Fort Wayne Komets @ Kalamazoo Wings ... 1-3

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IHL/Game Stats -
http://www.pointstreak.com/stats/pro/boxscore.html?gameid=734845

Fort Wayne Komets 2 @ Kalamazoo Wings 4

Jan 3, 2009-Wings Stadium

STARS of the GAME -
1ST STAR: Tapp, Jason (KZW)
2ND STAR: Jarvis, Rob (KZW)
3RD STAR: Battaglia, Anthony (KZW)

POWER PLAYS -
Fort Wayne 1 for 6
Kalamazoo 0 for 5

SCORING SUMMARY -
Period 1:
Kalamazoo - Rick Cleaver (Lucas Drake, John Glavota) 3:03
Kalamazoo - Tommy Lange (Rob Jarvis, Mark Nebus) 7:13

Period 2:
Fort Wayne - Brian Boulay (Colin Chaulk, P.C. Drouin) 4:12
Kalamazoo - Rob Jarvis (shorthanded) (Glenn Detulleo) 13:06

Period 3:
Fort Wayne - Sean OConnor (powerplay) (Colin Chaulk, Guy Dupuis) 14:03
Kalamazoo - Anthony Battaglia (Justin Cross) 15:28

PENALTIES -
Period 1:
Kalamazoo - Glenn Detulleo - (High Sticking), 2 min, 13:49
Kalamazoo - Glenn Detulleo - (High Sticking), 2 min, 13:49
Kalamazoo - Lucas Drake - (Cross Checking), 2 min, 14:04
Fort Wayne - Guy Dupuis - (Roughing), 2 min, 19:28

Period 2:
Fort Wayne - P.C. Drouin - (Interference), 2 min, 6:27
Kalamazoo - Jason Robinson - (Holding), 2 min, 11:57

Period 3:
Kalamazoo - Justin Cross - (Tripping), 2 min, 6:43
Fort Wayne - Olivier Legault - (Tripping), 2 min, 9:22
Fort Wayne - P.C. Drouin - (Roughing), 2 min, 10:59
Kalamazoo - Glenn Detulleo - (Holding), 2 min, 12:29
Fort Wayne - Olivier Legault - (Roughing), 2 min, 19:30

GOALIES -
Kalamazoo: Jason Tapp-83 60:00 45 43 WIN
Fort Wayne: Nick Boucher-33 59:21 34 30 LOSS

ATTENDANCE: 3,471

REFEREE: Scott Hoberg
LINES 1: Bob Marcis
LINES 2: Dean Pioch

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Wings Website -
http://www.wingsstadium.com/news/2008/01-03_gamerecap_FortWayne.htm

KALAMAZOO DELIVERS A TAPP OUT

K-Wings Goaltender Jason Tapp Saves 45 Shots in 4-2 Victory

Mike Modugno-Director of Public Relations and Broadcaster

January 3, 2009

Kalamazoo, MI – The flipping of the calendar had no effect on Wings Stadium magic, as the Kalamazoo Wings captured their ninth-consecutive victory on home ice, 4-2 over the Fort Wayne Komets Saturday night.

Like the previous night in Flint, the K-Wings dropped a multiple-goal first period on the opposition. Rick Cleaver (13th) extended his goal-scoring streak to four games at 3:03 by snapping a shot from in close over the blocker of Komets goalie Nick Boucher. Cleaver got his prime opportunity thanks to a quick breakout pass from Lucas Drake that set up a 2-on-1 with Glenn Detulleo. Cleaver then cruised down the left side, using Detulleo as a decoy until the last possible moment. With the tally, the productive rookie matched Mark Nebus’ four-game goal run earlier this season.

A little more than four minutes later, Tommy Lange (11th) displayed deft hands to make it 2-0 Kalamazoo. Rob Jarvis released a seemingly harmless wrister from the right point, and Boucher was poised to make a routine stop. Or at least he was poised until Lange got the tip of his blade on the puck, changing its direction enough for it to slide through the goaltender’s legs.

The second frame was just as spirited as the first, with both teams trading brutal hits and a pair of goals. It was defenseman Brian Boulay (2nd) who nailed the opening goal for Fort Wayne at 4:12, burying a one-timer from the top of the left circle behind Kalamazoo goaltender Jason Tapp. Boulay, who has scored both of his goals this season against the K-Wings, got the marker because of a sharp 20-foot dish from Komets teammate Colin Chaulk.

The Komets looked to be on the cusp of tying the game at 11:57 of the period when the K-Wings’ Jason Robinson took a holding minor. However, the power play promptly sputtered, allowing Detulleo to break up ice with the puck, curl back and find the open trailer Jarvis (7th), who whistled a left wing wrist shot past a stunned Boucher for a 3-1 K-Wings advantage after 40 minutes of play. The shorthanded goal was only the third surrendered by the Komets this season and the second allowed to the K-Wings. The shorthanded tally was the fifth scored by Kalamazoo this season, the most in the IHL.

With the Komets pressing to get back within one early in the third, the K-Wings’ Tapp was forced to make several outstanding saves. Tapp, the night’s first star, ended up stopping 43 Fort Wayne shots in the game, but he couldn’t keep the visitors from making it interesting late in the game, as Sean O’Conner put home a rebound on the power play at 14:03.

But the heightened drama would merely last 85 seconds, thanks to Anthony Battaglia’s (10th) bad-angle, top-shelf goal at 15:28 that provided the final margin. With some help from Justin Cross in the right corner, Battaglia pulled the puck out of a scrum and squeezed a shot through on the short side for a 4-2 K-Wings lead.

Mark Nebus, who picked up the second helper on Lange’s first-period goal, has now registered at least a point in seven consecutive contests, matching a run by Detulleo earlier this season.

First-place Kalamazoo won for the ninth straight time on Wings Stadium ice (an IHL season best) despite failing to score during five power-play chances.

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Kalamazoo Newspaper -
http://www.mlive.com/kwings/index.ssf/2009/01/tapp_has_43_saves_as_kwings_ho.html#more

TAPP HAS 43 SAVES AS K-WINGS HOLD OFF KOMETS

by Pam Shebest | Gazette

January 03, 2009

KALAMAZOO -- Home-ice is definitely sweet for the Kalamazoo Wings, who extended their Wings Stadium winning streak to nine games in a row and 10-2 overall with a 4-2 win against the Fort Wayne Komets Saturday night.
Brett Beier | Special to the GazetteK-Wings forward Tommy Lange gets a congratulatory hug from teammate Mark Nebus following Lange's 11th goal of the season Saturday night.

The fast and feisty win keeps the K-Wings (21-10-0-0) all alone in first place in the International Hockey League.

"We don't want to give it up," K-Wings coach Nick Bootland said of first place. "We knew how important it was to win this game. We found a way to win in our building and played well in front of our crowd (3,471)."

Talking about the streak, "It's all about the atmosphere around here," Bootland said. "The atmosphere of our crowd and making it a tough building to play in."

Trailing 3-1 going into the third period, the Komets' Sean O'Connor popped a power-play rebound into the net at 14:03 to close the deficit to one goal.

But just 1:25 later, Anthony Battaglia gave the K-Wings another two-goal cushion and, in spite of pulling goalie Nick Boucher in the last minute, the Komets got no other shots past goalie Jason Tapp.

Tapp, who was named the star of the game, withstood several barrages, including point-blank shots, among his 43 saves.

"It felt really good to get back in there, that's the funnest part of the game," said Tapp, who was the backup to Joel Martin for the last three games. "I'm so used to playing every night, so it's a little different feel to everything right now.
Jason Tapp

"Marty (was backup) while I was hot, and right now Marty's hot, so we'll just keep going and winning. When you're winning four games a week, it's fun to come to the rink."

As for being peppered with so many shots, Tapp said: "They'd get a flurry there for three or four minutes where they'd pressure us pretty good and then they'd let up for a little bit, then get another flurry. On those nights when you're busy and active, it's easy to play the game, especially when the pucks aren't going in."

The K-Wings came out firing and scored just 3:03 into the game when Rick Cleaver, skating up left wing, kept the puck on a 2-on-1 rush with K-Wings captain Glenn Detulleo and fired past goalie Nick Boucher.

Tommy Lange, tipping a Rob Jarvis blast from the point, scored his first goal since Dec. 16, giving Kalamazoo a 2-0 lead four minutes later.

The K-Wings' penalty kill came up huge against the best power play in the league after Detulleo was handed a four-minute penalty at 13:49 for a high stick on P.C. Drouin that drew blood.

Fifteen seconds later, Lucas Drake was called for cross-checking, giving the Komets a two-man advantage for a full two minutes.

Tapp all but stood on his head as the K-Wings killed off the penalties.

Things started to heat up in the second period after the Komets cut the deficit in half on a Brian Boulay shot from the top of the slot, through traffic, at 4:12.

The K-Wings answered after defenseman Rob Jarvis was left all alone during a Komets line change. Jarvis teed up the puck from the left and fired past Boucher for a shorthanded tally at 13:06.

"I don't always kill penalties, but I was lucky enough to get out there and get a good pass from Detulleo," Jarvis said. "I had actually been wanting to score on Nick Boucher for a while because he went to Dartmouth, like I did (but not at the same time).

"I was kind of laughing after I scored because everybody seemed to take off and give me a lane to the net. Even the goalie kinda moved to the center and let the puck go in."

SHARING THE POINTS: When goalie Joel Martin had an assist in the K-Wings New Year's Eve win against Muskegon, that made Kalamazoo the one team in the IHL where every player has at least one point.

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Fort Wayne Newspaper -
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090104/SPORTS/901040412/-1/SPORTS

WINGS GOALIE STYMIES KOMETS WITH 43 SAVES

January 4, 2009-Journal Gazette Staff

Jason Tapp made 43 saves as Kalamazoo held off the Komets 4-2 Saturday in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Kalamazoo jumped ahead with two goals in the first period. Rick Cleaver made it 1-0 with a goal at 3:03. Tommy Lang extended the lead four minutes later.

Fort Wayne cut into the deficit with a goal by Brian Boulay at 4:12 of the second period. Colin Chaulk and P.C. Drouin assisted.

Kalamazoo answered with a short-handed goal by Rob Jarvis, giving the Wings a 3-1 lead at 13:06 of the second period. Fort Wayne got within one with a power-play goal by Sean O’Connor at 14:03 of the third period. Anthony Battaglia responded with a goal for Kalamazoo at 15:28.