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.