Komets gain two more wins

Fort Wayne, IN – After a week that saw the Komets take two wins from Wheeling, the team enters the final week of April with a share of the top spot in the Western Conference. The Komets record now sits at 20-9-3-1 with a winning percentage of .677. The team will finish their six-game stretch with Wheeling, Friday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum before heading to Wheeling for a game Saturday night.  The Komets will return home to host the Florida Everblades on Sunday.

Last week’s results 

Fri 4/23 vs Wheeling  FW 5 – WHL 2 W 

Sat 4/24 vs Wheeling FW 7 – WHL 2 W

Sun 4/25 vs Wheeling  FW 3  – WHL 5 L

About last week-- Friday, the Komets peppered the Wheeling Nailers with 41 shots on net on their way to a 5-2 victory.  Jackson Leef scored the game’s first goal at 8:28 of the first period, with Stephen Harper and Justin Vaive picking up assists.  Wheeling would tie the score at 11:51 of the second period. Shawn Szydlowski would net a power play goal at 12:24 of the second to give the Komets the lead.  The Komets would then get markers from Oliver Cooper, Justin Vaive, and Alan Lyszczarczyk to complete the Komets scoring. The Komets limited the Nailers to 18 shots on goal, as rookie goaltender Robbie Beydoun would get the win in net making 16 saves.  The two teams combined for 86 minutes in penalties. 

Saturday night, the Komets hosted Wheeling for the second straight night and handed the Nailers another defeat, with the score being 7-2.  Marco Roy and Anthony Petruzzelli would get first period goals to give the Komets an early lead.  Randy Gazzola would tally his third goal of the season to open the scoring in the second period.  The Nailers would climb to within one goal with back-to-back goals at 12:01 and 16:28 of the second period.  Blake Siebenaler would be credited with his fourth goal at 17:05 to give the Komets a two-goal lead heading into the final period.  In the third, Mason Primeau would score his first Komets’ goal at 10:49, followed by an empty net goal from Anthony Petruzzelli.  Wheeling would take a late penalty to give the Komets their third power play of the game.  Jackson Leef would complete a three-point night by scoring his fifth goal of the season at 19:45, with Mason Primeau and Connor Corcoran adding assists.  Goaltender Robbie Beydoun would get his third straight win making 38 saves.   

Sunday, the Komets were unable to complete the weekend sweep, dropping the finale to the Nailers 5-3.  Marco Roy scored on a power play at 3:40 of the first period to give the Komets another early lead.  Wheeling’s Pat McNally took a double-minor for high sticking at 7:20 to put the Komets back on the power play.  The Nailers would turn the short-handed situation into two goals taking a 2-1 lead.  Wheeling would put another on the board to open the scoring in the second period.  The Komets Morgan Adams-Moisan would score at 11:07 to cut the lead back down to one.  AJ Jenks would then tie the game at 12:41 of the third period.  The deadlock would be broken by the Nailers at 19:01 giving them back the lead.  An empty netter would conclude the scoring with Komets goaltender Louis-Phillip Guindon getting the loss after making 29 saves.

For the week— Anthony Nellis would appear in all three games last week posting four assists.  Jackson Leef added two goals and two assists in two games.  Anthony Petruzzelli also scored two goals and two assists in three games played.  Stephen Harper was credited with three assists. Shawn Szydlowski, Alan Lyszczarczyk, AJ Jenks, and Marco Roy would finish with three points each, while Randy Gazzolla, Mason Primeau, Morgan Adams-Moisan, and Blake Siebenaler would each have two points.  Oliver Cooper had one goal and Connor Corcoran, Nick Boka, Matt Murphy, Mathieu Brodeur, and Olivier Galipeau each dished an assist.  Robbie Beydoun won both of his starts, surrendering four goals on 58 shots.  Louis-Phillip Guindon went 0-1 giving up four goals on 33 shots. 

Special K's— Last week, the Komets scored four power play goals on 13 advantages, while the only giving up one power play goal on 12 chances.  The Komets will enter the week with the number one power play in the league scoring on 28.5 percent of their power play opportunities.  The team is number two in the league killing off penalties at 87.1 percent.

Komet streaks— The Komets have won four straight home games. Anthony Petruzzelli has points in three straight games. Goaltender Robbie Beydoun has won his last three starts. Shawn Szydlowski has points in his last four home games. 

Komet leaders—

Points: Hawkins 31

Goals:  Hawkins 19

Assists: Gazzola 21

PP Goals: Hawkins   10

SH Goals: Smallman 3

GW Goals:  Hawkins 3

                     Petruzzelli 3

Shots: Hawkins 126

PIM: Adams-Moisan 71

+/- : Petruzzelli +10

Milestones – Saturday night Anthony Petruzzelli scored his 100th career point as a Komet.  Olivier Galipeau skated in his 150th pro game on Saturday.  Justin Vaive’s next goal will be his 100th in the ECHL.  Oliver Cooper and Mason Primeau scored their first professional goal Saturday.  Connor Corcoran had his pro assist/point in Saturday’s 7-2 win.

Icing the puck— The Komets had 43 minutes in penalties Friday night versus Wheeling.  That was the highest single game total of the season. The teams would combine for 86 total minutes, also a season high.  The Komets allowed 40 shots on net Saturday night that was the most the team has allowed in a game this season, the 18 shots allowed in the second period was also a season high for a single period.  The first period continues to be the Komets strongest. The team is outscoring their opponents 37-26 with a record of 14-2-2 when netting the first goal of the game and 14-0-3 when leading after one period. The Komets continue to be stingy giving up shots on net.  17 times this season the club has held the opposition to under 25 shots and they continue to lead the league allowing 24.03 per game. 

This week, the Komets will host the Nailers Friday then travel to Wheeling Saturday.  Sunday, the Komets will host the Florida.  The Everblades are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference.