The Fort Wayne Komets moved into second place in the International Hockey League by beating the Port Huron IceHawks 5-1 on Saturday night before 8,010 Memorial Coliseum fans.
The Komets scored first 22 seconds after the opening faceoff when Matt Syroczynski threw a puck in front of the Port Huron goal where Konstantin Shafranov reached around the defenseman to tap it in. The Komets added to the lead six minutes later when P.C. Drouin scored his 20th of the season with an unassisted tally.
"I thought we played really well defensively again and had a really good first period," Komets coach Al Sims said. "We've done that the last three games and obviously it's spelled easy victories for us."
The win was the Komets' third in a row and ended a three-game homestand that saw them out-score Bloomington, Muskegon and Port Huron 14-3.
"We're really thrilled with keeping teams like Port Huron and Muskegon down to one goal or two," Sims said. "We'll win most of those games."
Port Huron cut the margin to 2-1 early in the third period, but Drouin, Colin Chaulk and Sean O'Connor scored for the Komets who kept pouring on the offensive pressure.
Muskegon won at Quad City so the Komets were unable to gain ground on the first-place Lumberjacks.
The Komets also knocked their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to seven points.
Fort Wayne lost forward Brad MacMillan to a separated shoulder on his first shift of the game. He'll see the team doctor on Monday.
Comments
Food for thought--I am just asking a question here, What if the present owners of the Muskegon Lumberjacks sold their team? They can do that. The new owners could and would than move the team to (I don't know) say Hoffman Estates. They would play in the Sears Centre. The owner would have a complete team. There would be no dispersal draft. Wouldn't that just drive some of you crazy? I swear I have no knowledge or inside information. I may be the idiot on this one. My mind just went off on a tangent. Forgive me.
I think you are onto something Dschebig./I would take Dipace from musky.
Muskegon just beat Port Huron, so we stay in second place for now.
That would be a neat scenario, Dschebig.
mightbite-With my scenario there would be no buddy to take. zero, zip, nada ! :)
sooo, whats the word on expansion next year? anyone heard of any new teams joining the I next year?
They do not have an exempted roster spot this year for an amateur player.
Chicago is already more than likely coming back next year and already has their original franchise, they don't need Muskegon's franchise.
could someone put a franchise in muskegon next year? how much is a expansion franchise fee?
Blake-I didn't sale sell the franchise just the team. They (Muskegon) have already served notice they will not have a franchise next year. The guy in Chicago needs a team, eqp, ect. I know I am out of my mind.
If they could work out an agreement with LC Walker, yes.
But I think the USHL has rights to the arena with their lease agreement. I know the AAHL is there, but I am sure there is plenty of fine print to prevent the IHL to put a team right back into the mix there.
I see what you mean now.
Blake, email me. Mike
just wondered because friday night chase asked hextall about muskegon and i didnt hear exactly what hextal said but chase commented that you say that with a sly smile and we"ll leave it at that. so that made me wonder if maybe something was brewing up in muskegon for next year. we can only hope!
There's something in the bylaws about giving the league a certain amount of time to be able to find new ownership to move into a situation like that. I don't know that I'd count on it.
I guess anything is possible. But couldn't LC Walker essentially say no to the IHL??? I could see the IHL try to bring the AAHL team into the league from Muskegon, but is the final decision on the behalf of whoever runs LC Walker???
I guess that if LC Walker looks at it financially, they would most likely get more people to an IHL game then they would an USHL game. I think the folks in Musky would rather support what they have had for 50 years rather than having the USHL crammed up their buttocks. If I had the choice of the 2, I know which I would pick with no hesitation whatsoever. IHL.
The current owners of the (pro) Lumberjacks, the Patulskis (sp?), operate the arena and will continue to run the arena even after the Pro Lumberjacks (the USHL team will also be known as the Lumberjacks) fold. I would bet that the IHL would have a tough time re/negotiating a lease, especially if you put any merit to the rumor that the Patulski's will take over ownership of the USHL Lumberjacks in a couple years...
Then I don't get the Bob Chase and Hextall conversation and once again the idea that they know more and are smarter than everyone else. Like they were more in the know when the report came out that Musky was leaving.....to go to the USHL. Just pretend it won't happen I guess?
The naysayers weren't too awful bad today.
Neither were the smoochers.
I have heard two, possibly three teams coming into the IHL next year.
Also Port Huron played terrible Saturday and I would say that it wouldn't have mattered who was in goal. The first three goals were on the defense or lack of. The fourth was man on man.
Tab is on Injured Resrerve along with Stillman, Hanson, Aufrey, Kinnie, Rouleau, Selleke.