Komets Left Flummoxed by Flint Again, This Time 3-1

In the Fort Wayne Komets (43-21-1-3) quest for their third consecutive Turner Cup, the resurgent Flint Generals (29-31-3-4) are eagerly playing the part of the proverbial "thorn in the side" as they continue their own steady march towards the fourth and final IHL playoff position. They were the spoilers yet again in Flint, MI on Friday night, leaving the reeling Komets clinging to a slender 2-point lead in the standings over the third place Port Huron Icehawks and even farther from their goal of overtaking the first place Muskegon Lumberjacks before the regular season ends. The first period came and went with few highlights of note. There were some close calls and power plays for both sides, but no goals. After using the intermission to refocus, Flint was the first to get on the board at 4:37 of the second. Forward Pascal Rheaume scored from long range at an angle that wasn't unusually severe, putting the puck 5-hole on Komets goalie Nick Boucher, who seemed less than pleased with himself afterwards. Assists went to defenseman Jake Pence and forward John Ronan. At 5:05, Generals forward Ben Boudreau was whistled for interference, giving Fort Wayne a golden opportunity to even things up, but the Komets twice missed a wide open net to squander the chance. Less than a minute later at 7:53 they made up for it, as forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock tied things up at 1-1 off a scramble in front of the net. Defenseman Kevin Bertram was credited with an assist on the play. But at 13:14, Flint pulled ahead to stay with a goal that might have been scored a few seconds earlier had it not been for an inspired save by Boucher after the Generals split the Fort Wayne defense in a drive to the net. In the wake of the stop, the Komets were unable to gain control of the puck, which rattled around before being put into an almost empty net by forward Dan Lapointe for the 2-1 lead. Assists were awarded to forwards Matt Moffat and Jamie Schaafsma. At the 14:39 mark, tensions began to show as Fort Wayne forward P.C. Drouin and Ronan were sent off with roughing penalties. At 16:19, Lapointe was also called for roughing, giving the Komets a 4-on-3 for 20 seconds, which they failed to cash in on. For the period, there were 8 minor penalties dealt out, with Flint getting the lion's share at 5, but Fort Wayne was repeatedly unable to capitalize. Meanwhile, Coach Al Sims mixed and matched his lines, trying in vain to find some semblance of a spark. In the final frame, the Generals came out hard, knocking the hapless Komets all over the ice. At 4:03, Schaafsma scored an insurance goal right up the middle, making the count 3-1. Forward Bryan Smolinski and defenseman Brandon Gentile got the assists. A fight broke out between Schrock -- the Komets only healthy brawler -- and Flint forward Mike Olnyk at 4:44, but it did nothing to change the momentum of the game. At 11:04 Olnyk took on Fort Wayne defenseman Danko Mironovic in a "battle royale" that involved multiple players, though only one other -- Komets forward Sean O'Connor -- received a roughing penalty for his actions. In addition to their fighting majors, both Olnyk and Mironovic picked up roughing penalties -- Olnyk for 4 minutes, Mironovic for 2. As the incident settled down on the ice, things heated up in the stands, as fans were seen challenging Fort Wayne players. A fight appeared to break out between a few fans, which was quickly dealt with by ushers. The Komets had one final chance to break through at 15:26 when Pence was sent to the box for holding, but the man advantage was short-lived. At 16:16, there was one last show of ill will between Schrock and Generals defenseman Steve Silver. Both received roughing calls, but Schrock picked up an additional 2 minutes for tripping, leaving the teams to skate 3 aside as the clock wound down. Down 2 goals, the Komets seemed resigned to their fate, opting not to pull Boucher as time expired. He stopped 45 of 48 shots in the loss. Flint goalie Rob Nolan made 35 saves on 36 shots for the win. The teams will have one final meeting in Fort Wayne, IN on April 18, the last day of the IHL's regular season.

Notes: Announced attendance was 1630. The Komets went 0-7 on the power play; the Generals were 0-4. Flint outshot Fort Wayne 16-5 in the third period and 18-36 overall. The Generals have won 3 in a row and 5 of the last 6. Flint reportedly let go several members of their office staff on Thursday, April 1st, as rumors continued to swirl about their future in the IHL and reports that they may field a junior level team next season. Missing from the Komets line-up were Brad MacMillan (shoulder), Mitch Woods (leg contusion), and goalie Tim Haun (concussion). Boucher's emergency back-up was the recently signed Matt Koenig. Flint now leads the season series with Fort Wayne 6-5 with 1 game remaining.