fans who read and respond to the Komets blogs offered by both of Fort Wayne’s major newspapers, The News Sentinel (author: Blake Sebring) and The Journal Gazette (author: Justin Cohn), where he regularly advocates fisticuffs in hockey as well as the signing of “enforcers” to the team. He is also a collector of hockey jerseys and cards and may have a few items on hand to display and/or potentially sell. Remember to tune in to Comcast channel 55 or Verizon Fios channel 25 on Wednesday, November 25 at 8 PM or Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving) at Noon to meet the man (…the myth, the legend…) behind the screenname.

Komets Sign Chwedoruk, Waive Whitehead

On Thursday, the Komets announced that they had placed forward Travis Whitehead on waivers and had signed (pending league approval) 25-year-old winger Justin Chwedoruk. Chwedoruk, who is 5'9" and 170 lbs., played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2002-2003 and 2004-2005 for the St. Albert Saints and Spruce Grove Saints respectively. He also played one season for the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2003-2004. He spent the 2005-2006 season in the CHL where he played 5 games for the Lubbock Cotton Kings, tallying 1 assist, and 54 regular season games for the Oklahoma City Blazers, where he was credited with 10 goals and 15 assists. In 7 playoff games for the Blazers, he notched 2 goals and 2 assists. He joined the UHL's Quad City Mallards for the 2006-2007 season, tallying 24 goals and 44 assists in 71 games. In 2007, he attended the Edmonton Oilers NHL rookie camp and was in camp with the AHL's Springfield Falcons. He divided the 2007-2008 season between the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors (19 games, 7 goals, 11 assists) and the Wheeling Nailers (47 games, 10 goals, 9 assists) as well as playing 3 games for Springfield on a call-up (1 goal). In 2008-2009, he again played in the ECHL, appearing in 27 games for the Dayton Bombers, with a record of 6 goals and 16 assists, and 34 games for the Stockton Thunder, where he managed 8 goals and 6 assists.

In other roster moves, defenseman Kevin Bertram is expected to return to the line-up this weekend. Goalie Nick Boucher has been placed on the 30-day IR retroactive to Monday and defenseman (and sometimes forward) Blair Stayzer is listed as week to week due to a shoulder injury. He is not expected to play this weekend.

"Go Komets" Spring-Style Bracelets Available

Komets fan Cathy Marquardt is offering “Go Komets” beaded spring-style bracelets of her own making for the low price of just $3 per bracelet. They are designed to fit any size wrist comfortably and are durable enough to see you through countless Turner Cup playoff games to come. While these are not officially licensed Komets merchandise, any money earned will go towards the purchase of game tickets, team merchandise, and the like. Marquardt will also make bracelets for fans of other IHL teams, if requested. Contact Cathy Marquardt c/o this blog at myriadab@yahoo.com

Labenski Suspended

Dayton Gems defenseman Greg Labenski was issued a five game suspension by the IHL on Tuesday following his elbow to the head of Fort Wayne Komets forward Konstantin Shafranov during the second period of the two teams' match-up on Saturday night, November 14. No call was made on the ice. The Komets went on to win the contest by a final score of 2-1 in overtime. Shafranov suffered a concussion from the blow and has been placed on 30 day IR by the Komets.

Lumberjacks Fell Komets

For the third time in three nights, the Komets played their opponents to an end score of 2-1. Only this time, they were on the losing side of the tally. Playing in Muskegon, the Lumberjacks, who had been off the night before, got on the board first when John DiPace put a shot past Komets goalie Tim Haun just 42 seconds into the opening frame. Robin Bouchard and Todd Robinson assisted on the goal. Muskegon struck again in the second period, with Todd Robinson netting a 5 on 3 power-play goal at 19:24 after the Komets Matt Woodard was called for elbowing and team captain Guy Dupuis was sent off for a high sticking. It would prove to be the game winner. Tom Galvin and John DiPace were credited with assists. The Komets collected themselves in the third, with Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock finally beating Muskegon goaltender Sebastien Centomo at the 6:39 mark to cut the deficit to one. Brandon Warner and Guy Dupuis were awarded the helpers. But despite pulling Haun in the final 30 seconds of the game, the Komets could draw no closer, allowing Muskegon to claim the victory and the 2 points in the standings. Haun stopped 14 of 16 shots. Centomo stopped 20 of 21.

Notes: Komets defenseman Matt Woodard played despite having a knee injury. Both Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock and Brandon Warner are Fort Wayne-area natives. Komets tough guy Blair Stayzer fought with the Lumberjacks’ Jason Lawmaster at 11:32 of the first period, presumably in response to Lawmaster’s unprovoked attack on the Komets Konstantin Shafranov during the two teams’ October 31 tilt in Fort Wayne. Lawmaster received a fine but no suspension from the league for his actions. Stayzer reportedly suffered a minor shoulder injury as a result of the fight.

Komets Top Gems, Remain Unbeaten at Home

The Fort Wayne Komets defeated another new arrival to the IHL, the Dayton Gems, on Saturday night, winning by a margin of 2-1 for the second time in two nights. A large crowd of 9671 was on hand to watch the victory, which marked the Komets fourth straight road victory. They remain undefeated this season at the Memorial Coliseum. Fort Wayne's Matt Woodard got things going early when he tallied at 6:06 of the first period off assists from P.C. Drouin and Sean O'Connor. At the 12:33 mark, Dayton enforcer Derek Parker fought with Komets heavyweight Blair Stayzer, but the game remained relatively quiet, with only one other minor penalty being called in the first. In the second, the Komets were given two 2 minute power plays to Dayton's one, but the score remained unchanged. The Gems finally broke through in the third, with Bryan Nathe netting a goal at 4:01. Edgars Brancis and Sam Bloom picked up the assists. Roughly a minute and a half later, Fort Wayne's Konstantin Shafranov was cutting across center ice when he took an elbow to the head from Dayton's Greg Labenski, who crossing the ice from the opposite direction. No call was made as Shafranov lay at center ice for a couple of minutes, attended by Komets trainer Shawn Dundon. Overhead, the slow-motion replay was being shown on a loop while the crowd booed wildly. Shafranov left the ice with assistance, and it was later revealed that he suffered a concussion on the play. The severity is not yet known. Though the Komets appeared a bit more fired up after the incident, the score remained tied for the remainder of regulation. It was just a matter of time, though. Clearly eager to put the game away as quickly as possible, P.C. Drouin netted a slap shot just 39 seconds into the extra frame on a power play that resulted from a slash by Dayton's Matt Auffrey on Komets goalie Tim Haun. Haun fell to the ice dramatically -- perhaps more dramatically than necessary -- to secure the call. Fort Wayne's Colin Chaulk and Guy Dupuis were given assists on the game winner, though Blair Stayzer also played an important part by screening Gem's goaltender Ryan Mior on the play.

Notes: Shots on goal were nearly even throughout the game, with Ryan Mior stopping 28 of 30, and Tim Haun stopping 26 of 27 overall. Though the Dayton Gems are new to the current incarnation of the IHL, they were a member of the old IHL for a time. Their last appearance in Fort Wayne during the regular season was in March 1980. Konstantin Shafranov was also at the center of fan outrage on October 31, when he was jumped by Muskegon Lumberjacks enforcer Jason Lawmaster without provocation after a face-off. Lawmaster was fined for his actions.

Komets Down Last Place Mallards 2-1

The Fort Wayne Komets defeated one of the IHL's new additions, the Quad City Mallards, 2-1 in the two teams' second match-up of the season, the first in Fort Wayne. Sporting lime green jerseys, the Mallards looked energetic at times but lacked the ability to retain control of the puck, especially when it mattered most. Tomas Klempa got the Komets on the board early, putting the puck past Quad City goalie Kyle Jones at 6:01 of the opening frame. Sean O'Connor and Rick Varone picked up assists on the goal. At 9:25 of the second period, Guy Dupuis rocketed a shot from the right point that deflected into the net off a Quad City defenseman to make the tally 2-0 in favor of the Komets. At 13:14, the Mallards sent out tough guy Marc Rechlicz, who had been added to the roster earlier in the day, to fight Fort Wayne's Blair Stayzer in hopes that it would spark their team. Rechlicz did take Stayzer down, and just over six minutes later, the Mallards were on the board. Mike Zbriger slipped the puck past Komets goalie Tim Haun to cut the goal deficit in half with 28 seconds remaining in the period. But it proved to be too little, too late. Haun, with the help of his defensive-minded teammates, shut the door on the hopes of the frantic Mallards, and there was no additional scoring in the third.

Notes: Goalie Tyler Sims, son of Komets coach Al Sims, was signed as an emergency back-up for Haun following an injury to Fort Wayne's #1 goalie Nick Boucher in practice on Thursday. Justin Cohn of the Journal Gazette is reporting the injury to be a broken pinkie finger on Boucher's left hand. It is unclear when Boucher will be cleared to return. Fort Wayne's Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock faught Quad City's Jason Goulet at 6:24 of the third period, notching a decisive victory.

Richard Close to Appear on "Fans in the Stands"

This week's guest for Komets Game of the Week "Fans in the Stands" will be Richard Close. Close worked for Pepsi Cola, a major sponsor of the Fort Wayne Komets, for a number of years and is now retired. He is a season ticket holder and has been attending games since 1957. He was privileged to know a few Komets legends personally, such as goalie Robbie Irons, who also worked at Pepsi for a time. As a Komets fan, Close made a point to travel to a number of away games over the years, visiting every current IHL city except Bloomington, IL and has a great many interesting stories from the various locales over the years. Remember to tune in to Comcast 55 or Verizon Fios 25 on Wednesday, November 18 at 8 PM or Thursday, November 19 at Noon to watch and reminisce about old-time Komet hockey with Wendy and Richard.

Evgeny Saidachev Waived

The Fort Wayne Komets confirmed on Monday night that forward Evgeny Saidachev had been waived, presumably to make room on the roster for another player (i.e. defenseman Brandon Warner) returning from IR. Saidachev was a minus-2 in 7 games. Considering that he was a bubble player during his previous stint with the team in 2007-2008, this move wasn't unexpected. He had 11 goals and 26 points in 54 regular season games that year, but was a healthy scratch for all but 5 of the Komets playoff games, when he was only credited with 1 assist. Still, he was a player that the team had hoped to hold onto at the end of that season and possibly develop for the future. It was a disappointment when he chose to continue his hockey career in Bossier-Shreveport of the CHL instead. Unfortunately, his season there was cut short after breaking his leg, and last summer he was on the move again, looking for a new home. As in 2008, I am disappointed that Evgeny won't be in a Komets sweater for the rest of this season, and I wish him nothing but the best in finding a new team with which to continue his career.