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.

Komets Pushed to Brink; Lose in Port Huron 4-2

When the Komets gave up home ice advantage to the Port Huron Icehawks in game 3 of their IHL Playoffs semifinal series last Sunday night, they wound up losing a lot more than just the game. Recently returned Komets forward Justin Hodgman -- the team's "golden boy" through two previous Turner Cup runs in 2008 and 2009 -- lost his composure and committed a vicious slash to the ankle of Icehawks forward Nick Lindberg as the buzzer sounded. In one moment of thoughtlessness, he may have ended Fort Wayne's hopes for a "three-peat". Or at least put them in great jeopardy. On Tuesday, the Komets learned that they would have to play without Hodgman, one of their most prolific scorers thus far and a player who has the ability to energize the entire team, for games 4 and 5 -- games that could potentially decide the series. Heading into Wednesday's contest, the team vowed that it would make no difference, and indeed, it was the closest thing to a must-win for the Komets short of an elimination game. Yet as the contest began, something seemed to be missing. In each of the previous 3 contests, Fort Wayne had been the one to jump out to the early lead, but this time it would be the Icehawks that got on the board first at 17:23 of the first. Komets forward Colin Chaulk had been sent to the box for hooking by referee Bob Langdon at 16:29, giving Port Huron the man advantage -- something Fort Wayne had wanted to avoid as much as possible. Just under a minute later, Port Huron had a 1-0 lead on a shot from the right faceoff circle by forward Mike Kinnie that found the back of the net after a series of back and forth touch passes typical of Port Huron's surprisingly lethal power play. Assists went to forwards Brandon Naurato and Nick Lindberg. The Komets had their chances as well, but they never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Their strategies were too easily predicted and countered. In short, they just seemed to be missing something -- or someone. As the second period began, Komets forward Matt Syroczynski appeared to be favoring one leg due to a possible minor injury sustained near the end of the opening frame, but he did not leave the game. Fort Wayne wasn't the only team that would have to deal with injury. There was a scary moment at the 7:42 mark when Icehawks goalie Larry Sterling was involved in a collision behind his net that also involved Port Huron forward Paul Cianfrini and Chaulk. Sterling's leg got clipped by the players' sticks, and he hit his head on the ice, lying motionless for what seemed like an eternity. When he finally awoke, he seemed confused, and was soon escorted back to the team's locker room by Icehawks' athletic trainer Kristie Hittle. Meanwhile, Port Huron's new junior league goalie Raffaele D'Orso was pressed into service. Talk about a baptism by fire. When play resumed, it was initially the Icehawks who were pressing their advantage, no doubt fired up over losing Sterling. At 10:46 there was a hard hit on Fort Wayne forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock that could be deemed retaliatory. Then at 11:33, Port Huron Forward Brandon Kaleniecki got to a rebound and extended the lead to 2-0. Assists went to Kinnie and defenseman Mike Gershon. The announced crowd of 1230 broke into a taunt of Komets goalie Nick Boucher, heartily enjoying their team's success. But as Fort Wayne could have told them, 2 goal leads can be quick to evaporate. At 18:06, Naurato was whistled for an overly aggressive slash from behind on Komets defenseman Danko Mironovic, while Icehawks forward Matt Auffrey was sent off with an unsportsman-like penalty, giving Fort Wayne 2 full minutes of 5-on-3 time. At 18:34, they cashed it in. Komets forward P.C. Drouin tallied with a shot from the left circle that cut the deficit to 2-1. Syroczynski and Chaulk were awarded the assists. The goal not only got the Komets on the scoreboard, it was an attitude changer as well. Suddenly Fort Wayne was actually making a game of it. The Komets newfound fire didn't fade during the second intermission and just 4:52 into the final frame, they knotted the game 2-2. Defenseman Kevin Bertram fired a shot at a hard angle from the bottom of the left circle, and the puck bounced in off the side of D'Orso's pads. Chaulk was credited with an assist. Immediately after the goal, play was again stopped for several long minutes as some cracked glass behind the net had to be replaced. It is unclear as to whether the delay took its toll on Fort Wayne's momentum or if it was merely the will of the hockey gods, but just when things had finally started looking up, they were just about to fall apart entirely for the Komets. At 11:56 they failed to score on a prime opportunity -- arguably the best of the game. Forward David Hukalo had a 2-on-0 breakaway with Syroczynski, but when Hukalo passed the puck, Syroczynski's shot went into the corner. Moments later, Syroczynski had the puck again, but was unable to handle it a second time. At 13:13, the Komets got a lucky break when Langdon missed a roughing call on Fort Wayne forward Sean O'Connor, instead sending off Icehawks forward Kris Vernarsky for his retaliatory roughing actions. But even that good fortune soon turned sour. At 14:24, Chaulk took an interference penalty that ended the man advantage. Then at 15:08 -- just 5 seconds before Vernarsky's penalty was set to expire -- Bertram joined Chaulk in the box, also for interference, thus handing Port Huron 1:11 of 5-on-3 time with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game. The first half of the power play passed without incident, but the Icehawks weren't about to waste a gift-wrapped chance like this. A timeout was called by head coach Stan Drulia, and when the game resumed, Port Huron capitalized with just 6 seconds remaining before the Chaulk penalty expired. A shot from the point by Icehawks defenseman Jamie Lovell was knocked down by Mironovic but Vernarsky was there to pick up the puck and put it past Boucher for a 3-2 lead. Defenseman Daniel Tetrault picked up the other assist. Then to add insult to injury, the Icehawks scored again at 16:58, this time with a 5-on-4 advantage, to cap the scoring at 4-2 and seal the victory. Kinnie got the rebound goal while Vernarsky and Lovell assisted on the play. With 1:31 left to play, Fort Wayne pulled Boucher, but unlike Port Huron, could do nothing with the man advantage. The Komets and Icehawks now head back to Fort Wayne for game 5 in the series to be played at 8 PM on Friday night. The win gives Port Huron a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, and puts them just 1 game away from advancing to the Turner Cup Finals. Sterling stopped all 14 of the shots he faced before leaving the game. D'Orso made 26 saves on 28 shots in relief. Boucher made 25 saves on 29 shots for the loss.

Notes: The Komets went 1 for 6 on the power play; the Icehawks went 3 for 6. Fort Wayne outshot Port Huron 13-10 in the first, 15-6 in the second, 14-13 in the third, and 42-29 overall. Komets forward Brad MacMillan did not play after having an operation to fix his broken nose on Tuesday. Defenseman Keith Rodger returned to action after being a healthy scratch for 3 games. For Port Huron, Lindberg, who apparently escaped serious injury in the Hodgman incident, did play. The Komets also trailed the Icehawks 3-1 in their 2008 Turner Cup Finals series after losing the first 2 games, winning game 3, and losing game 4. Fort Wayne came back to win the championship that year by taking the next 3 games in a row. This year, it is the Icehawks that have won 3 games in a row after losing game 1 of the series in Fort Wayne.

Hodgman Suspended For Playoff Games 4 and 5

From the IHL:

Fort Wayne forward Justin Hodgman has been issued a two (2) game suspension for his actions during IHL Playoff Game B-3, Port Huron @ Fort Wayne, on Sunday, April 25th. The suspension is being issued under Rule 29 (Supplementary Discipline) as a result of a slash at the end of the game. Hodgman will be ineligible to participate in the following playoff contests:

IHL Playoff Game B-4, Fort Wayne @ Port Huron, Wednesday, April 28th

IHL Playoff Game B-5, Port Huron @ Fort Wayne, Friday, April 30th

Komets Lose Home Ice Advantage in 4-3 Loss to Icehawks

After a tough overtime loss in Port Huron the night before, the Fort Wayne Komets were hoping for a strong showing on home ice Sunday night to get their playoff hopes back on track. Instead, it was the Port Huron Icehawks who again came out of the contest with the upper hand, and this time, that also included the coveted prize of home ice advantage for the remainder of the series. As was the case on Saturday, the Komets came out strong in the opening frame. Forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock put a big hit on Icehawks captain Kevin Hansen seconds after the puck had dropped. But just moments later, Port Huron returned the favor when forward Mickael Bedard, the Icehawks hero from the night before, had a hard hit on Schrock from behind. In many ways, those incidents represented the game in a microcosm. The Komets wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard. At 3:33, forward Colin Chaulk was skating across the offensive zone from right to left with Port Huron defenseman Rob Cowan on his shoulder. Chaulk spotted forward Justin Hodgman cutting towards the front of the net from the left and passed him the puck when the alignment was such that Icehawks goalie Larry Sterling would not see. Hodgman then knocked the puck into the net at close range for the 1-0 lead. It was Hodgman's third goal in as many playoff games. Defenseman Brandon Warner picked up the other assist. At 12:29 Fort Wayne defenseman Kevin Bertram and Port Huron forward Kris Vernarsky were sent off with coincidental roughing minors, but while in possession of the puck, the Icehawks weren't displaying much "punch". Fortunately for them, Sterling was having another stellar night in goal. For the most part. He made great saves on Hodgman, Chaulk and forward Justin Chwedoruk, all around the 16:00 mark, but was finally beaten by Komets defenseman Guy Dupuis at 18:21. Icehawks forward Derek Patrosso had been sent to the box for holding by referee Craig Welker as of 17:20, giving Fort Wayne the man advantage. Hodgman set up the goal by working the puck free in the left corner and sending it to Dupuis at the top of the slot for a low slap shot that squeezed between Sterling and the post, extending the Komets lead to 2-0. Syroczynski was also credited with an assist. But early in the second period, Fort Wayne began to run into penalty trouble. At 1:07, Chwedoruk was whistled for hooking. At 1:38, Bertram joined him in the sin bin for tripping, giving Port Huron a 5-on-3 power play. At 2:18, they cashed it in when defenseman Jamie Lovell took a pass from forward Brandon Naurato, who was positioned to the right of the net. Lovell's shot from the edge of the left circle slipped past Komets goalie Tim Haun to cut the deficit to 2-1. Vernarsky was also awarded an assist. Then at 10:36, Lovell struck again to knot the game at 2-2. After patiently waiting for the ideal shot, Lovell sent a slap shot top-shelf from the point and into the twine. Assists went to defenseman Mike Gershon and forward Peter Flache. Alarmed to have lost their 2-goal advantage so quickly, the Komets answered just 29 seconds later at 11:05, hoping to put a damper on Port Huron's sudden momentum. On a 2-on-1 break, Hodgman carried the puck up the ice on the right before passing it to Syroczynski on his left for a shot from the edge of the left face-off circle that made the count 3-2. But Fort Wayne once again began to draw unnecessary penalties as the period came to a close. At 18:37, forward Leo Thomas was sent off with a 2 minute infraction for high sticking -- a penalty that wouldn't expire until 37 seconds into the final frame. Though the Komets successfully killed that penalty, it would later stand as the turning point in the game. At 2:58 of the third, Chaulk took a hooking call which led to power play goal by Icehawks forward Matt Auffrey. At 3:10, forward Mike Kinnie sent a crossing pass from the left circle to Auffrey, who was waiting at the right corner of the goal crease. Auffrey tucked it in behind Haun to draw Port Huron even again at 3-3. The Icehawks handed Fort Wayne a 5-on-3 power play after forward Brandon Kaleniecki and Hansen were sent to the box at 6:13 and 7:38 respectively, both for slashing. Hansen also drew a 10-minute misconduct for complaining about the call. Things were suddenly looking up for the Komets. Except that they failed to capitalize with the man advantage and were soon on the penalty kill again. Chwedoruk took a pair of penalties at 10:03 for tripping and 14:28 for interference. The second penalty was a questionable call, but it was the one that proved fatal. From in front of the net, Naurato batted in a rebound of a shot by Auffrey from the left point to give Port Huron its first lead in regulation of the series to date -- 4-3. After that, the Icehawks merely had to hold on. At 17:33, Komets forward Brad MacMillan and Gershon were whistled for roughing, but MacMillan picked up an additional 10 minute misconduct that ended his night. Chwedoruk was sent back to the box to serve MacMillan's roughing penalty since he was so well acquainted with it already. The final minutes of the game ticked away in a blur. With 1:14 remaining, Sterling made an impressive save on an attempt by Thomas, after which Komets coach Al Sims opted to pull Haun. With 27 seconds remaining, Chwedoruk was reportedly blocked from coming out of the box by Welker. Neither team was able to find the net. And then it was over. As the horn sounded, Sterling appeared to charge at Hodgman, who had directed a couple of postgame slashes at Port Huron forward Nick Lindberg, but he was quickly restrained by teammates who surrounded Sterling to congratulate him on the win. Sterling stopped 33 of 36 shots for the victory. Haun made 24 saves on 28 shots. The Icehawks now lead the IHL Turner Cup semifinals series 2-1 with game 4 scheduled to be played in Port Huron, MI on Wednesday night.

Notes: Announced attendance was 6591. The Icehawks were 3 for 7 on the power play; the Komets went 1 for 6. Fort Wayne outshoot Port Huron 13-4 in the first period and 36-28 overall. Defenseman Keith Rodger was a healthy scratch for the Komets. Rodger suffered a broken nose after being hit by Hodgman's stick in practice on Thursday and was having breathing problems. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum's new jumbotron scoreboard was damaged during a Friday night "Rock and Worship" rock concert. The south facing side pointing towards the press box had a large white area where game statistics should have been. Statistics were provided to broadcasters by either moving them or via a special feed.

Two More "Fans in the Stands" Interviews Now On Youtube

Wendy Bartle's Komets Game of the Week "Fans in the Stands" interviews with Rachel Alexander (a.k.a. Five Minute Major) and Andy Rice are now posted on YouTube, the video sharing website. Rachel is a fixture at Komets games behind the visitors' bench, where her family has had season tickets for several years. The interview includes a discussion on the status of ice hockey in Australia. Rachel records Komets games for a friend who lives there. Andy Rice is a participant in the sport of roller hockey and discusses the differences between roller hockey and ice hockey. He also comments on some of the Komets-related people he has known through roller hockey, including P.A. Announcer Larry Schmidt and forward Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock. The interviews can be viewed via the links below.

Rachel Alexander "Five Minute Major" -- (12-4-09)

Andy Rice interview -- (12-9-09)

Additional links will be posted as they become available, so please, keep checking back!