The Komets won their sixth consecutive game overall and sixth in a row on the road Friday night, 4-1 over Bloomington. They'll try to stretch both streaks to seven at Flint tonight before hosting the Generals on Sunday.
P.C. Drouin scored a goal and two assists and Nick Boucher made 26 saves for the Komets, including stopping a penalty shot in the second period against Bloomington's Bill Bagron. Boucher had turned the puck over and in the ensuing scramble threw his stick at the puck. The Komets were leading 2-0 at the time.
“We just missed a goal at the other end, and then we mishandled the puck,'' Komets coach Al Sims said. “Then he missed the net on the penalty shot. It was a pretty big moment.”
The Komets also got goals from Guy Dupuis, Bobby Phillips and Matt Syroczynski.
Fort Wayne allowed only five shots on goal in the second period and out-shot the PrairieThunder 28-27 in the game.
“We played really well in the neutral zone and slowed them down,” Sims said. “They had trouble getting to the red line and into our end with any speed.”
Leading goal-scorer Leo Thomas returned to the Fort Wayne lineup after missing Wednesday's game with a sore knee, but Konstantin Shafranov missed the game with the flu. Komets General Manager David Franke also said Friday the team would like to hold David Hukalo out of the lineup until Wednesday's home game against Bloomington if possible. Hukalo is on injured reserve with torn back muscles but is just about ready to play.
Comments
The K's are hot right now and finding ways to win; but tonight was as much playing against a team with very little offensive identity right now as it was being hot... Boucher made some very odd plays on pucks and was flat out lucky that the Thunder couldnt capitalize on wide open nets. They were lucky that 2 key components of the Thunder's PP are on the shelf right now because the K's took alot of dumb penalties again and the Thunder on at least 3 PP's couldnt even manage a shot on goal (They take that many penalties against the Icehawks or Lumberjacks and they are doomed)... Watching these Komets play, I think they could get called for 379 slashing penalties per game alone...wow, they like to whack the heck out of people...lol The best thing to see was that the team came out ready to play and working hard. Shrock didnt look out of place playing with Syro and Chaulk at all... Roger and Woodard didnt play much at all from what I noticed. Is Roger in the doghouse? He is twice the D-man Warner is and yet with all of Warner's goof's he's still getting a regular D shift. Have you heard anything Blake?
Are the Komets taking plenty of pucks with them to Flint?......everyone always plays better when teamed up with Chaulk......I agree with JR concerning Warner, he makes me nervous......this team takes a lot of penalties, they have done it all year long. Mostly by the vets which drives me crazy. Too late for them to change their ways now......with four games in five nights it would be nice to have a full line-up. I suppose David Franke is correct by holding Hukalo back until Wednesday. He will have to make a roster move and I bet he doesn't want to gamble on Hukalo being in game shape in the middle of the weekend games. I'm going on record, and as I have stated before, I would shut Hukalo down for the season to let his shoulder, back, and any effects from his concussion completely heal.....this is a big game tonight as with a win the K's will gain ground on either Muskegon or Port Huron. The travel from Fort Wayne to Bloomington to Fort Wayne to Flint may be tough to handle within a 24 hour period, then they will play their third game (plus the travel) within 46 hours when they come back home with a 5pm game on Sunday...... with the games in hand that they enjoy with both Port Huron and Muskegon, this could be a pivotal two games starting tonight and Sunday.
I think a lot of us can agree on who we think should go, but those of us who feel that way also know he won't be the one to go. Since that player is untouchable, it'll be tough to shut someone else down that probably isn't deserving of it.
Scarlato and Woods fought 40 seconds into the game tonight at Flint. Woods got smacked around 4 or 5 punches and then Scarlato pulled him down. Win to Scarlato.
OC is skating on the #1 line tonight with Chaulk and Syro.
Another slow start for the K's. Shaffsma cheapshotted Schrock with an elbow.....wonder if anyone will go at him later in the game?
Flint 1-0 after 1.
Anyone else fall asleep during that first period???
Woods/Scarlato both threw a couple punches early then it reverted to a killer hugging match with Scarlato ending up on top... I guess if you have to "award" a win you can give it to Scarlato for ending up on top...
K's got nothing significant on net as far as scoring chances go and Flint got the K's running around a bit on thier goal. First period goes to Flint since they came out hitting and kept hitting thru the entire period.... Got a lil chippy towards the end.
Flint 1 K's 0 end of 1
Echo.................
Hello down there............
LOL
Somebody did decide to donate a puck to the cause during play and I was waiting for alot more to hit the ice once that first one got thrown out there.... Not a good idea since it was during play, I was holding my breath till a linesman noticed it and got it picked up....
2nd period underway... Bertram with an interference penalty...
K's kill off the penalty....
K's just arent hitting tonight, alot of leaning on their guys in the corners...
I think the K's just got robbed of a goal....
K's going on the PP...
Flint scores a SH goal on a 2-1 break.... Smolinski from Gentile...
Word of the night... FLAT!
Now Woods isn't even winning fights.
Woods and Rheamue with roughing minors.... 4 on 4 hockey
Pascal punked Woods.
Once again, Welcome to the IHL Mitch Woods.....LOL
Will he ever answer the bell?
Can we get some more Scoreboard announcements from Mitch? They are so entertaining and meaningful.
K's just got done killing off 2 penalties in a row...
Flint is winning every facet of this game so far... Nice thing is that the K's are only down 2 goals to this point.
K's going on the PP
Flint taking another penalty... Ref blew the whistle a lil early and the puck ends up in the net... 5 on 3 PP for the K's... K's taking their TO.
Well there is goal #2 that the ref has refused to give the ref.....Homer Flint the announcer has said both times that the Komets should have gotten the goals.
What the heck?
I mean the ref refused to give the Komets. Sorry
Flint up 2-0 after 2 periods... Flint has dominated the play thus far...
First one that got waived off, the ref actually stopped play and talked to the goal judge, so I guess we have to call that one a no goal... Second one he just blew the play dead too early on the delayed penalty. We see that happen too often in hockey these days...
K's are just getting out played tonight...
1 of those goals get counted, and this is a totally different game, that the K's could turn-around with any effort at all in the 3rd. I mean they still can do this, but I don't see the aggressive play at all this game.....once again. They are winning games lately, but is this a team that looks to be playing their best???
NO!!!!
Biggest difference between tonight and last night is that the K's arent hitting tonight...
Bertram just got away with one there... Road his guy straight thru the net away from the puck. K's just cant get anything going tonight, very sloppy, very flat...
K's going on the PP...
MacMillan went in on a check towards the tail end of the PP and is still down on the ice...trainer out
MacMillan helped off the ice...sounds like a leg injury of some kind
Woodard on a nice move makes it 2-1 Flint. At least one assist to Thomas...
Mac left the ice hurt.....
Woodard scores with 7 minutes left.
2-1 Flint