If high-scoring hockey is what you are into, then Sunday’s matchup between the Fort Wayne Komets 25-16-4-2 and the Kalamazoo Wings 20-25-4 was your kind of game with 11 total goals, including a sudden-death winner by the Komets. Fort Wayne was coming off back-to-back intense games requiring comebacks, with one going the K’s way and the other not; the weekend closed out on a high note.
Colton Point got the start in net for his first game since December 9th, giving Ryan Fanti, who has been a workhorse as of late, the night off. Point struggled this year and was in for a long night from the start. The Wings turned the Komets over and walked right in for a two-on-one opportunity that gave Kalamazoo the one-to-zero lead at 6:36. Fort Wayne was able to answer back a little over three minutes later on the game’s first power play opportunity when Shawn Boudrias scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season, assisted by Mark Rassell and Stefano Giliati. Boudrias connected again for his second goal of the period at 17:51 when Joe Masonis was able to draw two defenders over and left Shawn all along for his 22nd goal of the season.
The Wings tied things back up at two to start the second period off a deflection at 2:08. Back and forth the game went when Stefano Giliati found the back of the net after a scramble in the crease to put the K’s back up one at three to two. Another Komets turnover led to a Wings open look, and things were tied at three apiece. Just 27 seconds later, Tristan Pelletier was able to put the Komets back up one after finding a rebound right out in front of the net at 7:45. The K’s were able to create some separation when Joe Masonius ripped a wrister to go up 5-3.
Kalamazoo’s Coale Norris scored his second of the game to bring the second period to an end with a score of 5-4. After a crazy high-scoring second period, the third period was just the opposite, with the lone goal coming from the Wings at 11:47 to tie things up at five and forcing overtime.
As most know, overtime in hockey typically does not take long, with three-on-three leaving so much room on the ice, and the Komets took full advantage of the space. Daniel Maggio dropped it off to Drake Rymsha, who swung it to his left to Tye Felhaber for an open wrister that Evan Cormier deflected away in the air; Felhaber snagged it out of the air and was able to drop it quickly to put another shot on Cormier which was knocked out right to Rymsha for the open rebound game-winning goal at 1:06 to give the Komets a victory.
The Komets outshot the wings 48-27, all while Point made 22 saves on the night. The Komets will pack up and head back on the road for a four-game road trip that starts Wednesday morning with a breakfast showdown against the Sting Rays in South Carolina, followed up with back-to-back games against Savannah before closing out this road trip in Atlanta on Sunday.
