Komets Dominate Icehawks 9-1

If the Fort Wayne Komets' (26-14-0-2) 4-2 victory over the Port Huron Icehawks (29-13-0-3) on January 31st was payback, Friday night's 9-1 result in Fort Wayne, IN was full retribution. Two nights after playing what many deemed to be their worst game of the season, the Komets came roaring back to life, leaving the shell-shocked Icehawks in their snowy wake. Their newfound vitality was no doubt stoked even further by the sellout crowd of 10,480 who braved harsh wintery weather to attend the game on "Report Card Night", a yearly promotion that grants free admission to any child who received an "A" on their report card. The scoring barrage began at 7:54 of the opening period. Komets forward Konstantin Shafranov tallied on a breakaway to give Fort Wayne the 1-0 lead. Forward Matt Syroczynski was credited with an assist. At 15:02, Komets defenseman Frankie DeAngelis netted what would prove to be the game winner. As the trailer on a give-and-go play, he deked Icehawks goalie Larry Sterling to the ice, and tucked a backhand shot inside the post to make the count 2-0. Assists went to forwards P.C. Drouin and Leo Thomas. Komets Forward Brad MacMillan drove the knife a little deeper when he got a rebound goal at 16:11 to bring the score to 3-0. Defenseman Matt Woodard got the helper. Drouin was whistled for slashing at 17:54, but on the resulting power play, it was once again Fort Wayne that found the net. DeAngelis beat everyone down the ice for his second goal of the night, this time short-handed, for a 4-0 lead to end the period. Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock was awarded an assist. Any hope that Port Huron had of turning their luck around in the middle frame was quickly dashed. Just 4:30 in, a shot by Drouin extended the scoring gap to 5-0. DeAngelis and Schrock assisted. At 6:36, the beat down turned from metaphorical to literal, when recently returned Komets forward Mitch Woods decided to drop the gloves for the first time this season. Taking on Port Huron forward Tab Lardner, Woods soon had his opponent on the ice, and the crowd roaring its approval. After the bout, the beat went on. At 7:18, Thomas got yet another puck past Sterling, bringing the score to 6-0. Assists went to forward Sean O'Connor and defenseman Danko Mironovic. It wasn't until 10:18 of the second period that the Icehawks got on the board to avoid the total humiliation of a shutout. With Drouin in the box for hooking, Port Huron defenseman Daniel Tetrault got his team's lone tally past Komets goalie Tim Haun on the power play. Forwards Brandon Naurato and Brandon Kaleniecki picked up the assists. But the Komets response was immediate and unequivocal. At 10:31 -- just 13 seconds later -- Shafranov restored Fort Wayne's 6 point lead with a tally that chased Sterling from the game. DeAngelis and forward Colin Chaulk assisted. Port Huron brought in back-up Adam Russo to stand guard in front of their team's twine, but the damage, for the most part, had already been done. Another fight broke out at 11:27, this time between MacMillan and Icehawks defenseman Rob Cowan, with MacMillan getting the decisive victory. At 13:05, Port Huron forward Kris Vernarsky was sent off for slashing, giving Fort Wayne the man advantage, and at 14:18, Syroczynski made the most of it by extending the Komets lead to 8-1. Assists went to Chaulk and Shafranov. Another Port Huron penalty at 17:27, this time on forward Derek Patrosso for tripping, put Fort Wayne on the power play again, and the result was much the same. Just 16 seconds later, the Komets were on top 9-1 thanks to a shot by forward Sean O'Connor. Thomas and forward Justin Chwedoruk were awarded the helpers on the play. As the period drew to a close, there was one additional show of fisticuffs as Schrock took on Cowan in Cowan's second altercation of the evening. Cowan faired a bit better this time, though a dazed Schrock refused to go down for the count before the linesmen broke things up. The final frame was relatively uneventful, with only 3 penalties being handed out, 2 of which were coincidental roughing calls on Chaulk and Icehawks forward Mickael Bedard at 8:19. Haun made 33 saves on 34 shots for the win. Sterling stopped 21 of the 28 shots he faced. Russo stopped 14 of 16 in relief.

Notes: The Komets outshot the Icehawks 20 to 6 in the first period and 44 to 34 overall. Fort Wayne was 2 for 3 on the power play. Port Huron was 1 for 4. The Komets are 3-0 this season when playing in front of crowds of 10,000 or more and 24-1-3 since the Allen County Memorial Coliseum was renovated in 2002 to provide additional seating. Port Huron has lost 2 in a row to the Fort Wayne since their 6-1 victory over the Komets on January 26, 2010 and 4 of their last 5 overall. The Icehawks still lead the season series, however, 4 games to 3. Komets defenseman Bobby Phillips was scratched after tweaking his groin in practice.