Komets Drub Gems 5-1

Last weekend, when the Fort Wayne Komets (42-20-1-2) were coming off a loss to the league-leading Muskegon Lumberjacks, a thorough trouncing of the league's lowest ranked team, the Dayton Gems (24-40-3-1) the very next day was just what the doctor ordered to help them get over their disappointment. The same was true this Saturday night in Dayton, OH, as the Komets again scored 5 goals in a convincing victory over the lowly Gems, allowing Fort Wayne to keep pace with both Muskegon and the third place Port Huron Icehawks at the top of the standings. The opening minutes of the contest were an up and down, sometimes clumsy affair as both teams settled in. Dayton got on the board first with their only goal of the night at 9:18 of the first period. Forward A.J. MacLean took advantage of weak back-checking by the Komets to break out hard and send a shot into the net that took a funny bounce over Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher's stick for the 1-0 lead. Forward Corey Couturier assisted. The Komets evened things up at 12:51 when defenseman Guy Dupuis skated down the right wall and hit a hard rising shot from a nearly impossible angle near the goal line for a 1-1 count. Forward Sean O'Connor was credited with an assist. The middle frame began with several near misses on Dayton's part as they turned up the pressure, but the score remained knotted as much due to their own bad luck as Boucher's prowess in net. With the Gems unable to break through, it was the Komets who finally got the go-ahead goal at 14:20 when forward Matt Syroczynski stole the puck before coming off the right wall to rifle a high shot past Dayton goalie Derek MacIntyre for the 2-1 advantage. At 14:52, just 32 seconds later, Fort Wayne solidified its lead when O'Connor skated around behind the Gems' net, picking up the loose puck on the opposite side for a wraparound goal, giving the Komets a 3-1 edge. An assist went to defenseman Frankie DeAngelis. But the Gems still had their chances to close the gap. Referee Geoff Miller whistled Fort Wayne for a too many men bench minor at 16:52, and then sent Fort Wayne forward Konstantin Shafranov to the box for hooking at 19:48. At 5:43 of the third, Miller gave Dayton an opportunity that was all but gift-wrapped when he sent O'Connor off with 2 minutes for tripping plus another 2 for an unsportsman-like penalty. But when the dust settled after each power play, the Komets lead still stood, undiminished. At 15:43, with the Gems still pressing hard, Fort Wayne defenseman Brandon Warner sent a high rising shot just under the crossbar to stretch the lead to 4-1, ending Dayton's night for all intents and purposes. As if to underscore the futility of the Gems evening, Dayton forward Mike Vaskivuo was sent to the box for hooking at 19:10, putting the Komets on the power play, and although victory was a foregone conclusion for Fort Wayne at this point, they still cashed it in. At 19:35 Syroczynski put a shot past MacIntyre from in front of the net to cap the scoring at 5-1 and give the Komets a fresh start as they head to Flint, MI on Sunday afternoon looking for some measure of revenge in a tilt with the Flint Generals. Fort Wayne lost back-to-back games to the Generals on March 6 and 7. Boucher stopped 27 of 28 shots for the win. MacIntyre made 28 saves on 33 shots in absorbing the loss.

Notes: Announced attendance was 1215. The Komets were 1 for 2 on the power play. The Gems were 0 for 5. Fort Wayne outshot Dayton 11-7 in the first, 13-10 in the second, and 33-28 overall. Not playing for the Komets were Leo Thomas (concussion), Brad MacMillan (separated shoulder), and Mitch Woods (leg contusion). With this victory, Fort Wayne has won 7 of their last 9 games. The Gems have lost 4 of their last 5 games. The Komets has won the season series with Dayton. With 3 match-ups remaining, they lead the Gems 9 games to 3. Dayton's last victory over Fort Wayne was a 2-1 win on February 3 in Fort Wayne, IN.