Komets Clinch Huber Trophy; Playoffs Begin Friday
April 13, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Fort Wayne Komets News Release
ROCHESTER, MI--- Last season, the Komets captured the regular season championship with 13 games remaining on the regular season, but this year they needed 75 to earn the Huber Trophy. Despite losing to Kalamazoo Friday night, the Komets won the Huber Trophy after Port Huron lost in a shootout to Bloomington. Fort Wayne finished the season with a 46-18-3-9 record, earning 104 points, five more than second place Port Huron (99 points). This regular season championship is their 12th title in their 57-year history. The Komets also set a new franchise record for attendance, pulling in an average of 7,810 fans this season, beating the previous record of 7,777 set in the 2003-04 season.
The 2009 Turner Cup Playoffs are officially set and will begin on Friday, April 17th. With Fort Wayne and Port Huron capturing home ice advantage already, the third and fourth seeds were still up for grabs going into the last game of the season. Kalamazoo traveled to Muskegon just one point behind the Lumberjacks for third place. After a tough game, Muskegon came out with a 5-4 victory in a shootout to hang on to third place. The Lumberjacks will take on number two seeded Port Huron while the top seeded Komets will face-off with number four Kalamazoo, both playing best-of-seven series.
Muskegon center Todd Robinson led the league in points with 112 to earn the IHL's scoring title. He completed the 2008-09 season also leading the league in assists, dishing out 89. Thirty-two of those 89 assists have come on the Lumberjacks power play, which he also ranks first in. Robinson was named the IHL's Most Valuable Player last week by coaches, general managers and members of the media. Wrapping up the season leading the league in goals scored with 43 is Port Huron's Steve Rymsha. Rymsha is ranked fourth in the league in scoring with 95 points (43g, 52a).
AROUND THE "I"
Bloomington PrairieThunder - (1-2-0-0) - The PrairieThunder played the last two weeks of the season with six regulars out because of injury. During that time, eight rookies and four veterans were in the lineup. When Jason Lepine scored the game-winning goal in a shootout against Port Huron on Friday, it marked the second time he accomplished that against the IceHawks in a shootout. Friday's victory over Port Huron snapped a nine-game winless streak at home for the PrairieThunder. Retiring goaltender Jason Wolfe started 21 of the PrairieThunder's final 23 games. Wolfe was involved in eight shootouts in 31 games and posted a 5-3 record. Center Jon Booras finished the season scoring 100 points with 40 goals and 60 assists. He shattered the franchise record for all three scoring categories set by Don Parsons in 2007-08 (81 points, 38 goals, 43 assists).
Flint Generals - (2-1-0-0) - The Flint Generals led the IHL in shorthanded goals scored with a total of 18 in the 2008-09 season. Rookies Zach Pearson and Maxime Lincourt both finished the season ranked first and second both the IHL and rookies in shorthanded goals. Pearson scored six shorthanders while Lincourt recorded four. Lincourt also finished the season ranked third among IHL rookies in scoring with 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists). Center Greg Bullock completed the 2008-09 season ranked fifth in the IHL in scoring with 27 goals and 58 assists (85 points). Goaltender Chad Alban led all IHL goaltenders in saves with 1,586. Rookie goalie Adam Dekker made and IHL high 53 saves Friday in the Generals 6-0 loss to Muskegon. He faced and IHL high 59 total shots by the Lumberjacks, peppering Dekker with 25 in the third period alone.
Fort Wayne Komets - (2-1-0-0) - The Komets reached 100 points for the third straight season and 14th time in the team's 57-year history. The Komets finished with more road wins (25) than home wins (21) for the first time in Fort Wayne's history, tying the Komets' record of 25 road wins in a season set in 2003-04. The Komets had only 18 losses in regulation for the fewest regulation losses in the league for the third straight season. Over the 76-game schedule the Komets scored a total of 288 goals for the most goals scored in a season since 1994-95 when they reached 296. The Komets attracted an attendance of 8,688 at the final home game of the regular season Saturday and set a new Fort Wayne regular season home average attendance record of 7,810 fans per game to beat the old record of 7,777 set in 2003-04. It's a new Komet record: Defenseman Guy Dupuis, appearing in his 12th Fort Wayne season, set a new record for most Komet games played. He broke Eddie Long's record Wednesday with game 867 and will start the playoffs at 869 (regular season and playoff games). Dupuis finished the season with a new Komet regular season record of games played of 805.
Kalamazoo Wings - (2-0-0-1) - Kalamazoo will face the Fort Wayne Komets in the semi-finals of the Turner Cup Playoffs. The K-Wings finished with a record of 9-6-1-0 versus the Komets this season. The K-Wings are on a six-game road unbeaten streak, going 4-0-1-1 during that stretch. Joel Martin is on a four-game win streak and six-game unbeaten streak. Seven players on the K-Wings roster have recorded 20+ goals this season. Dominic Osman (32), Lucas Drake (28), Rick Cleaver (27), Glenn Detulleo (26), Tommy Lange (25), Mark Nebus (24), Anthony Battaglia (20). Rick Cleaver was named the Aquafina Rookie of the Year by the IHL. Cleaver ends the regular season leading all rookies in points with 61. He also leads all rookies in goals scored (27), assists (34), power-play goals (8) and power-play assists (11). Anthony Battaglia was named the IHL Most Sportsmanlike Player. Dominic Osman has scored 14 goals in the 15 games he has played with the K-Wings. He is also tied for second in the league in power-play goals scored with fifteen. Trent Daavettila has a shooting percentage of 19.1%, which is second in the league overall and first among rookies.
Muskegon Lumberjacks - (2-1-0-0) - This is the 17th consecutive year in which Muskegon has qualified for the playoffs. The Lumberjacks 26 defeats this season marked the 16th time in the last 17-years that a Muskegon club has incurred less than 29 defeats in a single season. The Lumberjacks were the highest scoring machine in the IHL this season and the lone team to register 300 or more goals at 315, 27 more goals scored than any other team in the IHL. Muskegon has a 4.15 goal for average. Defensively, the Lumberjacks surrendered fewer than three goals against in 23 of their 76 games this season. As a team, Muskegon propelled 12 three-goal hat tricks this season. Playing on the same line in the starting line up with his father Sergei Kharin on Friday night against Flint, rookie Anton Kharin delivered two goals and one assist with a plus-3 rating in the 'Jacks 6-0 win over the Generals.
Port Huron Icehawks - (0-1-0-2) - The Icehawks finished the IHL regular season in second place for the second consecutive year, but broke franchise records for both wins and points. They finished the 2008-09 campaign with 44 wins, which is three more wins than in 2007-08 and with 99 points for 11 more points than last season. The Icehawks were the league's most dangerous team in the first period this season. Overall, they outscored their opponents 105-50 in the opening frame. Port Huron was undefeated in regulation when leading after the second period this season. They were an impressive 35-0-1-1 when carrying a lead into the third. Several Icehawks finished the season with career best numbers. Steve Rymsha (43-52-95), Nick Lindberg (29-52-81), and Ian Turner (11-26-37) all put up career bests in goals, assists and points. Jamie Carroll tallied career bests in assists (52) and points (80), Jamie Lovell amassed career bests in goals (13g) and points (35), Jason Chafe had a career year for goals (14) and Kris Vernarsky tied a career best in goals (21) that he set last season with the Icehawks. Left wing Steve Rymsha wrapped up the season riding an 11-game point streak with 20 points (6g, 14a) in that span.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from April 13, 2009
- Lumberjacks Sweep Player Of Week Awards - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Slappy to Visit Cold Stone - Kalamazoo Wings
- K-Wings Weekly - Kalamazoo Wings
- IHL Announces Weekly Honors For Week Twenty-Six - IHL 2
- Komets Clinch Huber Trophy; Playoffs Begin Friday - Fort Wayne Komets
- Komets' defense of the Turner Cup begins Friday - Fort Wayne Komets
- Icehawks Announce First Round Playoff Schedule - Port Huron Icehawks
- K-Wings Announce Schedule for Turner Cup Semi-Finals and Playoff Slogan - Kalamazoo Wings
- 2009 IHL Turner Cup Playoff Schedule- Round One - IHL 2
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