Komets host big triple-header weekend

Fort Wayne, IN – The Komets won one game on the road last weekend in Rapid City and entered the ECHL All-Star break, occupying second place in the Central Division with 39 points (18-16-1-2).

ECHL STANDINGS

Last week’s results 

Wed. 1/11 at Rapid City FW 1 – RC 4 L

Fri. 1/12 at Rapid City FW 3 – RC 1 W

Sat.1/13 at Rapid City FW 5 – RC 9 L

About last week – 

The Komets made the trek to South Dakota to take on the Rush on Wednesday night in the first of a three-game series. Rapid City scored the night's first goal with a strike from Maurizio Colella at 6:38 of the first period. The Rush scored again in the second period when Blake Bennett scored at the 7:00 mark on a power play. The Rush pushed the lead up to three at 16:06. The Komets got their lone goal off the stick of Ethan De Jong at 6:02 of the third period on a power play. That was as close as the Komets would get as Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky made 41 saves. The Rush added an empty net goal to make the final score 4-1. Tyler Parks took the loss for the Komets, making 31 saves.

GAME SHEET

On Friday, the Komets bested the Rush by a final of 3-1. Newly signed Dajon Mingo paid immediate dividends with his first goal of the season at 12:22 of the first period. Ture Linden followed with a power play goal at 10:01 of the second period, assisted by Ethan de Jong and Jack Dugan. In the third, Xavier Cormier followed an Alexis D’Aoust shot to pop in his fifth goal of the season at 4:09 of the third period. Fort Wayne native Alex Aleardi netted Rapid City’s only goal in the third period off of a power play. Tyler Parks grabbed the win, making 19 saves.

GAME SHEET

The Komets finished the three-game series at Rapid City with another loss. The Rush jumped into the lead with a quick strike at 1:13 of the first period. That was followed by a Jake Johnson score to tie the game 1-1. The Rush stuck two more times in the period to make the game 3-1 going into the first intermission. In the second period, the Komets knotted the game with a power play goal from Ethan Keppen and a shorthanded tally from Jack Dugan. The Rush added one more at 17:05 to take a 4-3 into the break. In the third, the Rush opened the game with five straight goals. The Komets Ture Linden and Xavier Cormier added markers in the final minutes to make the last 9-5. The two teams combined for 99 shots on goal, with the Komets attempting 52. Tyler Parks was handed the loss, making 38 saves.

GAME SHEET

Komet streaks— 

Points: 5 games, Dugan (2g, 3a)

Komet leaders—

Points: 39, Dugan (9g, 30a)

Goals: 16, Linden

Assists: 30, Dugan

Power Play Goals: 6, Linden

Short-Handed Goals: 2, Gorniak

Game Winning Goals: 3, Linden

Shots: 126, D’Aoust

PIM: 105, Dugan 

Plus/Minus: +26, Bernard

Home Points: 16, Dugan (2g, 14a)

Home Goals: 8, Wedman

Home Assists: 13, Dugan 

Road Points: 21, Dugan (6g, 15a) 

Road Goals: 8, Linden 

Road Assists: 15, Dugan

Goaltenders

Appearances: 24, Parks

Wins: 12, Parks

Saves: 679, Parks

Goals against Avg: 2.80, Parks

Save percentage: .915, Brochu

Shutouts: 1, Parks

Special K’s – The Komets were 4 of 15 last week on the power play and 8 of 12 on the penalty kill.

Next week – The Komets play at home versus Worcester this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Icing the puck — The Komets returned to Rapid City for the first time since November 2018. Ethan De Jong’s goal in Wednesday’s loss was the first of his pro career. The Komets ended Rapid City’s seven-game home winning streak on Friday. Tyler Parks only faced one shot on net in the second period on Friday night. Three times in Komet history, a goaltender faced zero shots in a period. Stephane Beauregard vs. Peoria, 1/6/90, 2nd period; Kevin St. Pierre vs. Quad City, 10/21/06, 3rd period; Michael Houser vs. Greenville, 2/23/18, 2nd period. The 52 shots in Saturday’s loss were the most in a single game this season. The last time the Komets reached 50 shots in a game was February 11, 2023, at Allen.

Upcoming Promotions

Komet Hockey on WOWO—Fans can follow the action with Shane Albahrani broadcasting play-by-play on WOWO AM 1190 and FM 92.3 FM. Game broadcasts are also streamed live at Komets.com. 

Get Komet Tickets—Tickets are available for all Komet home games at the Memorial Coliseum ticket office and Ticketmaster.com