Amazing 3rd period K's

The amazing thing about the Fort Wayne Komets these days is that they appear to have no panic in them. They coughed up a two-goal lead Wednesday, then got a Brandon Warner game-winning goal from 50 feet out and defeated the Flint Generals 5-3.

That makes it 21 straight victories at home. One more would tie the International Hockey League record, set by the Muskegon Mohawks in 1965-66.

Warner had missed the previous 14 games with a knee injury. But he and fellow defenseman Maxsim Shirokov both stepped it up tonight, with Sergei Durdin injured and Brent Henley sick.

The Komets have trailed or been tied in the third period in each of their last four games and come away with a 3-0-1 record along the way. They are vocal on the bench, coach Al Sims tells me, and focused on the objective. They're also confident they'll get it done in such situations, as you would expect from a team that has a 28-point lead in the standings.

• A Flint official was griping about the third-period refereeing, which seems to be habitual among Fort Wayne opponents these days. Granted the Komets have been getting a lot of calls in the third period. And many seem to think it's some sort of conspiracy. You all know, I have no great love for IHL officials, but I think at this point this isn't conspiracy and it isn't coincidence. Good teams make their own luck and the Komets must be doing something to draw these penalties and get in the other teams' heads.
• Mathieu Curadeau should be in the lineup Friday, Sims said, after missing four games with a groin injury.
• David Hukalo's first period goal was one of the prettiest you'll ever see. Or lucky. Or both. During a 3-on-1 rush, he cradled the puck for what seemed like an eternity, never passing it. Generals defenseman Nick Tuzzolino dove to block it and missed. Hukalo kept holding on and steered through the slot, then lifted the puck above goalie Eric Marvin. I heard someone say, "He probably didn't know what to do with the puck all that time and got lucky instead of passing it." Maybe so, but he'd better tell people he planned it all along.
• Flint is 0-3-1 since firing coach Kevin Kerr and replacing him with Peter South, Steve Pronger and Jason Muzzatti. Yup, great call Gens.
• The Huber Trophy still hasn't been finished, IHL officials said, and I don't yet know when it will be presented to the Komets.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Comments

[Jerad Shaw]

Fun game to watch tonight. Lil sloppy towards the beginning, but championship teams find a way to win. Warner's shot was a rocket top shelf. Shaf and someone else both could have had hooking calls late in the third. I agreed with the no goal call, but not the explination. I didn't hear a whistle and when he skated behind the net, he didn't signal no goal or anything. I just think he knew it wasn't a goal, but didn't sell his call very well.

Conley, I could hear you up top of 212 getting on Marvin, not knowing when to leave. Classic!

[Kris]

Anyone have any video of Huk's goal?

[mightbite]

WINTER STORM WATCH- hope flint can get here saturday.About those k-zoo people=we would be happy to if we played the Redwings 14 times and beat them 1!!!!

[Wingmnn]

Flint has no right to complain. They got a great "no call" with the altercation Woods was in. Mallette came over and grabed Woods and threw him to the ice. Mallette should have been tosed for third man in.

[Teresa]

Wingmnn is right! Even Mallette thought he was getting tossed. He went straight to the dressing room when he came off the ice. I was shocked he didn't get third man in.

[jonndfi]

I think he went straight to the dressing room because there was only 14 seconds left in the period. I to thought he was third man in. Galllagher or Hawthorne would have tossed him. I can't believe they only got two minutes for that. Most times, bad officials would have tossed them.

[St.Christopher]

Cohny are you serious? Zima? Forgive me, been off the blog for a day, you know that 24 hr. shift thing.I'll pony up the Corona's, you skating tomorrow morning at the MAC? We do wings and curls after the skate.

[Jerad Shaw]

I'm just curious here, but can they call a third man in when there is only roughing penalties given out? I'm not sure, that is why I am asking.

I saw you looked a lil lonely with 2 seats beside ya last night Theresa!!!

[St.Christopher]

Jerad...not sure on that,but my best guess is that since it wasn't a full tilt it would be totally up to the descretion of the officials wether to give him a match penalty or not.

[Greg]

I think this team is really showing some character. Getting down and coming from behind shows to me astrenght and a passion that could win the the playoff championship.

[Jerad Shaw]

Your best guess is certainly better then any guess I had. I was confused and asked plenty of people about it!!! I'll take your thoughts and close the case!!

[Burgee]

The Ref did stink, but i am use to it, why isn't flint? Oh wait, they canned their coach a month before the playoffs while they were fighting for second place and devastated with injuries.

You can't fix stupid.

I know, I bet it was another moral victory for flint.

[St.Christopher]

I'm just waiting for Stevie numbers to start his rant on our blog again.

[Wingmnn]

Shaw the call is third man in a altercation. I don't think it has to be a fight, also he should have gotten a penalty anyway because the refs had Woods seperated and he yanked Woods from the ref to the ice.

[Justin Cohn]

The Zima was a joke. But I would get a kick out of you actually having to buy them, so, yeah, I think I want that. ... I am planning on playing -- I'm going colors tomorrow, since I know you want to skate alongside me -- but probably have to go to work from there.

[St.Christopher]

Wingmnn, respectfully disagree on the 3rd man in call.If it would've been an all out tilt then yes, giv'm the 3rd man in. Agree he should've got a roughing call but it's the officials descretion.

[St.Christopher]

I was sweatin the Zima purchase...talk about character assassination. Cohny! Goin dark sweater tomorrow, Booyah!

[Conley]

I was just reading about Foster from the Wild in the nhl and how his leg was broke from a collision racing to an icing call. Is there ever that big of a momentum swing if a team can avoid the call? And should the league make icing an automatic whistle? Curious.

[mightbite]

Automatic icing is safer but it makes D-men lazy. They tried it a few years ago-that was a bad break.

[Wingmnn]

You guys need to check out the the KWing stadium forum and look at the topic of FTWAYNE. They just can not stand it that we have this good of a team and that we must be cheating. FUNNY.

[Hoss]

Man! I wish the Wings players hated us as much as their fans do. Then the games would be a little more fun to watch!

[St.Christopher]

Jaded bunch they are,whew! Wonder if they had the same sentiments about us back when they won the cup in 2006?

[Ryne Gurney]

That tdriscoll97 really doesn't like us. Also the wole lack of call ups business that they seem to be whining about, some of our best players (Chaulk, Bertram, Dupuis) might not play if they weren't playing for Fort Wayne, also the Kwings have the leading scorer in the league.

[Charlie I]

Fantasy Baseball call. If you want in a ESPN league email me at [email protected] or if you prefer a yahoo league here is the link and the password is komets.

http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/kometsbaseball

And Justin are you shell shocked from getting beat down in football you can't join baseball? LOL

[Justin Cohn]

Too much on my plate, Charlie. And that football was an afterthought to the "real league" and wow, did it ever have kooky rules. ... And, yeah, Driscoll, the "journalist" who is so unbiased. lol.

[stratocaster718]

So, Conley, we're dying to know, how did you fix it?

[stratocaster718]

So, Conley, we're dying to know, how did you fix it?

[Ryne Gurney]

Driscoll is a journalist!?, He had a post talking about how nice it would be to be the team to send the Komets packing first round, talk about counting chickens.

[Justin Cohn]

He claims he is, for some weekly paper.