Komets Down Generals 3-2, Win 3rd Consecutive Turner Cup

And so the Fort Wayne Komets won the IHL's Turner Cup. Again. And they got to meet the Commissioner of the IHL and skate around with the Turner Cup. Again. Okay, so maybe it is starting to feel a bit like Forrest Gump getting invited to meet the President at this point. Or maybe Groundhog Day. The bottom line is that the silverware will be staying in Fort Wayne's trophy case for yet another season. The Komets defeated the Flint Generals in game 5 of the Turner Cup Finals on Saturday night in Fort Wayne, IN. It was a game that was dominated by the determined play of the Komets from the opening puck drop, yet somehow came down to the wire. At 3:36 of the first period, Fort Wayne already had 7 shots on goal to Flint's 1, plus a close call about a minute into the contest that didn't quite make it across the goal line. The Komets were pressing hard, and it seemed the General's only game plan was to hold on and wait for a major mistake. But major mistakes by the Komets were few and far between on this night. And while referee Jim Hawthorne was calling a few penalties here and there, he kept the chances more or less even, which wasn't a good thing for Flint. Komets defenseman Brandon Warner was whistled for interference at 11:41, but the Generals were unable to manage a single shot on goal with the man advantage. Upon seeing Fort Wayne return to full strength, Flint was saddled with back-to-back penalties of their own -- tripping on forward Rick Smith at 14:01 and slashing on forward Mike Olnyk at 16:40. They killed the first successfully, but at 17:52, the Komets cashed the second one in. Forward Matt Syroczynski took a shot from the edge of the left circle that went wide and wound up behind the net where forward Justin Hodgman had taken position. Hodgman passed it back out to Syroczynski, who skated in to the front of the crease and sent a wobbly shot over Generals goalie Rob Nolan's outstretched stick for the 1-0 lead. An assist also went to forward Colin Chaulk. At 18:33 of the period, forward P.C. Drouin was sent off for interference, but it was once again Fort Wayne that had the best chance to score as a result. Komets forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock was hauled down on a short-handed breakaway with about 30 seconds remaining in the frame, though no penalties were called on the play. Flint still had 33 seconds of power play time remaining to begin the second period, but their impotence with the puck continued. It was a pattern that would haunt them throughout the game. The Generals were able to kill an interference penalty on forward Chris Kovalcik at 1:12 of the second, but when Fort Wayne forward Brad MacMillan was sent to the box for holding at 3:24, they still couldn't find the back of the net with a map. Then at 5:52 Chaulk and Flint forward Ben Boudreau were sent off for roughing and holding, respectively. At 6:20, Generals defenseman Chris Bogas joined his teammate in the box for cross-checking. With the Komets on a 4-on-3 man advantage, their lead was soon 2-0. At 6:44, Hodgman sent a pass to Drouin, who faked a shot as he passed the puck to defenseman Guy Dupuis, who faked a shot as he passed it back to Drouin. Drouin then sent a slap shot from the right point that hit the twine low glove-side. At 8:32 of the middle frame, Flint had finally managed to accumulate a grand total of 10 shots on goal. The Komets, meanwhile, had 24. At 11:11, Drouin once again made the night that the Generals' were quietly going into seem even longer. On a break, Komets defenseman Kevin Bertram sent a pass from the right wing to Drouin skating up the left. Upon reaching the left circle, Drouin faked a slap shot, paused, and put a quick wrist shot just under the crossbar on the top right corner of the net to make the count 3-0. Forward Leo Thomas was also awarded an assist on the play. At 15:47, coincidental roughing penalties were handed out to MacMillan and Kovalcik, the same pair that had gotten into a full-fledged fight one night earlier in Flint, MI. It appeared that Kovalcik was merely desperate for something -- anything -- that might help spark his team. As in game 2 of the series, Fort Wayne was changing up their lines as quickly as possible, leaving Flint perpetually looking a step behind their opponents. As the final seconds of the second period ticked down, Olnyk took his frustrations out on Komets forward Justin Chwedoruk, jamming him into the boards from behind, though once again, Hawthorne kept his whistle in his pocket. Fort Wayne was now just 20 minutes from another championship, which seemed well in hand. Not so fast. At 4:29, the Generals finally broke the goose egg when Bogas' shot from the left point bounced back out to forward John Ronan in the right circle, and Ronan put the puck just under the crossbar to cut the deficit to 3-1. Flint had another power play opportunity at 7:41 when Fort Wayne defenseman Keith Rodger was called for cross-checking, but as usual, they did nothing with it. The Komets were tightening the screws again, eager to close the series out on home ice and all too aware that another goal would put Flint within striking distance. So perhaps it was fitting that it was Generals defenseman and former Komet Jake Pence who cut Fort Wayne's edge to 3-2 with an angle shot from the right point that made it past Komets goalie Nick Boucher into the bottom of the net at 13:00, giving the Generals new hope. Forwards Bryan Smolinski and Pascal Rheaume picked up the assists. When Drouin was sent to the box with a hooking call at 13:40, things were becoming tense indeed. But Flint being Flint, they messed it up yet again. After just 24 seconds, Ronan was whistled for cross-checking, and so ended what might have been the Generals' last, best hope for victory. Assuming, you know, that they could have figured out how to score with a man advantage. At 1:47, Flint pulled Nolan just as they had for all 4 of the previous games in the series, yet they couldn't muster a single shot on goal as the seconds ticked down. Then the horn sounded, mercifully ending the Generals misery for another year as the Komets celebrated. To Flint's credit, they waited patiently on the ice for Fort Wayne to organize a handshake line, bringing the contest and the IHL's 2010 Turner Cup Finals to its official end. Then, at least for the Komets, it was party time. Nolan made 39 saves on 42 shots. Boucher stopped 19 of 21 in claiming the victory.

Notes: A sell-out crowd of 10,480 was on hand to view the Komets winning their 3rd consecutive championship. In the last 3 years, Fort Wayne is 15-0-1 in games where at least 10,000 fans are in attendance. The only loss, 3-2 in overtime, was to the Flint Generals on Sunday, April 13, 2008 -- the last game of the regular season... The Komets were 2 for 6 on the power play; the Generals went 0 for 5. In the Playoff Finals overall, The Komets were 9 for 21... Fort Wayne outshot Flint 17-6 in the first, 12-5 in the second, and 13-10 in the third... This was the Komets 7th Turner Cup win in the team's 58 year history and their 8th championship in all... The last team to win 3 consecutive Turner Cups -- the Cincinnati Mohawks -- went on to win a total of 5 back-to-back titles (1953-1957)... Turner Cup Playoffs MVP was awarded to Syroczynski, who had 11 goals and 16 points in 12 games... Drouin took the hand-off from Komets Captain Guy Dupuis and made the first lap with the Turner Cup. Drouin had 5 goals in the playoffs and led the team in points with 18. He missed the 2009 Turner Cup Playoffs due to a broken hand/wrist... Forward Dan Lapointe was scratched for Flint due to injury as was goalie Sergei Zvyagin. Chad Alban was the emergency back-up for the second game in a row. For the Komets, forward Mitch Woods was scratched while defenseman Keith Rodger returned to the line-up after missing games 3 and 4 of the series in Flint... Washington Capitals Head Coach Bruce Boudreau attended the game to watch his son Ben play for the Generals... The Komets annual End-of-Season Party and Jersey Auction will be held on Tuesday, May 18 in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum's main arena. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Admittance is free for season ticket holders, $5 for everyone else.

Komets Crush Generals 6-2, Take 3-1 Lead in Series

And like a spirit in the night, it was gone again. The Flint Generals fighting spirit, that is. After keeping pace with the Fort Wayne Komets goal for goal through the wild and woolly score-fest that was game 3, the Generals were clearly outgunned and outmatched on Friday night and seemed content to run up the white flag when all was said and done. This with 4065 fans, their largest crowd in over 2 years, looking on. "Power-play" was the word for the night, with either goals or missed opportunities sealing each team's fate. Flint had the first chance, when referee Scott Hoberg called Komets forward Justin Chwedoruk for tripping at 2:02 of the first. That man advantage went nowhere. Then at 5:29, a scrum broke out that resulted in two Flint players -- forward Rick Smith and defenseman Craig Cescon -- and Fort Wayne forward Justin Hodgman picking up roughing minors. This put the Komets on a 5-on-4 power play, which forward Sean O'Connor cashed in on at the 6:54 mark. O'Connor, near the goal line on the left, had tried to send a centering pass to Chwedoruk in front of the net, but the puck never made it, bouncing off some Flint players instead. O'Connor then skated in, grabbed the puck, and knocked it past Generals goalie Rob Nolan for the 1-0 lead. Assists went to forward Leo Thomas and defenseman Brandon Warner. No one can say that Flint didn't have its chances, though. At 9:34 and 11:47, the Komets were whistled for back to back penalties -- Hodgman for cross checking and forward Matt Syroczynski for holding -- and the hapless Generals were still unable to find the net. Meanwhile, Fort Wayne's players were having no problem finding the one guarded by Nolan. At 15:18, Thomas put the Komets up 2-0 on a rush when a shot by O'Connor from the left boards ricocheted off his skate and in, catching Nolan out of position. Also assisting on the play was forward P.C. Drouin. The Generals tried to regroup in the second period, allowing no additional Fort Wayne goals in the frame. Unfortunately the only goal they could muster, which came at 4:59, was quickly waved off due to the net having been knocked off its moorings. More ill-will broke out at 6:21 and both Syroczynski and Flint defenseman Brandon Gentile were sent to the box for roughing. During the later part of the period, the Generals finally began pressuring Fort Wayne, catching their opponents a bit flat-footed at the end of the frame. As a result, Drouin picked up a hooking call at the 20:00 mark. After having an entire intermission to plan, Flint finally solved Komets goalie Tim Haun just 36 seconds into the third. Forward Jamie Schaafsma put a shot on goal from the top of the slot, and Pascal Rheaume was in front of the net to knock the rebound home, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Forward Bryan Smolinski also picked up an assist. Then at 1:07, Generals forward Nathan Ward made a similar play, hitting a shot from the slot that bounced around in a scramble in front of the net before Flint forward Mike Olnyk got it past Haun to knot the game 2-2. Brandon Gentile was credited with the other assist. The Generals were on a roll. Unfortunately for them, their aggressive style of play quickly began netting penalties instead of goals. At the 2:00 mark, forward Chris Kovalcik was sent off for goalie interference, and the Komets made it count at 3:37 after defenseman Guy Dupuis took a slap shot from the high slot just inside the blue line. The puck was stopped, but Syroczynski was there to swat at the rebound as was forward Colin Chaulk, who finally coaxed it home, putting Fort Wayne back on top 3-2. The goal was disheartening for Flint, to be sure, but it was what came next that really broke their backs. At 4:52, Olnyk was whistled for slashing and at 6:12, defenseman Steve Silver joined him the box for boarding, giving Fort Wayne a 5-on-3 power play for 40 seconds. Though the Generals successfully killed the two man advantage officially, before their fourth player had time to take position, the Komets scored again. Drouin sent a shot on goal from the upper left circle and it was tipped in by Syroczynski in front of the crease at 6:55, giving Fort Wayne a 4-2 lead. Though they still had over 13 minutes to make it up, the only fight Flint had left was when Kovalcik was drawn into a bout with Komets forward Brad MacMillan at 11:23. The full-fledged fight -- a rare occurrence in playoff hockey -- started in front of the Fort Wayne bench before migrating to center ice. MacMillan, who was playing without a cage for the first time since having surgery to repair a broken nose, wrestled Kovalcik to the ice before being escorted to the penalty box, his arms raised in triumph for the Fort Wayne fans who had made the road trip. If the Generals' will to win had died, Drouin was the one who drove a stake into its heart to make sure it never came back. He netted a rebound goal at 12:18 to stretch the advantage to 5-2, and the game, for all intents and purposes, was over. Assists were awarded to Chwedoruk and O'Connor. Flint had one final chance to show some life and make a game of it at 16:18 when Drouin was called for tripping. The Generals responded by pulling Nolan, just as they had before successfully tying game 3 on Wednesday, but this time the plan backfired. Even 6-on-4, they couldn't get the puck past Fort Wayne's defense, and just 3 seconds after it had expired, Thomas hit the empty net to cap the scoring at 6-2. Defenseman Danko Mironovic assisted on the play. Afterwards, a defeated Nolan returned to his net, having no further reason to watch from the sidelines. He finished with 25 saves on 31 shots. Haun stopped 33 of 35 shots for the victory. The Komets took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 finals series and can claim the IHL's Turner Cup with their next win. Game 5 in the series will be in Fort Wayne, IN on Saturday night, May 15, 2010.

Notes: The last time the Generals had more than 4065 fans in attendance for a home game was on Friday, January 11, 2008 when 4421 gathered to witness Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames forward Darren McCarty make his home debut for the Generals. The Komets were 3 for 5 on the power play; Flint was 1 for 6. Shots on goal were even at 14 aside in the second and 11 aside in the third, though the Generals had a 10-7 edge in the first. Defenseman Keith Rodger was scratched from Fort Wayne's line-up. Forward Dan Lapointe was out due to injury for Flint. General's goalie Sergei Zvyagin was also scratched, reportedly due a lower-body injury. Chad Alban was signed to be Nolan's emergency back-up. Haun had been Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher's back-up for 7 straight games prior to this contest. His last appearance between the pipes was in game 3 of the Komets semi-final series vs. Port Huron on Sunday, April 25. Washington Capitals' Coach Bruce Boudreau was on hand to watch his son, forward Ben Boudreau, play for Flint. The elder Boudreau was planning to attend game 5 in Fort Wayne, IN as well.

Flint Strikes Back With 7-6 OT Victory Over Komets in Game 3

Oh, there it is! And in the Flint Generals' locker room, a collective sigh of relief. After falling 2-1 to the Fort Wayne Komets in game 2 of the Turner Cup Finals on Monday night -- the only goal they could muster being scored inadvertently by Fort Wayne forward Justin Hodgman against his own goalie -- the Generals found their missing offense on Wednesday night. And like a misplaced remote control, it turned out to be exactly where they left it -- at Perani Arena in Flint, MI. The Generals showed that they weren't going to play tentative hockey from the moment the first puck dropped. Just 26 seconds in, referee T.J. Luxmore called Flint forward Jamie Schaafsma for hooking, but the Generals took the penalty in stride. Just 31 seconds after killing it, Flint forward Matt Moffat took advantage of a Fort Wayne turnover when a Komets defenseman fell down on the play. Moffat grabbed the puck and netted an unassisted goal to give the Generals the 1-0 lead at 2:57. As bold as the Generals were playing, Fort Wayne was on the other end of the spectrum, looking unusually tense. It wasn't long before the Komets committed yet another turnover. This time it was Flint forward Mike Olnyk who capitalized on the chance, finding the back of the net at 5:37 to put the Generals up 2-0. Assists went to Moffat and forward Nathan Ward. The announced crowd of 2421 cheered on their underdog Generals in glee. Meanwhile, the Komets knew they had to break out and break out quickly. This was a job for Superman! Or forward Matt Syroczynski. One of the two. Syroczynski pulled Fort Wayne within 1 at 6:47 after taking a pass from forward David Hukalo and quickly firing the puck short-side, top-shelf, cutting the deficit to 2-1. With his teammates still looking a bit ill-at-ease, Syroczynski struck again with a power play goal at 10:28. Generals defenseman Craig Cescon had been sent off for roughing as of 9:02, and Syroczynski used the man advantange to send a shot from the high slot past Flint goalie Rob Nolan to tie the game 2-2. Hodgman and forward P.C. Drouin picked up the assists. But what comes around goes around. At 10:43 Komets defenseman Kevin Bertram took Fort Wayne's first penalty -- a tripping call -- and the Generals responded with a power play goal of their own. Another Fort Wayne turnover led to Flint forward John Ronan putting the puck past Komets goalie Nick Boucher from close range at 11:08, vaulting the Generals back on top 3-2. Assists went to forward Pascal Rheaume and defenseman Tyler Howells. So naturally it was up to Syroczynski to complete his hat-trick just 16 seconds later at 11:24 with a rebound of a shot by Hodgman, knotting the game at 3-3. Defenseman Brandon Warner was also awarded an assist. The Generals had to be wondering at this point what they had to do to stay ahead of the Komets. It certainly didn't help when Flint forward Rick Smith was whistled for elbowing at 16:05. But bad luck soon turned to good for Flint, as a Drouin turnover at the blue line and the Komets slow reaction coming out of their zone led to a short-handed goal by Flint Forward John Mori. Three Fort Wayne players homed in on his teammate, forward Bryan Smolinski, leaving Mori unguarded in front of the net for the easy tally at 16:46, giving the Generals a 4-3 lead going into the first break. Smolinski and defenseman Chris Bogas assisted. As the second frame began, the Komets again closed the gap. Forward Justin Chwedoruk capitalized on a Flint turnover, breaking behind the defense and tucking a shot underneath Nolan to bring the count to 4-4 at 1:18. Hodgman and defenseman Frankie DeAngelis picked up the helpers. Fort Wayne had finally settled in and was looking much more comfortable. At 5:46 a pair of unsportsman-like penalties were handed out to Komets forward Brad MacMillan and Generals forward Chris Kovalcik after the two made a show of antagonizing each other, though neither would take the bait. For a while it seemed as it Fort Wayne might just clamp down defensively and take control just as they had in the first two contests. Then Dupuis took an interference penalty at 13:05, and suddenly the game was afoot again. Rheaume hit the twine with a drive at 14:11, putting Flint back on top 5-4. Howells and Schaafsma were credited with the assists. The Komets replied just 39 seconds later at 14:50 when forward Colin Chaulk picked up a rebound of a Syroczynski shot and scored with a wrap-around, tying the game yet again at 5-5. About a minute later, Hodgman squandered an opportunity to give Fort Wayne its first lead when he missed the open corner of the net on a breakaway, so the score remained knotted for the third time in 3 games to begin the third. And third periods have been kind to the Komets of late. This time it took until 14:08 of the third, but Chwedoruk finally gave Fort Wayne the lead on a rebound of a Hodgman shot after a Rheaume turnover led to a 2-on-1 breakaway. As in the previous 2 games, the Komets seemed content to nurse their 6-5 edge through the final minutes as Flint looked on in frustration. At the 1:44 mark the Generals pulled Nolan, and it was déjà vu all over again. Except this time, something changed. Fort Wayne forward Sean O'Connor was sent to the box for hooking at 18:23, handing Flint a 6-on-4 advantage with the extra attacker. They made it count with just 9.8 seconds remaining on the clock. Smolinski faked a shot, and then faked another before finally wristing the puck over Boucher's stick to pull Flint into a 6-6 tie and force overtime. The Komets only consolation was Olnyk taking a high sticking penalty with 3/10ths of a second left in regulation, setting the stage for a pivotal power play in overtime. But once back on the ice, Fort Wayne couldn't get organized and wasted the opportunity, managing perhaps one shot on goal before Flint returned to full strength. About 7 minutes into overtime, Drouin had another prime chance on a breakaway, but he waited too long and was unable to get the puck to either of the 2 teammates skating in with him. Flint finally broke through at 11:52, after Smolinski chipped the puck into the offensive zone and it rolled on edge to the net as Mori and Dupuis raced after it. Boucher thought he had the puck, but it wound up behind the net, where Schaafsma was able to grab it and tuck it just inside the right goal post to give Flint the 7-6 victory as Dupuis and defenseman Danko Mironovic stood on either side of Boucher, flat-footed and bewildered, while the Generals and their fans celebrated. The win cut their deficit in the Turner Cup Finals series to 2-1. Game 4 will be in Flint, MI on Friday night. Boucher made 31 saves on 38 shots. Nolan stopped 33 of 39 for the win.

Notes: Fort Wayne was 1 for 5 on the power play; Flint was 2 for 4. The Komets outshot the Generals 17-9 in the first, but Flint outshot Fort Wayne 14-9 in the second and 7-4 in overtime. Defenseman Keith Rodger was the scratch for the Komets. MacMillan returned to the line-up after missing game 2. He was still wearing a full cage to protect his surgically repaired nose. For Flint, Dan Lapointe was the scratch due to injury. Former Red Wings and Bruins coach Dave Lewis and the owner of the "A" level Evansville IceMen attended the game as they reportedly consider becoming the new owners of the Flint Generals for the 2010-2011 season. This was the highest scoring Komets playoff game since 1995 and the first time a Komets playoff series began with 3 games decided by 1 goal since 2000 vs. Quad City.

Komets Dismiss Generals 2-1, Take 2-0 Lead in Finals Series

The players, members of the media, and Head Coach Al Sims called it "ugly" hockey. Well, that's one word for it. One thing is for sure, though. If things get much uglier, the fans won't get to see the Komets hoisting their third consecutive Turner Cup. They'll be too deeply entrenched in a R.E.M. cycle when the silverware is handed out. On Monday night, the Fort Wayne Komets once again downed their opponents, the Flint Generals, in a cautiously played and closely contested -- at least on paper -- contest that was eerily similar to Saturday night's game 1. Komets forward Justin Hodgman got the first goal. Flint took an early lead, and then gave it up. The score was tied going into the third. The Komets grabbed the lead a few minutes into the final frame, and then shut the door on the Generals for the win. Do you ever get déjà vu? The game began with Flint testing Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher a bit more than he had been in Game 1, as the Generals were outshooting the Komets early. The Komets responded to the pressure about halfway through the opening frame, ratcheting up their defense to keep the chances more or less equal. There was only one show of hostility in the game, which occurred at 17:27 of the first. Several players got caught up in a scrum behind the Flint net. Afterwards, referee Bob Langdon, who called a grand total of 4 penalties during the contest, sent only Fort Wayne forward Justin Chwedoruk and Generals forward John Ronan to the box, both for unsportsman-like conduct. This left the teams skating 4 aside. Things were going well for the Komets until the 18:27 point, when Flint defenseman Jake Pence put a shot on net from the right circle that hit Boucher in the chest. Hodgman skated in to help sweep the bouncing puck from the crease, except that the puck ricocheted off his stick, past the surprised Boucher and into the net. Hodgman held his head in dismay as he rounded the corner of the rink before skating back to the bench. He had just scored the first goal of the game. For Flint. Since opposing players are not credited for such slip-ups, the tally was awarded to Pence, unassisted. Less than a minute into the second period, the Generals missed a chance to expand on their gift lead when forward Jamie Schaafsma missed an open net. For the time being at least, Flint was doing a good job of clogging up the center of the ice and playing solid defensively, but cracks in the facade soon began to show. At around the 7:00 mark, the Komets got a 3-on-1 breakaway that fizzled after forward P.C. Drouin chose to pass the puck instead of shoot it. At 10:35, Drouin was called for boarding Generals forward Chris Kovalcik -- a penalty that was taken as a result of pure frustration -- but Flint failed to cash in with the man advantage. In fact, they almost gave up a couple short-handed breakaways before the 2 minutes had expired. Then at 13:09, Generals forward Nathan Ward was sent off for hooking. It was the only power play the Komets would need to even things up. Defenseman Guy Dupuis took a shot from the right point, and the puck trickled past Flint goalie Rob Nolan, briefly coming to rest unseen beneath his right arm. Komets forward Matt Syroczynski skated in with Generals defenseman Chris Bogas in hot pursuit, chipping it top-shelf at 13:22 and tying the game 1-1. Hodgman picked up the other assist on the play. As the period drew to a close, Fort Wayne's tempo heated up, and they didn't let up after the intermission. After Saturday's game, what happened next seemed almost inevitable. At 5:46 of the final frame, Fort Wayne took a 2-1 lead when forward Sean O'Connor got the puck in the right corner and beat Flint defenseman Steve Silver to the front of the net. Spotting Drouin cutting across the crease, O'Connor feathered a short pass to him, and Drouin slipped the puck under the outstretched leg of Nolan. With a lead in hand -- however small -- the Komets clamped down defensively. Changing their lines up at every opportunity, they forced the weary Generals to try and keep pace. It proved to be an effective strategy, as Flint, already at a disadvantage for match-ups, was constantly confronted with freshly rested Komets players. After that it was just a matter of time. 8:30 to go. 6:03 to go. 2:30 to go. 1:48 to go. The story remained the same. At 1:16 the Generals pulled Nolan, but as before, it made absolutely no difference. With 15.1 seconds left, Flint was called for icing, and Nolan was forced to return. After leaving the ice a second time, Fort Wayne nearly stretched the lead to 3-1, but the empty net goal by Syroczynski came after time had expired and did not count. Not that it mattered. Once again the Komets had squeaked out a 1-goal victory over the fledgling Generals. Fort Wayne now leads the Turner Cup Finals series 2-0. The teams next meet for game 3 in Flint, MI on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. Nolan made 34 saves on 36 shots. Boucher stopped 31 of 32 shots -- though it could be argued that he had a shut-out against Flint's players.

Notes: Announced attendance was 6509. Fort Wayne was 1 for 1 on the power play; Flint was 0 for 1. The Komets outshot the Generals 15-7 in the third period and 36-32 overall. For Fort Wayne, forward Mitch Woods returned to the line-up, while forward Brad MacMillan was scratched. Defenseman Tyler Howells returned to the line-up for Flint, while forward Dan Lapointe was once again scratched. At one point in the game, the net Boucher was defending came off it's moorings. Boucher reportedly tried to get the attention of a linesman but failed. He proceeded to pull the net back into place so it wouldn't be noticed while the Komets attacked on the other end of the ice, only nudging it askew when the Generals were about to enter the Fort Wayne zone. Boucher moved the net several times before it was finally noticed and play was stopped.

Komets Take Game 1, Beat Flint 3-2

The 2009 IHL Turner Cup Finals got off to an orderly yet closely contested start on Saturday night in Fort Wayne, IN when the second-seeded Fort Wayne Komets downed the underdog Flint Generals 3-2 to take an early 1-0 series lead. The action in the first period was surprisingly slow given the Generals extremely physical play against the top-seeded Muskegon Lumberjacks in the semifinals. Other than a spectacular save that Flint goalie Rob Nolan made on a shot by Komets forward Sean O'Connor with roughly a minute left in the frame, the only highlights from the first 20 minutes were the two penalties that referee Jim Hawthorne called on Fort Wayne, both for interference. Defenseman Danko Mironovic was sent off just 2:01 into the game, and at 9:00 forward David Hukalo was whistled after colliding with Generals forward Ben Boudreau, the son of Washington Capitals coach and former Komet Bruce Boudreau. Boudreau lay on the ice for a couple of minutes before being helped to the dressing room. He was later able to return to the game. The Komets successfully killed both penalties, and the contest remained scoreless at the first intermission. Things heated up significantly in the second period, beginning with Flint taking its first penalty of the night, a hooking call on defenseman Jake Pence at 1:12. Fort Wayne capitalized at 1:18, just 6 seconds into the resulting power play. Defenseman Guy Dupuis' shot from the top of the right circle hit the left goal post, but the rebound bounced to the stick of forward Justin Hodgman, who wristed it into the top of an open net from the lower left circle, giving Fort Wayne a 1-0 lead. Forward Colin Chaulk picked up the other assist. At 3:18, the Generals got that one back with a power play goal of their own. Komets defenseman Bobby Phillips had been sent to the box for cross checking at 2:43 to set up the man advantage. Forward John Ronan then picked up a rebound at the top of the crease and sent it sailing high over Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher to knot the game at 1-1. The goal was controversial since Mironovic has slid into the net on his side, looking like he was posing for a magazine photo shoot as he dislodged it from its moorings just before the puck crossed the line. According to the rules, because the puck would have entered the net normally had it not been dislodged, Hawthorne was allowed to award the goal, and he did just that. Defenseman Brandon Gentile and forward Jamie Schaafsma were credited with the assists. Flint took a pair of penalties at 5:59 and 6:21 -- hooking on defenseman Steve Silver and tripping on forward Rick Smith -- to hand the Komets a 5-on-3 power play for 1:38, but the Generals successfully killed the penalties after only allowing Fort Wayne a couple of good chances at the net. Upon returning to full strength, Flint pulled out to a 2-1 lead at 8:54. Forward Bryan Smolinski skated out from behind the net and sent a pass from the bottom of the left circle to Schaafsma at the right corner of the crease, who beat Boucher. Silver was awarded the other assist. The Komets tied things up again at 13:34 when Dupuis chipped the puck towards the net from the right boards and forward Justin Chwedoruk, who was waiting at the right corner of the crease, jumped up to catch the puck, dropped it to the ice and knocked it past Nolan. An assist also went to Mironovic on the play. Fort Wayne spent the last 5 minutes of the period pressing hard for the tie breaker, and finally got it at 3:39 of the third. As with their first goal, it came on the power play. At 1:46, Flint defenseman Craig Cescon was sent off for hooking Chaulk, and the Komets cashed it in just 7 seconds before it was set to expire. Forward P.C. Drouin's slap shot from the top of the left circle hit a post, but Fort Wayne got another lucky bounce when the puck headed directly for Dupuis in the right circle. Dupuis then swept a backhand shot top-shelf past Nolan to cap the scoring at 3-2. Hodgman got the other assist. Flint nearly answered a few seconds later, but the play was thwarted. With about 8 minutes to go, the Generals had a goal quickly waved off because the puck was poked in after the whistle had ended play. Flint continued to press as the clock ran down, pulling Nolan with 45 seconds remaining, but it wasn't enough as Boucher and the Fort Wayne defense held the line until the horn sounded. The two teams next meet for game 2 in Fort Wayne on Monday, May 10, 2010. Nolan stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced. Boucher made 22 saves on 24 shots for the victory.

Notes: Announced attendance was 8089. The Komets were 2 for 4 on the power play; the Generals were 1 for 4. Fort Wayne outshot Flint in all three periods and 31-24 overall. For the Komets, Brad MacMillan returned to the line-up wearing a cage to protect his surgically repaired nose. Forward Mitch Woods was Fort Wayne's only scratch. Scratches for the Generals were forward Dan Lapointe and defenseman Tyler Howells. Flint's "green man", who is hoping to draw attention to the team to prevent it's folding, attended the game. The Generals reached the finals after recovering from a 3-1 series deficit against Muskegon. The Lumberjacks won games 1 and 2 in Muskegon by margins of 2-1 and 6-4, respectively. Flint took game 3 in Flint 4-1, but Muskegon won game 4 in Flint 5-2. The Generals then rattled off three straight 5-2 victories, two of them in Muskegon, for the victory. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was once again experiencing technical difficulties after lighting had damaged the P.A. system on Friday night. The system was not checked until 90 minutes before game time, and the speakers facing the Komets' bench were not functioning for the contest. During the Komets semifinals series with the Port Huron Icehawks, the jumbotron scoreboard malfunctioned, most notably during game 3, but also during games 5 and 7.

Two More "Fans in the Stands" Interviews Now on YouTube

Wendy Bartle's "Fans in the Stands" interviews with Jason Marquardt and Staff Sgt. Mark Boner are now available to be viewed on YouTube, the video sharing website.

Jason Marquardt: Friday, December 18, 2009

Nine-year-old Jason Marquardt has been a Komets fan for three years and plays hockey himself in a local mite league as a defenseman. He has worked with several Komets players who volunteer their time to help instruct young people interested in the sport of hockey. On the night the interview was taped, his team was on the verge of it's own championship playoff run and the Christmas holidays were right around the corner.

Staff Sgt. Mark Boner: Thursday, December 31, 2009

Staff Sgt. Mark Boner is a member of the Indiana National Guard and attended high school locally, graduating from Elmhurt here in Fort Wayne. He also played hockey himself as a teenager at McMillan Ice Arena. Boner attained notoriety amongst Komets fans when he made a video of himself raising the Komets flag while stationed in Iraq. The clip was first shown to fans in December of 2008. Boner was not able to see the last two championship games in person because of being overseas, but he was able to listen in live on the internet and watch recordings of the games. Boner also took part in the "Komets Kare Package" program earlier this season and discusses its status.

Komets to Play Generals in Turner Cup Finals

Here is the schedule for the IHL's 2010 Turner Cup Finals series between the Fort Wayne Komets and the Flint Generals:

FORT WAYNE KOMETS VS FLINT GENERALS
2010 IHL Turner Cup best-of-seven Finals

Game 1: Saturday, May 8 at Fort Wayne, 7:30pm
Game 2: Monday, May 10 at Fort Wayne, 7:30pm
Game 3: Wednesday, May 12 at Flint, 7pm
Game 4: Friday, May 14 at Flint, 7pm
*Game 5: Saturday, May 15 at Fort Wayne, 7:30pm
*Game 6: Monday, May 17 at Flint, 7pm
*Game 7: Wednesday, May 19 at Fort Wayne, 7:30pm
*If necessary

Komets Vanquish Icehawks 4-0, Advance to Turner Cup Finals

On Monday night the Fort Wayne Komets completed yet another playoff hat-trick, rattling off their third straight victory over the Port Huron Icehawks to bounce back from a 3-1 series deficit and advance to the IHL's Turner Cup finals for the third consecutive year -- only the second time in franchise history that the Komets have made it to the finals that many times in a row. And they did it in commanding fashion, not allowing the Icehawks to record a single point. In fact the only moment of the game that gave Fort Wayne fans pause for concern came at 2:18 of the opening period. Port Huron defenseman Mike Gershon was sent to the box by referee T.J. Luxmore for kneeing Komets forward Justin Chwedoruk. Chwedoruk, one of Fort Wayne's key rookies, was assisted off the ice and hobbled to the locker room following the hit, but would later return to the game. Meanwhile, Fort Wayne went on the first power play of the night, and it paid off almost immediately. The Komets won the face-off, and forward Justin Hodgman picked up the puck, passing it back to forward P.C. Drouin on the left point. Drouin then passed to defenseman Guy Dupuis on the right point, who put a slap shot from above the inside edge of the right circle past screened Port Huron goalie Raffaele D'Orso for a 1-0 lead at 2:25. At 4:55, Fort Wayne forward Sean O'Connor sent a 60 foot pass up the ice to forward Leo Thomas, who took off on a breakaway up the middle of the Icehawks zone. Thomas then beat D'Orso with a quick wrist shot glove-side that made the count 2-0. Komets goalie Nick Boucher also picked up an assist on the play. Just 16 seconds later, Fort Wayne did it again. This time, forward David Hukalo had the puck at the Port Huron blue line but lost it after colliding with an Icehawks player. Komets forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock was there to pick it up, taking off up the slot on another breakaway before flipping the puck up high with a backhand shot that made it past D'Orso at 5:11. With the scoreboard suddenly reading 3-0, Port Huron Coach Stan Drulia wisely called a timeout to settle down his rattled troops. The break apparently helped, because Port Huron tightened up defensively afterwards and did not allow another goal for the remainder of the opening frame, nor throughout the second period. The Komets did take a couple of penalties late in the second -- defensemen Frankie DeAngelis for hooking at 15:55 and defenseman Kevin Bertram for holding at 18:39 -- but the Icehawks once lethal power play was toothless all night long. There was one close call about halfway through the final frame just as another hooking call on DeAngelis was expiring. A Port Huron player managed to jam the puck free and across the line through a pile of players in front of the net, but Luxmore immediately waved the goal off because the play was already considered dead. Some pushing and shoving amongst the players ensued but the hostilities did not escalate. At 11:36, the Komets put the game out of reach once and for all when Hukalo cleared the puck from the Fort Wayne zone, ricocheting it off the left boards. Chwedoruk picked it up at the red line and skated in towards D'Orso before leaving a drop pass for the trailing Schrock. Schrock completed the play, breaking in on D'Orso and hitting the twine glove-side with a quick wrist-shot from the left face-off circle for his second goal of the evening, capping the scoring at 4-0. If the Icehawks had any hope left of at least making a show of it, it died at 18:09 when forward Mike Kinnie was whistled for tripping. And so yet another once promising Port Huron playoff run came to an end, not in the honor and glory of a triple overtime, but with a whimper. The Komets now await the winner of the Muskegon Lumberjacks/Flint Generals semifinal series, which will be decided on either Tuesday or Wednesday night. Boucher stopped all 33 shots he faced in claiming the win. D'Orso made 20 saves on 24 shots.

Notes: Announced attendance was 7454, the largest Fort Wayne crowd for a first round playoff game since 1995. The Komets went 1 for 3 on the power play. The Icehawks were 0 for 4. Port Huron outshot Fort Wayne in every period and 33-24 overall. The only other time the Komets advanced to the finals 3 times in a row was 1963-1965. When playing a game 7 in a playoff series, Fort Wayne has now won 7 of 10. Not playing for the Komets was forward Brad MacMillan, who had surgery to repair a broken nose a week earlier. Missing the game for Port Huron was defenseman Brian Deeth and goalie Larry Sterling, out with an apparent concussion suffered during game 4 of the series in Port Huron, MI. Sterling made the bus trip to Fort Wayne, but did not bring his gear.

Komets Bring Down Icehawks 4-3, Tie Series

Last Wednesday night, the Fort Wayne Komets were staring up at the Port Huron Icehawks from a 3-1 series deficit in the IHL 2010 Semifinals, vowing that they had been there, done that and were not intimidated. While technically true -- the Komets had bounced back from 3-1 deficits against Rockford in 2005 and Port Huron in 2008 -- every season's team is different, and given the Komets inconsistent performance this year, it was impossible to say if they could actually back up those words on the ice. Would this Komets team rise to the occasion or go quietly into the night? In Port Huron, MI on Saturday night, they rose, setting the stage for the final act of what could be yet another improbable game 7 comeback. The Komets took control of the game early when forward Leo Thomas skated out of the corner, got around Port Huron defenseman Daniel Tetrault and fired a wrist shot top-shelf from the bottom of the right circle at a hard angle for the 1-0 lead. Defenseman Guy Dupuis assisted on the play. Port Huron goalie Larry Sterling was in goal, having started the game despite having appeared to suffer a concussion in game 4 of the series on Wednesday night. After the first 20 minutes, Sterling apparently thought the better of it and was replaced by Raffaele D'Orso to start the second. According to reports, Sterling did not "feel comfortable" in the net. At 3:46 of the middle frame, referee Scott Hoberg called coincidental roughing penalties on Icehawks forward Kris Vernarsky and Fort Wayne forward Colin Chaulk while also whistling Komets forward Matt Syroczynski for slashing. Then at 4:48, Hoberg sent Fort Wayne defenseman Kevin Bertram off as well with an illegal stick infraction, handing Port Huron a 5-on-3 man advantage. The Icehawks made the most of it at 5:44 when forward Derek Patrosso picked up a rebound from a scramble in front of the net to pull Port Huron even at 1-1. Assists went to forward Mike Kinnie and defenseman Jamie Lovell. The Icehawks got a second 5-on-3 man advantage for 23 seconds moments later when Komets defenseman Danko Mironovic was called for roughing at 6:25, but nothing came of that power play. Fort Wayne responded by retaking the lead again at 12:15. On a 2-on-1 rush, forward P.C. Drouin passed the puck to forward Sean O'Connor, and O'Connor's shot hit the twine for the 2-1 edge. But at 18:56, the Komets took another pair of costly penalties -- defenseman Keith Rodger for roughing and goalie Nick Boucher for hooking -- giving Port Huron yet another 5-on-3 power play, this time for a full 2 minutes. Just 15 seconds later, they made it count. Lovell buried a shot from the point to knot the game 2-2. Vernarsky and Kinnie were credited with assists. The remaining 5-on-4 man advantage spilled over into the final frame, but Fort Wayne successfully killed it off. Hoberg decided to swallow his whistle for the remainder of the contest, and it was whole new hockey game. Once again, it was the Komets who tallied first to break the deadlock. At 14:39 of the third, Fort Wayne forward Justin Hodgman whiffed on a shot from about 35 feet out, but Chaulk was able to pick the puck up and wrist it past a screened D'Orso for the 3-2 lead. Seeing the back of the net puff, Chaulk jumped for joy. The celebration was a bit premature, however. Port Huron scored their first even strength goal of the night thanks to a wrap-around by Kinnie that caught Komets goalie Nick Boucher out of position, drawing the Icehawks even again at 3-3. Forwards Brandon Naurato and Peter Flache were awarded the assists. About 30 seconds later, O'Connor rang a shot loudly off the post in what might have been Fort Wayne's best chance to break the tie before overtime. Might have been except for the monumental, literally last-second effort put together by Thomas, Drouin, and Bertram. Drouin was on his knees when he passed the puck up the boards to Bertram, who threw it on net from about 10 feet inside the blue line. Thomas skated in just in time to reach out and deflect it in, all with just 2.1 seconds remaining in the game. That sealed it, forcing a game 7 in the series, which will be played in Fort Wayne, IN on Monday night. So far, Fort Wayne does seem to be following a familiar script. Whether the Icehawks can write a different ending for themselves this time around is yet to be seen. Sterling stopped 7 of the 8 shots he faced before leaving the game. D'Orso made 13 saves on 16 shots in relief. Boucher stopped 31 of 34 for the victory.

Notes: Announced attendance was 1729 and included a large contingent of Fort Wayne fans. The Komets were 0 for 2 on the power play; the Icehawks were 2 for 8. Port Huron outshot Fort Wayne 20-8 in the second period and 34-24 overall. Hodgman returned to the Komets line-up after serving a 2 game suspension for a postgame slash to Icehawks forward Nick Lindberg in game 3 the previous Sunday. Not playing for the Komets was forward Brad MacMillan, who had surgery on his broken nose Tuesday morning. D'Orso was backed up once again by emergency signee Pat Street. For Port Huron, defenseman Brian Deeth was a healthy scratch.

Komets Crush Icehawks 7-2, Stave Off Elimination

Is history repeating itself? Two years ago, the Fort Wayne Komets found themselves down 3-1 to the Port Huron Icehawks in their Turner Cup Finals series. That team bounced back by winning the next 3 games in a row, capping a record-setting season with the ultimate accolade, the Turner Cup. This year, the Komets again found themselves down 3-1 to the Icehawks, though this time it was in the semifinals round. Like in 2008, the Komets rallied with a commanding victory on Friday night to send the series back to Port Huron. But it didn't look like it would turn out that way early on. In fact, it looked like it would be more of the same. Fort Wayne was getting its chances but having trouble capitalizing on them. Then referee Jim Hawthorne called Komets forward Mitch Woods for roughing and defenseman Guy Dupuis for interference at 15:45 and 17:12 respectively, giving Port Huron not only their first power play of the night, but also a 5-on-3 for 33 seconds. The Komets successfully killed both penalties -- the first positive sign of the night for them -- but less than a minute later, with just 3.2 seconds remaining to play in the first period, Icehawks forward Derek Patrosso fired a hard angle shot from the boards near the goal line as Dupuis was skating past Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher, inadvertently screening him. The puck knuckled over Boucher's glove, beating the goalie short side for a 1-0 lead as the teams headed to the dressing room. An assist went to forward Nick Lindberg. Port Huron did it again just 15 seconds into the middle frame. This time, the Icehawks intercepted a pass from Komets defenseman Bobby Phillips, and forward Mickael Bedard one-timed it past Boucher to give Port Huron a 2-0 lead. Patrosso was credited with an assist. It was looking like it would be a very long night for the Komets, indeed. But after killing off a couple more power plays, Fort Wayne began their rally. Forward P.C. Drouin dug the puck out from the corner and it was picked up by forward Leo Thomas, who then passed it from behind the net to forward David Hukalo in the slot. Hukalo flipped the puck up high, putting it past Icehawks goalie Raffaele D'Orso to make the count 2-1. About a minute later, Port Huron had a prime chance to counter and diffuse the Komets momentum when a Dupuis turnover led to Patrosso skating in on a breakaway, but Boucher made the save to keep things close. It was a game changing play that would pave the way for all that was to come. At 18:52, with the teams skating 4 aside after a roughing call on Port Huron forward Kerry Bowman and a holding call on Komets forward Sean O'Connor, both at 17:09, Fort Wayne knotted the game 2-2. In a display of exceptional effort, forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock kicked the puck out behind the net and spotted forward Matt Syroczynski coming off the bench. Schrock threaded a pass to Syroczynski from the left corner, putting it right on his stick, and Syroczynski sent a one-timer into the twine. As the 20:00 mark of the second period, Hawthorne called a hooking penalty on Icehawks forward Peter Flache, and 50 seconds into the third period, Fort Wayne cashed it in. Port Huron defenseman Daniel Tetrault committed a turnover in his own end, allowing Dupuis to send a shot on net. Coming off the boards, forward Colin Chaulk deflected it in for a power play goal and the Komets first lead of the game at 3-2. The Icehawks continued to press, but this just led to more mistakes. At 6:34, forward Justin Chwedoruk stole the puck from a Port Huron defenseman and backhanded a chip shot over D'Orso on a breakaway to stretch the lead to 4-2. The Komets killed off a questionable boarding call on Thomas at 10:02 before Tetrault was sent off for holding at 12:49. Once again, Fort Wayne made their rivals pay. At 13:39, Syroczynski redirected the puck straight up over D'Orso's shoulder for a 5-2 lead. Hukalo and Drouin got the assists. Right about then, the Icehawks sensed that it just wasn't going to be their night. As their thoughts turned to the bus ride home and the suddenly necessary game 6, they gave up 2 more goals. At 16:28, Woods skated up the middle towards D'Orso on a breakaway before passing the puck to Chwedoruk for a slap shot from the right circle, extending the lead to 6-2. Just over a minute later, O'Connor capped the scoring at 7-2 with a rebound goal at 17:36. Assists went to Drouin and Thomas. The Komets and Icehawks next meet on Saturday night in Port Huron, MI, where the Icehawks, at least, are hoping to prevent another bout of déjà vu. Boucher made 32 saves on 34 shots for the victory. D'Orso stopped 32 of 39.

Notes: Announced attendance was 7091. In a notable switch, the Komets were 2 for 5 on the power play; the Icehawks were 0 for 5. Port Huron outshot Fort Wayne 16-10 in the first period but Fort Wayne outshot the Icehawks 17-6 in the third and 39-34 overall. For Fort Wayne, forward Brad MacMillan did not play after having surgery on his nose last Tuesday. Also out was Justin Hodgman, who was serving the second game of a 2 game suspension -- the result of a postgame slash on Port Huron forward Nick Lindberg in game 3 on Sunday night. The Icehawks were missing goalie Larry Sterling, who appeared to suffer a concussion during the second period of game 4 on Wednesday night. Pat Street of Fredonia State College was brought in to be D'Orso's emergency back-up. Also scratched was defenseman Brian Deeth.