Gems defeated 4-3 by Fort Wayne

Published on January 1, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


When the Dayton Gems play at home, it's becoming a trend for fans to sit on the edge of their seat as the game comes to an end.

Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to Fort Wayne was no exception.

The Gems let an early 3-0 lead get away from them before letting the game slip away completely in a shootout. Tab Lardner made the game-winning goal for the Komets in the shootout.

It marked the third time in four home games the Gems needed more than regulation time to determine who the winner of the game would be.

This was the first time the Gems were not the winner.

The Gems' offense came out strong in the first period. Erik Boisvert struck early for Dayton with a powerplay goal less than five minutes into the game. Jonathan Ornelas added to the lead at the 10:37 mark in the opening period. Tom Boubreau and Greg Labenski each assisted Ornelas on the goal that gave Dayton a 2-0 lead.

Ernie Stewart then rounded out the scoring in the first period for the Gems. With 5:35 remaining in the first frame, Stewart took a pass from Matthew McCue and gave the Gems a 3-0 lead with his sixth goal of the season.

Fort Wayne was able to nip into Dayton's lead in the second period. Mathieu Curadeau and P.C. Drouin each scored for the Komets in the second period to make it a 3-2 game.

The score stayed that way until the Komets tied the game at 3-3 late in the third period. Lardner was able to slip a shot past Gems' goaltender Jeff Jakaitis with less than three minutes remaining in regulation and sent the game into overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, the game went into a shootout. That is when Lardner recorded his game-winning goal.

The loss wrapped up a busy week for the Gems. Dayton played six games in seven days and went 3-3 over that span.

With the .500 record over the last seven days, the Gems were able to maintain their fifth place standing in the Turner Conference. Dayton (16-12-2) is in the middle of the pack in the nine team conference.

The Gems' next game will be on January 7 in Bloomington. The start time is 8:05 p.m. EST.

The Kettering Medical Center is proud to be the official title sponsor of the Gems for the 2010-11 season.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Central Hockey League Stories from January 1, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central