PORT HURON, Mich. -- The Fort Wayne Komets are redefining how to defend a championship.
The two-time International Hockey League champions keep finding ways to keep their season alive. Leo Thomas deflected a pass from Kevin Bertram with 2.1 seconds left to give the Komets a 4-3 win over the Port Huron IceHawks and force a Game 7 in Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. Monday. Tickets go on sale at Noon at the coliseum box office.
``It just shows the character in this room,'' Thomas said. ``We fought and fought. That was definitely the biggest game I've been a part of outside of winning the cup last year. Definitely the biggest goal I've scored.''
This is the third time in six years the Komets have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7, and the second time in three years they've done it against Port Huron. Both times the score was 4-3 in Game 6 at Port Huron.
The Komets led 1-0 after the first period on Thomas's wrist shot off a Guy Dupuis pass. Port Huron goaltender Larry Sterling, who has been battling concussion problems since Game 4, made seven saves in the first period, but could not continue into the second. He was replaced by rookie Raffaele D'Orso.
The IceHawks tied the score early in the second period on a power-play goal by Derek Patrosso on a 5-on-3 power play with Matt Syroczynski and Bertram sitting in the penalty box. The Komets took the lead again as Sean O'Connor drove the net to score on D'Orso 1-on-1.
The lead didn't last as the Komets again gave up a 5-on-3 advantage, this time with goaltender Nick Boucher getting called for hooking and Keith Rodger for roughing after he horse-collared Port Huron's Pete Rouleau. Jamie Lovell scored his third goal of the series.
After a nerve-wrackingly tight first 14 minutes of the third period, the tension kept increasing over the last six minutes. Colin Chaulk scored to give Fort Wayne a 3-2 lead with 5:21 left, but the IceHawks' Mike Kinnie beat Bertram around the back of the Komets' net with 4:13 left to tie it.
The Komets had a couple of chances in the final three minutes before Bertram turned and fired from the blue line to set up Thomas. Was the defenseman, shooting, passing or just throwing it at the net?
``It was a little bit of all of that,'' Bertram said. ``P.C. (Drouin) gave it to me when I was curling back to the blueline, and I knew there was about five seconds left, so I spun and threw it up there and I hit Leo's tape. I didn't know he was back there when I turned, but I was trying to get one last chance, and it wasn't like I knew he was there beforehand.''
The Port Huron power play goals almost ruined a spectacular defensive effort by the Komets who controlled the neutral zone and kept the IceHawks to one goal 5-on-5. Port Huron had the better scoring chances all night as the Komets rarely drove the net or came close to getting to a rebound. Boucher was spectacular all night, keeping his teammates in the game, making 31 saves and providing a wall in front of the Fort Wayne net.
``I think we just thought if we kept playing the same way, we'd get the fourth one,'' Komets coach Al Sims said. ``We had led the whole game by one and we always found a way to get ahead by one. I didn't think it would end with two seconds to go, but we'll take it. We found a way to get it done.''
Comments
I may have game 6 or 7 finals tickets for sale=if the finals go past May 15. / when will mario get suspended=2 major boarding calls.
Man was that fun!!! Met some great people on this trip. Ate some great coney dogs and a Ruben before the game at talked with a waitress that was at game 5 in one of the boxes with the Hawks owner. She said she love the MC and the fans, till they got a little carried away and started dropping F-Bombs at her group (with young kids in the suite) but she didn't judge all of Ft Wayne on a few bad fans...
While eating my Ruben, met Phillips' dad and had some very nice conversion with him. Very nice man!
Bonded with a lot of Komet fans, learned some things about fresh fruit from our car ride up, talked with many of the players at the bus after the game (just like 2008!), got to razz the Icehawk's "PA" guy (I use that term loosely) on his way out and he was a very good sport about it all and thanked us for coming up, got to yell at Larry on his way out and didn't even get run over (UN-like 2008!) and even got a photo with Philips and his dad. Great trip, no voice, resting up for Monday!!!
And yes, Hoberg SUCKED!!!
That Cadillac incident?
Not allowed to talk about that, JM... That non-existing incident gets put in a file with Area 51, the Philadelphia Project, and Lee Harvey Oswald being the lone shooter as far as this blog is concerned.
Black dog, this is alpha leader... please redirect black ops helo to the residence of junglemonkey and frozen water....we have a couple non-conformists...maintain radio silence...we'll pick up our survelience of hit somebody at a later date.... out....
You can talk about it, just don't be an bigger idiot than he was allegedly and suggest that someone retaliate in the same way. I know it's a foreign concept, but I'm trying not to lose my job or open myself or the paper up to a potential lawsuit if something happens because of anonymous postings on a blog. There's things called libel and slander, and don't tell me someone wouldn't be stupid enough to do it, either. Unless you two want to volunteer to pay any potential legal bills.
JungleMonkey could pay those charges 3 times over...Dude is LOADED!
At least Larry learned something over the last two years...drive out the exit away from the fans!!! Classic!
Blake calm down its not a rumor that he almost ran over 3 fans in 2008! Its fact seeing as i was 1 of the 3 and my buddy that was one of the second ones was their with me last night. I did thank larry last night for not runnng me over in 2008. I only got to see the 2 and 3rd periods seeing as when i woke up in the car we were half way to muskeegon haha But that was a heck of a game. Im proud to say i am a komet fan and i was their for the 2008 win in game 6 and the 2010 win in game 6.
Go Komets!
I'm predicting a 4-2 Komet victory tomorrow..
Thanks Blake for letting me ride up with you. It was very much appreciated
Ditto Blake and thanks for the steak dinner and pregame drinks with Hoberg, I can't believe he could stand on his skates, he was pounding that cheap stuff you bougght us. I'm not sitting beside Mark in the car anymore!
mightbite is the idiot
Cannot wait to broadcast the game Monday night!! I know Randy and I will be wound up like an 8 day clock!! So what else is new huh?? Hope it does not go int ot since Randy has to be at work at 11 pm and I go in at 7 tuesday. Do not know if Larry goes monday or not....either way it should be very intense and hope that whomever the ref is he calls a fair game for a change!!! Predict Komets 4 Hawks 3.
mightbite IS THE IDIOT=gets into a fight with broken arm & torn rotator cuff=broken 3 fingers
I'll say it again....Komets win 1-0 with a goal from Warner in OT!!!
My prediction is 6-2 Komets and a bench clearing brawl after goal 6.