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 Fort Wayne Komets

Komets Gain Five Points for Week 18; Sundogs Visit Friday

February 20, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Fort Wayne Komets News Release


Fort Wayne, IN -- Week 18 of 2011-12 presented four games in six nights for the Komets. The K's earned five points for the week (2-1-1) to remain among the leaders in the CHL finishing the week with 65 points (31-16-3) and trailing first-place Evansville by three points in the Berry Conference with a game in hand.

The week began with the Komets reaching their 30th win of the season, 3-2 at Bloomington Tuesday, snapping a brief two-game winless skid for the Komets and marking their first win at Bloomington this year in four visits.

Friday the Komets returned home and fell 5-4 to the visiting Blaze in a wild affair in which two Komets, goaltender Nick Boucher and defenseman Bryant Molle, were ejected (see below) after the first 1:53 of the match setting up three Bloomington power play tallies in the first 7:16 of the game. By the end of the game Fort Wayne had accumulated a season-high 55 penalty minutes.

Saturday the Komets welcomed the Allen Americans to Fort Wayne for the first meeting ever between the Komets and Americans and stumbled 3-2 in a shootout.

Sunday the Komets completed the week at Bloomington hanging on for a 5-3 win for their second straight road win and leading the CHL with 17 wins on the road.

Komet leaders of the week -Center Brett Smith registered a goal and five assists for a six-point week. Smith had at least a point in each game played and finished the week riding a four-game point streak and CHL-high four-game assist streak (1 goal, 5 assists).....defenseman Frankie DeAngelis scored three goals and added an assist for a four-point week. DeAngelis posted his first two-goal game, and three-point game, of the season Friday against Bloomington.....Three-pointers for the week included defenseman David Starenky (3 assists), right winger Bobby Chaumont (3 assists), left wing Artem Podshendyalov (1 goal, 2 assists) and center J.M. Rizk (2 goals, 1 assist).....goaltender Gerry Festa stopped 100 of 110 shots in three appearances (1-1-1) for a 3.31 goals-against average and .909 save percentage for the week.

Career highs -defenseman DeAngelis scored his 12th and 13th goals of the season Friday against Bloomington and eclipsed his career high of 11 goals set last season. Right winger Kaleigh Schrock bested his career high of 11 assists set last year with his 12th assist of the season Sunday. Goaltender Boucher notched his 27th win of the season Tuesday and is five wins shy of his career mark of 32 set in 2008-09. Chaumont is one assist away from tying his career mark of 33 assists set in 2006-07.

Komets after 50 games -Fort Wayne has 31 wins to match their total number of wins last season (66 games). The Komets also reached 31 wins (and 65 points) after 50 games in 2009-10. The Komets have the most wins against conference rivals at 29-13-1. The Komets are averaging a CHL third-best 3.42 goals per game.

First one is key -The Komets scored the first goal of their 5-3 win at Bloomington Sunday. It was the first time in six games the Komets scored first. Fort Wayne is 23-2-1 when scoring the first goal.

Penalty shot -The first penalty shot of the season against the Komets was called Friday against Bloomington. The Blaze's Jordy Trottier was stopped by Komet goalie Gerry Festa at 12:07 of the third period. So far this season, the Komets have been awarded two penalty shots. Podshendyalov was turned aside by Rapid City's Danny Battochio Dec. 3 at Rapid City and right wing Chris Auger scored on Evansvile's Brian Gillis Dec. 10 in Fort Wayne. By contrast, the Komets had five penalty shots called against them (stopped 4/5) and four penalty shots for them (0/4) last season. Only one goal was scored overall in nine penalty shots awarded in Fort Wayne games last season.

New kid in town -- Larkin Sallfrank will serve as Komets' backup goaltender to Gerry Festa while Nick Boucher serves his league suspension. Sallfrank, 20, was a member of this year's IPFW club team under the direction of former Komet Doug Rigler. Sallfranke served as backup for the Komets last Saturday against Allen and Sunday at Bloomington and is expected to continue as backup goaltender until Boucher's return to the Fort Wayne lineup this Saturday at Evansville.

Boucher gets four, Molle receives three -- The Komets learned Monday that goaltender Nick Boucher has received a four-game suspension and Bryant Molle was served a three game suspension by the CHL as a result the incident that occurred at 1:53 of the first period against the Bloomington Blaze in Fort Wayne Friday, Feb. 17. Boucher will be able to return to action Saturday when the Komets travel to Evansville. Molle will be allowed to return to play Friday when the Arizona Sundogs visit Fort Wayne.

GAMES THIS WEEK

- Tuesday at Tulsa-- Tuesday the Komets will make their debut at BOK Center (17,096) in Tulsa, Oklahoma for an 8:05pm ET faceoff against the Oilers. Tulsa made their first ever trip and only appearance of the year in Fort Wayne Jan. 20 and 21 and split a pair of games against the Komets for an even 1-1-0 season series going into Tuesday night's match. Tulsa (23-20-5, 51 points) is fighting for a playoff spot trailing fourth-place Texas in the CHL's Berry Conference by nine points and has three games in hand. The Oilers are 2-1-0 in their last three games played and 2-5-0 in their last seven after finishing last week with a 4-2 home loss to Evansville Friday. Former Komet Bruce Ramsay is in his third year as Tulsa's head coach.

- Arizona visits Friday -- The Sundogs return to Fort Wayne for an 8pm ET faceoff against the Komets Friday. Arizona made their only other visit to the Summit City last season on Nov. 19, 2010 and made it count by taking a 3-2 win out of Fort Wayne. The Komets are 1-1-0 against the Sundogs this season after earning a split of a double-header Jan. 27 and 28 at Arizona. The Sundogs (16-27-7) reside in the CHL's cellar with 39 points after 50 games and are 3-3-0 in their last six outings. Arizona travels to Evansville Wednesday before arriving in Fort Wayne Friday.

Friday night Marathon Nights -- Friday nights are Marathon Nights at Komet home games. Fans can take advantage of a buy-one-get-one-free ticket offer with three fill-ups when the Komets host Arizona Friday at 8pm. Fill Up Cards are available at participating Marathon stations.

- Komets travel to Evansville Saturday -- The Komets will face their top conference rival, the IceMen, at Evansville Saturday at 8:15pm ET at the Ford Center (8,800). It's the 11th of 13 meetings this season with the Komets holding a 7-3-0 series lead after earning a 4-3 win at Evansville Feb. 8 in the last meeting. The IceMen are hot going into the week with a six-game win streak. Evansville will host Arizona Wednesday and Wichita Friday before welcoming the Komets Saturday.

Hottest Ticket In Town -- Tickets for all 60th Anniversary Komet home games are on sale at the Coliseum Ticket Office and online at TicketMaster. The Komets offer discounts on group tickets sold at the Komet office at 1010 Memorial Way. For more ticket information visit the Komet office, call 260-483-0011 or visit the Komets' website at www.komets.com.

INC Soundoff with the Komets Monday nights -- The Komets, I ndiana's News Center and title sponsor PHP present a live weekly televised sports program on Monday nights at 7:30 on WPTA TV 21 Alive. The half-hour show is televised live from Wrigley Field Bar and Grill each week with INC's Tommy Schoegler as host and will feature highlights, interviews and call-ins as Komet players and personnel serve as co-hosts.

TONIGHT, Feb. 20, Komet President Michael Franke and Komet legend hall-of-famer Steve Fletcher will be special guests.

60th Anniversary Komet Hockey on WOWO -- The Komets and WOWO Radio News-Talk 1190 AM have partnered once again for 2011-12. Broadcaster Bob Chase will call the action for his 59th consecutive season radio-rinkside. All games broadcast on radio, home and away, can be heard online at Xfinity KometCast. Most games will be broadcast on WOWO Radio News-Talk 1190 AM with ESPN Radio AM 1380 as an alternative when scheduling conflicts occur.


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