Post Game Notes - Game 3


For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 3, 2012

Wichita 3 at Fort Wayne 7
at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Box Score | Game Live

Series: Komets lead best-of-7 series 3-0

Next Game: Game 4 – Saturday, May 4 at Fort Wayne (8:15 PM EST)

Three Stars:
1. Colin Chaulk (FTW), 2 goals, 1 assist, +2
2. Kaleigh Schrock (FTW), 2 goals, +3
3. Matt Summers (WIC), 2 goals, E

Goaltenders:
FTW- Nick Boucher (Win- 26 saves, 3 goals allowed)
WIC- Bryan Hogan (Loss- 34 saves, 7 goals allowed)

Goals:
FTW: 2-3-2=7
WIC: 1-2-0=3

Shots:
FTW: 12-13-16=41
WIC: 8-15-6=29

The return to home ice proved to be even more advantageous for the Fort Wayne Komets than the road as they jumped on the visiting Wichita Thunder early in the first proceeded to dismantle them by a 7-3 count.

The Komets can now claim the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup on Saturday night as they go for the series sweep.

Veteran Colin Chaulk paced the offense with two goals and an assist and Kaleigh Schrock chipped in with a two goal effort.

Fort Wayne did not take long to jump on rookie goaltender Bryan Hogan who was starting his first game of the playoffs.  The Komets used goals from Schrock and defenseman Bryant Molle scored just 32 seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead.

Hogan was in net due to an injury to the Thunder’s normal starter Adam Russo who did not dress in the game.

Wichita would cut the lead in half by the end of the first period thanks to an unassisted goal from Aaron Davis but that was as close as the Thunder would get.

Special teams stood tall in the second period as Daniel Maggio scored his second goal of the playoffs at the 8:34 mark on the man advantage and Chaulk took advantage of another power play just 25 seconds later with his first of two goals on the night and the eventual game winner.

Just over a minute later, with the score 4-1, the Komets were set to go another power play with a delayed penalty coming up but Leo Thomas struck with the extra skater giving his team a commanding four-goal lead.

Matt Summers than revved up his offensive engine after being fairly quiet so far in the post-season.  The forward led the Thunder in scoring during the regular season but in the playoffs had scored just one goal in the first 11 games he had played but late in the second period, Summers scored twice just over two minutes apart cutting the lead to 5-3 at the end of the second period.

The Komets put all doubt away early in the third period with Chaulk’s second goal at the 2:24 mark and Schrock’s second goal at the 5:06 mark making the score 7-3.

Nick Boucher made 26 saves improving to 11-4 in the playoffs. 

Hogan made 34 saves taking the loss.

In all, 14 different skaters got on the score sheet for the Komets with Mike Vaskivuo and Jean-Michel Rizk each adding two helpers and Thomas adding an assist to his goal.

The two clubs will battle in Game 4 on Saturday night at the War Memorial Coliseum.