Komets Beat Wings, 2-1 In OT
By Kris Hill
Fort Wayne, IN – The Komets(13-10-2) came into tonight’s game 3rd in the North Division four points back of the Cincinnati Cyclones and reeling from back-to-back losses while having the lead going into the third period. They turned the trend around tonight against the Kalamazoo Wings (11-12-3) with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win.
The first period was fairly uneventful. However, the Komets were penalized 3 times and killed the 5-on-3 disadvantage in the middle of the period while the third carried over in the second period. Goalie Kenny Reiter made some spectacular saves during the kills to keep it a scoreless tie.
The Komets killed the carry over penalty, but Daniel Maggio was called for a high-stick 27 seconds into the period. The Komets killed that one off as well as a J.M. Rizk interference penalty. Fort Wayne went 0-3 on the the power play in the second. The first goal was scored by Kalamazoo’s Stefan Schneider at the 4:29 mark and was assisted by Alexandre Mallet. The Komets answered almost five minutes later on Brett Smith’s fifth goal of the year and was assisted by Ryan Lasch and Luca Caputi. The game went without incident until Wings Defenseman Joe Charlebois elbowed Lasch causing Smith to retaliate in a quick fight. Smith was also slapped with a 2 minute instigating minor.
The third period was fairly uneventful. There were two Kalamazoo penalties and one by the Komets, but the crowd felt there should have been more penalties on the Wings. Reiter made more spectacular saves.
In overtime, the Komets held possession for much of the frame and with 44.2 seconds left, Maggio scored a one-timer from Marino and Caputi after Mitch Versteeg was called for cross-checking.
The Komets were 1 for 6 on the power play, while the Wings went 0 for 6.
Fort Wayne’s next game is at home on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM EST (4:30 PM PST) Against the Cincinnati Cyclones. If you are in the area, tickets are still available. Audio is available through the Komets website.
Three Stars:
1. FW – Center Brett Smith (1 G, 0 A, +1)
2. FW – Defenseman Daniel Maggio (1 G, 0 A, 0)
3. FW – Goalie Kenny Reiter (21 saves, 1 GA)
SOG:
Team 1 2 3 O T
Fort Wayne 7 6 10 1 24
Kalamazoo 13 5 4 0 22