Komets Carve Into Lumberjacks' Lead with 5-2 Victory

Two days after leaving the fourth place Bloomington Prairie Thunder in the dust, the Fort Wayne Komets (37-18-1-2) gave the same treatment to the league leading Muskegon Lumberjacks (40-17-0-3), much to the delight of the 8375 Komets fans in attendance on Friday night. But the game was memorable for more than just the final score. It saw two Fort Wayne players net their first goals of the season on an unseasonably warm late winter evening in which nature provided the celebratory fireworks in the form of lightening after the game. The contest itself got off with a bang when Komets forward Mitch Woods had a fight with Muskegon forward David Rohlfs at the 3:30 mark of the opening frame. At 4:52, Fort Wayne got the jump on the scoreboard as well. Forward Colin Chaulk picked up a loose puck along the right boards just outside the Komets blue line, and with forward P.C. Drouin on his left as a decoy, skated up the ice to put a shot over sliding, prone Lumberjacks defenseman Adam Welch and Muskegon goalie Sebastien Centomo top shelf, right side. Assists went to defenseman Keith Rodger and forward Sean O'Connor. At 10:36 there was a brief scuffle that resulted in roughing penalties for Fort Wayne defenseman Kevin Bertram and Muskegon forward John DiPace, but the incident did nothing to change the Komets' early momentum. At 13:55 their lead was stretched to 2-0 when Woods netted his first goal of the season. Fort Wayne forward David Hukalo intercepted a bad pass from Rohlfs at the center red line and passed it to Woods. Woods carried it up ice before glancing back and passing it to the trailing Hukalo on the right wing. When Hukalo's shot didn't make it past Centomo, the rebound bounced directly to Woods, who did find the twine after Centomo fell, sprawling wildly on the ice in his attempt to make the stop. But 2-0 leads offer nothing but false comfort. The first goal of the second period would be enormously important, and it was Fort Wayne that planted their flag first just 47 seconds into the frame. Komets forward Konstantin Shafranov put a rebound into the top of the net from the corner of the goal crease for the 3-0 lead. Chaulk and Drouin were awarded the assists. Just over 2 minutes later there was another fight, this time between Fort Wayne forward Brad MacMillan and Muskegon defenseman Jordan Little. MacMillan picked up an additional cross-checking penalty, putting the Lumberjacks on the power play. But once again, it simply wasn't Muskegon's night. At 4:18 Komets defenseman Danko Mironovic, the only non-goalie on Fort Wayne's roster who hadn't scored a goal, netted his first tally of the season short-handed and unassisted when he ripped a shot past Centomo from the blue line to bring the count to 4-0. Afterwards, a teammate was seen leaping into Mironovic's arms to celebrate. But the Lumberjacks weren't giving up just yet. Both teams played tough defensively for the remainder of the second period into the third, which is when referee Craig Welker gave Muskegon new reason to hope. At 3:29, Fort Wayne forward Matt Syroczynski was whistled for a 4 minute high-sticking penalty. Then at 5:22, Komets defenseman Kevin Bertram picked up a 2 minute high-sticking penalty, giving the Lumberjacks a 5-on-3 play for the full 2 minutes. The advantage proved to be too much for the Komets, as Muskegon's Robin Bouchard was permitted to take 3 unchallenged shots from a right point position a few feet inside the blue line. The third was the charm, reducing Fort Wayne's lead to 4-1. Defenseman Matt Krug and forward Todd Robinson were credited with the assists. At 7:56, O'Connor was sent to the box for a too many men on the ice bench minor, and the newly inspired Lumberjacks too advantage again. Defenseman Mario Larocque netted a slap shot from above the crease, just inside the blue line to bring Muskegon into striking distance at 4-2. Afterwards, Komets goalie Tim Haun fumed bitterly over what he felt had been should have been an interference call, but he was eventually calmed down by teammates, thus avoiding being tossed from the game. At 14:00, his teammates got one back for him, and ironically, it was Larocque who facilitated the tally. After pulling the Lumberjacks within 2 points, the defenseman was sent off for interference at 8:38 and again for elbowing at 13:12. At 14:00, the Komets finally cashed in on the man advantage when O'Connor on the right point passed the puck to Hukalo at the top of the slot, and Hukalo sent a pass between his legs to forward Leo Thomas who was breaking to the net on the left wing behind him. Thomas cut in front of the Lumberjacks defenders and put a shot in the back of the net to cap the scoring at 5-2. Haun stopped 24 of 26 shots for the victory. Centomo made 22 saves on 27 shots in absorbing the loss. The win put the Komets 6 points behind Muskegon for the league lead in the IHL standings.

Notes: The Komets were 1-5 on the power play. The Lumberjacks were 2-7. The shots on goal differential was no more than 2 in all three periods, with Fort Wayne edging Muskegon in the overall count 27 to 26. The Komets wore their black and red throwback jerseys for the contest. Scoreboard camera's frequently singled out Lumberjacks defenseman Jason Lawmaster, best known to Komets fans as the player who jumped Fort Wayne forward Konstantin Shafranov off a face-off without provocation. Lawmaster was subjected to a lengthy series of unflattering "celebrity look-alike" images. Fort Wayne has won 2 games in a row after losing 2. Muskegon has lost 4 in a row after winning 5 of the previous 6. The Komets and Lumberjacks are now tied in their season series 4-4 with 3 games remaining.