The Komets kicked off their 74th season at the Fishers Event Center against rivals the Indy Fuel and left with a 4-0 win.
Both teams wasted no time with a physical first period, with Indy’s Michael Marchesan going to the box for slashing at 2:02 and Jadon Joseph following at 2:44 for an accompanying slashing call. Joseph’s penalty granted the Komets their first goal of the season at 4:29 off a power-play from Blake Murray with Dillon Hamaliuk and Matt Murphy on the assist.
The start of the second period featured more restraint in physicality, but was quickly shaken loose after Jayden Grubbe’s goal at 12:31 with assists from Brady Stonehouse and Ian Pierce. A battle at 14:38 between Nick Deakin-Poot and Michael Marchesan left the former with a minor for boarding and a major for fighting. At the same time, the latter was handed down a minor for instigation, a major for fighting, and a game misconduct penalty. James Stefan tacked on a last-minute goal with less than a second on the clock to finish off the period with help from Dillion Hamaliuk and Jayden Grubbe.
The Komets held the lead down in the third, killing off their penalties at 4:42 to Matthew Brown for holding and to James Stefan for interference at 4:42. Indy’s Jadon Joseph returned to the box at 13:54, giving the Komets a 4-on-4. This gave the Komets the extra edge they needed to cap off their final tally at four with a goal at 19:58 from Kirill Tyutyayev. Nathaniel Day polished off the Komets’ first victory of the season with a shutout, halting all 27 shots.
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