IHL 2 Fort Wayne Komets

Komets Begin Defense Of The Turner Cup Undefeated

Published on October 20, 2008 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Fort Wayne Komets News Release


Fort Wayne, IN - The Komets began their defense of the IHL Turner Cup Championship winning both games of the season opening weekend.

Friday night the Komets spoiled Port Huron's home opener 6-2 and Saturday the Komets pleased a record home opening crowd of 10,511 with an 11-3 ambush of the Flint Generals. Friday's win was Al Sims' sixth straight as head coach of the Komets as he remains unbeaten in Fort Wayne season openers as the Komets' head coach.

Saturday the Komets celebrated their 57th home opener with their fifth straight home opening win scoring the most goals ever in a Fort Wayne home opener. The previous high was eight goals. It was also the first time the Komets scored 11 goals in a game since April 9, 1994 when the Komets whipped rival Indianapolis 11-5.

A Komets' franchise record home opener sell-out crowd of 10,511 witnessed the unveiling of the 2008 IHL Championship banner prior to the opening faceoff. It was the 16th sell-out for a Fort Wayne home opener.

The two-win start up gives the Komets four points in the IHL standings and a first-place tie with Bloomington, who also won their first two games of the campaign.

Three-pointers.....between the two games over the weekend, three points were registered by single players eight times. Friday night wingers Dominic Osman (3 goals) and Konstantin Shafranov (1 goal, 2 assists) and center Colin Chaulk (3 assists) each had three points in the Komets' 6-2 win at Port Huron. Saturday night three-pointers were enjoyed again by Osman (2 goals, 1 assist), Shafranov (1 goal, 2 assists) and Chaulk (3 assists) while winger David Hukalo and defenseman Guy Dupuis also collected three points each.

Laplante, Boucher split wins.....goaltenders Sebastien Laplante and Nick Boucher shared a win each for the two weekend games to start the season. Laplante stopped 39 of 41 shots Friday night for a 6-2 win at Port Huron while Nick Boucher, returning to the Komet fold from last season, made 18 saves on 21 shots in an 11-3 win for his season debut between the Fort Wayne pipes Saturday night.

Osman, Varone IHL Players of the Week.....right wing Dominic Osman was named the Pepsi IHL Player of the Week for the first week of the 2008-09 season. Osman assembled back-to-back three-point games scoring a total of five goals and an assist for a six point start. The winger also celebrated the start of the season with a hat trick in Port Huron Friday night. Center Rick Varone earned the Aquafina IHL Rookie of the Week Award for scoring a goal in each game played and registering a +4 on the plus/minus rating.

Komets on the road this week.....the Komets will skate at Bloomington this Friday night at 8:05 in a battle for first place. It will be the first of seven trips to Bloomington this season. Saturday the Komets will face the Wings at Kalamazoo at 7:30pm in the first of eight games at Wing Stadium this year.

Next Komet home game on Halloween night.....the Komets will return to coliseum ice Halloween night, Friday, Oct. 31, to host the Kalamazoo Wings at 8pm. Not only will there be a parade of little ghosts and goblins during the first intermission, but also a free public skate, courtesy of Wendy's, immediately following the game.

Tickets.....tickets for all 2008-09 Komet home games are on sale at the Coliseum Ticket Office and online at www.ticketmaster.com. The Komets offer disounts on group tickets sold at the komet office at 1010 Memorial Way in Fort Wayne. Season tickets also continue to be on sale. For more information visit the Komet office, or the Komets' website at www.komets.com, or call 260-483-0011.

Komet Hockey On The Web and Air.....most komet games will be broadcast on WOWO Radio AM 1190 this year with Bob chase at the Fort Wayne microphone for his 56th consecutive season. Some games will be aired on WKJG/ESPN Radio AM 1380 as an alternative when conflicts occur. All games aired on radio will also be available free on the internet at Comcast KometCast at www.komets.com. Fans can follow the official scoring of all Komet games this season by clicking on the "Scoreboard" at www.komets.com.

Komets Practice Calendar

Tuesday, Oct. 21.....10am-noon practice at the coliseum

Wednesday, Oct. 22.....10am-noon practice at the coliseum

Thursday, Oct. 23....10am-noon practice at the coliseum

Friday, Oct. 24.....10am-11am practice at McMillen Ice Arena

Saturday, Oct. 25.....no practice on ice

Sunday, Oct. 26....no practice on ice

Monday, Oct. 27.....10am-noon practice at the coliseum

Komets Schedule

Komets.com.....the official website of the Fort Wayne Komets is www.komets.com. In addition to featuring free webcasting of live Komet game radio, Komets.com also provides fans and media with up-to-date team stats, news, interactive fan features and information. Fans can also follow all Komet games with real-time scoring via the IHL and Pointstreak by clicking the Scoreboard at Komets.com.

Check out the Fort Wayne Komets Statistics

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from October 20, 2008


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.

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