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.