Komets Torpedo Icehawks 4-3

The Fort Wayne Komets (44-21-1-3) faced off against the Port Huron Icehawks (42-24-0-4) on Saturday night in Fort Wayne, IN knowing full well that holding on to second place in the IHL standings and home ice advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs could be on the line. The only catch was that Port Huron realized this as well and wasn't content to go quietly into the night. Down just 2 points in the standings to the Komets while having played 1 game more than Fort Wayne, the Icehawks knew it was now or never to make a move. So it was no big surprise when both teams spent most of the opening period locked in a scoreless tie. Komets goalie Nick Boucher and his Port Huron counterpart Adam Russo saw plenty of action as the two teams felt each other out, watching for mistakes to capitalize on. At 16:09, Icehawks forward Nick Lindberg was sent off for elbowing by referee T.J. Luxmore, giving Fort Wayne the man advantage, and the Komets cashed it in just 12 second later at 16:21, on a play that began with forward Colin Chaulk sending a pass from the right wall to defenseman Guy Dupuis positioned in the center of the ice just inside the blue line. Dupuis' drive from well above the slot was redirected past Russo by forward Matt Syroczynski for the 1-0 lead. As time expired in the opening frame, there was a brief scrum that resulted in Fort Wayne defenseman Kevin Bertram and Port Huron forward Matt Auffrey being sent to their respective boxes for roughing at the 20:00 mark. The second period would bring more of the same. The first half of the frame was a defensive stalemate. At 8:23, the Komets received another golden opportunity when Icehawks defenseman Kevin Hansen was whistled for roughing, but before they could capitalize, two Fort Wayne players -- Dupuis at 8:57 and forward Leo Thomas at 9:50 --took hooking penalties to nullify the advantage and hand Port Huron a 34 second 4-on-3 power play instead. Fort Wayne successfully killed the 4-on-3, but just 9 seconds before the remaining 5-on-4 expired, Icehawks forward Kris Vernarsky got the puck past Boucher to tie the game 1-1. It didn't stay that way for long. At 12:09, Port Huron forward was sent to the box for boarding, and this time, the Komets wasted no time in making the most of it. Just 5 seconds later at 12:14, Dupuis restored Fort Wayne's lead with a slapper from 50 feet out for the 2-1 count. Assists went to forwards Konstantin Shafranov and P.C. Drouin. With Lindberg off for kneeing as of 15:40, Drouin extended that lead to 3-1 with another long-range shot from the point. Dupuis and Syroczynski were awarded the assists, with Dupuis' being his 500th career point as a Komets defenseman. The Icehawks inched closer once again at 18:19 on a shot by Vernarsky that was set up with a pass by Auffrey from behind the net, pulling Port Huron within 1 at 3-2. But at 19:04, Fort Wayne anwered with a tally by forward Sean O'Connor that made the score 4-2. Drouin and defenseman Frankie DeAngelis were credited with the assists. That ended the night for Russo, who was yanked in favor of the goaltender Komets fans love to hate, Larry Sterling, to start the third. As calls of "Laaaaaaa-rrrrrry" rose up in unison from the assembled crowd of 7033 and unflattering "celebrity look-alike" images flashed across the jumbotron, Sterling was obviously relishing his role as potential spoiler, and indeed, no pucks made it past him in the final frame. The period began with another show of ill will, this time between Fort Wayne forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock, who picked up an unsportsman-like penalty, and Hansen, who was sent to the box for roughing, both at 2:07. Skating 4 players aside, Port Huron split the Komets defense, allowing Icehawks forward Michael Bedard to surprise even himself by scoring with a backhand shot from the right circle to pare Fort Wayne's lead to 4-3. But despite being awarded a late power play at 16:52 when Komets defenseman Bobby Phillips was whistled for holding and later pulling Sterling for an extra attacker with 31 seconds remaining in the contest, Port Huron could draw no closer. When the horn sounded, they had lost to the Komets by a count of 4-3 for the second time in a row. Boucher stopped 26 of 29 shots in the win. Russo made 24 saves on 28 shots, and Sterling was a perfect 9 for 9 in the loss.

Notes: Fort Wayne went 3 for 5 on the power play after a number of games in which they had struggled with the man advantage. Port Huron went 1 for 5. The Komets outshot the Icehawks in all three periods and 37-29 overall. Scratches for Fort Wayne were Brad MacMillan (shoulder), Mitch Woods (leg contusion), and Tim Haun (concussion). Port Huron had a 2 game winning streak snapped. They also lost 4-3 to to Fort Wayne in their meeting on March 17, 2010 in Port Huron, MI. This was the last regular season meeting between the Icehawks and Komets. With the victory, Fort Wayne won the season series with Port Huron 6-5