Komets Lose to Flint in SO 5-4

They say that bad things come in three's and such could certainly be said on Sunday as the Fort Wayne Komets (42-20-1-3) took on the Flint Generals (27-31-3-4)in the Komets third road game in three nights while missing three injured forwards from their lineup -- Brad MacMillan (shoulder), Leo Thomas (concussion) and Mitch Woods (leg contusion). The Generals, meanwhile, had not played in just over a week. Would they be rusty or well-rested? That question was answered soon enough, as Flint broke onto the scoreboard just 2:54 into the opening frame. Forward Mike Olnyk put the puck past Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher after a set-up by forward Ben Boudreau. Defenseman Jake Pence was also credited with an assist. At 8:38, the Komets were awarded 41 seconds of 4-on-3 time after referee Jim Hawthorne handed out hooking calls to Flint defenseman Steve Silver at 7:19, Fort Wayne forward Konstantin Shafranov at 8:12, and Jamie Schaafsma at 8:38. But the power play went nowhere and soon after play had resumed with 4 aside, the Generals scored again. At 10:08 forward Bryan Smolinski hit the twine from in front of the net to stretch the lead to 2-0. Assists went to defenseman Tyler Howells and forward John Ronan. At 14:43, Flint defenseman Jake Pence was whistled for hooking, giving the Komets another man advantage, but this time they did worse than nothing with it. At 16:39 a rebound in front of the Fort Wayne net bounced right to the stick of Howells and he tallied to put the Generals up 3-0. Forward Dan Lapointe was awarded an assist on the play. Komets coach Al Sims responded by pulling Boucher in favor of back-up goaltender Tim Haun, who finished out the period without facing any shots. When Boucher returned to start the second period, it was apparent that Sims still had tremendous faith in Boucher. The goalie -- and rest of the team -- responded accordingly. While Fort Wayne's play in the first had been lackadaisical and lacking urgency, the middle frame was hard fought up and down. At 15:06, Smolinski was sent to the box for tripping, and this time the Komets cashed it in. Finding himself in the perfect position at the opportune moment, Fort Wayne forward Matt Syroczynski knocked the puck past Flint goalie Sergei Zvyagin on the power play at 15:30 to put the Komets on the board. Assists went to forwards Colin Chaulk and Shafranov. But the Generals were quick to dampen the Komets newfound enthusiasm. At 16:56 Lapointe countered with a goal of his own to make the count 4-1, nullifying the earlier tally. Forwards Matt Moffat and Nathan Ward got the assists. But while Fort Wayne still was not playing with urgency, they displayed a calm and calculated patience with the puck and did not lose faith. As the final frame began, that patience began to pay off. Forward David Hukalo reduced the deficit to 4-2 at 1:11 of the third with a rebound goal that made it past a well-screened Zvyagin. Defenseman Kevin Bertram assisted. At 4:59, Komets forward Sean O'Connor was called for hooking, but Fort Wayne turned the tables on Flint's power play when defenseman Guy Dupuis found the net short-handed with a drive at 6:07 to pull the Komets within striking distance at 4-3. Forward P.C. Drouin was credited with an assist. Then at 6:41, Lapointe took a hooking call to give Fort Wayne another man advantage, and they used it to complete their improbable comeback. At 8:38, O'Connor came off the left wing and fired the puck past Zvyagin to knot the score at 4-4. Drouin got the assist. Suddenly, with just over half a period left to play, it was a whole new game. In a display of mutual hostility, Olnyk and Komets defenseman Bobby Phillips picked up coincidental roughing penalties at 9:20, but as regulation drew to a close, neither team had staked an advantage on the scoreboard, sending the game into overtime. Another pair of roughing penalties were handed out at 3:47 of the extra frame, this time to Syroczynski and Flint defenseman Craig Cescon, but once again, neither team was able to light the lamp. Fort Wayne came by far the closest to doing so, however, outshooting Flint 8-0 in the extra session and having one potential goal by forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock waved off by Hawthorne. And so the contest came down to the much derided shootout. Boucher stopped Flint's first shooter, Schaafsma, but Fort Wayne's first pick, Shafranov, botched his attempt. His shot slid to Zvyagin for the easy save. Next up for the Generals was Moffat, who got Boucher moving before knocking the puck home, giving Flint the edge. The Komets then sent out O'Connor, whose shot hit the post and bounced off across the front of the net harmlessly. The Generals' final shooter was forward Pascal Rheaume, who also rang a shot off the post. Fort Wayne's last hope rested in Chaulk, but he missed the net, giving Flint the victory. Not including shootout attempts, Boucher stopped 21 of 25 shots in absorbing the loss. Zvyagin made 47 saves on 51 shots for the win.

Notes: Announced attendance at Perani Arena in Flint, MI was 2410. The Komets were 2-7 on the power play; the Generals were 0-3. Shots on goal were even at 10 aside in the first period, but Fort Wayne outshot Flint the rest of the way, going 20-8 in the second, 13-7 in the third, and 51-26 overall when the shootout tally is included. The Generals have won 3 of their last 4 games. IHL President and Commissioner Dennis Hextall attended the game. Olnyk, who was traded to Flint from Dayton on March 18 and has already played in 2 road games with the Generals, was initially identified only as "New Player" on the official gamesheet. His goal that put the Generals on the scoreboard and his later roughing penalty were recorded as belonging to "N. Player" until the information was finalized after the game. Fort Wayne and Flint are now tied in their season series 5-5 with 2 games remaining. They next meet in Flint on Friday, April 2.