 |
| Power
Play |
6th
- 14.7 |
| Penalty
Killing |
3rd
- 81.9 |
| FORWARDS |
| BILLY
COLLINS |
36-35-71
(-6) |
| ROBIN
BOUCHARD |
30-41-71
(-11) |
| MARK
CADOTTE |
15-38-53
(-18) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| PHILIPPE
PLANTE |
7-42-49
(-20) |
| DAVE
VAN DRUNEN |
4-18-22
(-8) |
| RUSS
MOYER |
6-14-20
(-4) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| CLAYTON
POOL |
21-22-1-2
(2 SO)
3.18 GA
.904 PCT |
|
| ISAAC
REICHMUTH |
13-12-3-0
(0 SO)
3.52 GA
.896 PCT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Muskegon
vs Fort Wayne |
|
|
SCHEDULE |
| 1 |
APR.
18 |
MUSKEGON
0 - FORT WAYNE 1 (OT) |
SEED
4 |
2 |
APR.
19 |
FORT
WAYNE 3 - MUSKEGON 4 |
SEED
1 |
35-35-4-2
(76) |
3 |
APR.
20 |
MUSKEGON
3 - FORT WAYNE 7 |
56-12-6-2
(120) |
| |
4 |
APR.
23 |
FORT
WAYNE 5 - MUSKEGON 6 |
|
| |
5 |
APR.
25 |
MUSKEGON
0 - FORT WAYNE 3 |
|
| |
6 |
APR.
26 |
FORT
WAYNE 5 - MUSKEGON
1 |
|
| |
7 |
APR.
29 |
MUSKEGON
at FORT WAYNE |
|
| Fort
Wayne Wins Series 4-2 |
|
SERIES
PREVIEW
|
| by
Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Look
no further than my publication (www.prohockeynews.com)
to see where everyone thinks this series is heading. One
of our columnists not only has the Komets in a walk in
this series, he has already handed the Turner Cup to the
Fort Wayne Komets—before a single playoff game has been
held.
If you do the math it certainly appears the Muskegon Fury
have no chance in this series. The numbers are ugly. The
Fury went 5-10 against the Komets, no player scored above
a point-per-game, the netminder who played the most for
the Fury this year was 1-7 against the Komets and someone
giving the peace sign would signify how many Fury players
had an even or plus rating (Bill Zalba led the Fury with
a whopping +1) over the course of those 15 games.
Yet something lies underneath. Many of the Muskegon players
and coach Bruce Ramsay have won championships before as
some of these guys were on back-to-back Colonial Cup champions
in 2004 and 2005. Ancient history? Maybe, but while the
end result wasn’t so good, okay 5-10 is very not so good,
11 of the 15 games played this year were decided by two
goals or less. How about the other four games? Try three
goal decisions. So what we have here are two clubs who
played some pretty competitive hockey games—and one of
those teams has absolutely no pressure on them because
they are supposed to lose. That is a dangerous place to
put a proud Muskegon organization in. Frankly everyone
connected to the Fury are embarrassed by this year's .500
record and what better way to redeem yourself than to
knock off the super Komets?
Fort Wayne had a tremendous year as they won 56 games
and ran away with the regular season by 32 points. Memory
fails me, but it seems as if the club clinched the regular
season championship sometime around November 1st. While
most minor-pro powerhouses throughout history registered
their wins with overwhelming fire power or by beating
the dickens out of the other clubs, coach Al Sims brought
a deep, well-rounded club to the forefront. Sims used
to coach in the NHL and they don't give jobs out to people
who don't know hockey there. Sims knows how to coach,
after several bad seasons in the minors mainly due to
being in poor financial or recruiting situations, he finally
found the players (and the organization) who can carry
out his plans. The Komets ability to play well defensively
is highlighted by the fact no minus players are on the
club’s playoff roster.
Comments made to local media by Fort Wayne players and
staff shows the Komets, while respectful of the Fury,
are very confident in their ability to win the series
no matter which tactic, or tactics, Muskegon decides to
use against them.
Time will tell if the Fury truly will be blazed away by
the Komets, but the story behind the numbers shows Muskegon
may make it tougher on Fort Wayne than most people believe
they can.
Forwards: Muskegon was statistically led by Billy Collins
(36-35-71), but two other forwards might dictate the series.
Robin Bouchard has always played well in the playoffs,
but he is coming off an injury which has him listed as
day-to-day, which might limit his contributions. The other
forward to wonder about is Jeff Nelson. Nelson is a former
UHL MVP who has torn up the league before. This season
Nelson has been less than what was expected with only
four assists to his name after seven games. The scoring
does not go deep with this club. Dan Riedel hit for 29
goals and Mark Cadotte had 53 points, but only two other
players (Rafal Martynowski and Zalba) registered 10 or
more goals. Muskegon is going to have to get by on effort
from guys like Justin Rohr, Cassidy Preston, David Herring,
David Segal and newcomer Mike Olynyk. Most of those guys
work hard (I need to think long and hard to come up with
a guy who gives more effort pound for pound than Segal
does) and they will need to chip in the odd goal or three
in the series.
Luciano Aquino won the Rookie of the Year award and led
the Komets with 91 points. Two-way forward and assistant
coach Colin Chaulk (24-50-74) and P.C. Drouin (23-51-74)
were the other high-scoring forwards on the team. Sims
prefers players who can handle their defensive responsibilities
while chipping in offensively and the Komets are full
of them. Mathieu Curadeau, Konstantin Shafranov, Matt
Reynolds, David Hukalo, Terry Marchant, enforcer Mitch
Woods, Evgeny Saidchev and Justin Hodgman round out the
Komets deep, talented and committed forwards.
Defensemen: It would be hard to argue against the fact
Guy Dupuis (58 points, +41) is the best defender at the
AA-level of hockey. He leads a group which includes Sergei
Durdin, Brandon Warner, Kevin Bertram, Kevin Hansen, Jake
Pence, Brent Henley and junior addition Ken Dufresne.
Dave Van Drunen, Philippe Plante and Kyle Kos provide
the backbone of a defense which also includes Ross Moyer,
junior newcomer Rob Kwiet, Sheldon Wing and Jay Hardwick.
Moyer is also listed as a day-to-day decision with an
injury and his availability would definitely help the
Fury out.
Goaltenders: The fact Isaac Reichmuth had much better
success than starter Clayton Pool did against Fort Wayne
might be causing a sleep issues for Ramsay. Reichmuth
actually had a 4-3-1 record against the Komets while Pool
went 1-7. Neither goaltender provided a “wow” factor this
year which could explain the decision to have junior netminder
Alex Archibald waiting in the wings in case both netminders
stumble.
While Ramsay has to make a decision between two goaltenders
that have had their ups and downs, Sims needs to chose
between goaltenders that have had their ups and bigger
ups this year. Truth be told there should be no choice,
Kevin Reiter (32-10-4, 2.34 GAA), the IHL’s Goaltender
of the Year should get the first crack at playing. However
Sims should not have any fear to put in Nick Boucher (24-2-4,
2.32 GAA) if the situation dictates it.
If I were an accountant I would weigh the plusses and
minuses and say the Komets are going to sweep. But it's
difficult to measure heart and previous playoff experience
so I think Muskegon, even if they do not win in the end,
are going to test the Komets. When all is said and done
Fort Wayne will come out better at the end of this series
because they (might have) survived a Fury.
|
|
| Game
1 |
Muskegon
0 - Fort Wayne 1 (OT) |
| by
Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Fort
Wayne Leads Series 1-0 |
Fort
Wayne, IN - Fort Wayne fans clicked the turnstiles
to the tune of 6,733 no doubt a large part of them expecting
to see the heavily-favored Komets destroy the Muskegon
Fury.
The Komets did outplay the Fury as they fired 40 shots
on goal compared to just 20 by the Fury, but what they
mostly saw was stone-cold solid netminding from Muskegon’s
Isaac Reichmuth. Reichmuth was on top of his game as he
kept Fort Wayne from running over the pop-gun offense
of the Fury who fired just 20 shots on Fort Wayne netminder
Kevin Reiter in over 75 minutes of game time.
Fort Wayne team captain and assistant coach Colin Chaulk
scored the game-winner when his weak wrister on a rolling
puck evaded Reichmuth at the 15:13 mark of overtime. Chaulk
seemingly did it all for the Komets as he coached the
club after head coach Al Sims was ejected by referee Bob
Langdon for obscene language late in the second period.
Due to the close proximity of the clubs the series will
move to Michigan this evening. Muskegon hopes to dress
Robin Bouchard in this game after he sat out Game 1 due
to post-concussion symptoms.
|
|
| Game
2 |
Fort
Wayne 3 - Muskegon 4 |
|
by Tom Schettino -
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 1-1 |
Muskegon,
MI - A turnover in their own offensive zone by
Muskegon led to a two-goal lead by the heavily-favored
Fort Wayne Komets and gave Bruce Ramsay's club every reason
and excuse to pack it in for the year. But the club rallied
after David Hukalo's easy goal and on the strength of
three five-on-three power plays the Fury rallied back
to even the series.
Muskegon was not given a chance in this series, but the
underdog club has fought on and has literally shortened
the series from a best-of-seven to a best-of-five. Despite
the loss the Komets should not hang their heads, after
all they did outshoot the Fury by a 41-18 margin. If they
can continue the same control of play on Sunday in Fort
Wayne they should be able to regain the lead--after all
how many times can a team give up three five-on-three
power play goals?
Fort Wayne took a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play thanks
to a Terry Marchant score on a rebound of P.C. Drouin's
shot. Jeff Nelson picked up Muskegon's first five-on-three
goal when he converted a play from Philippe Plante. The
Komets then appeared to take a commanding lead thanks
to scores from Mitch Woods on the power play and Hukalo's
capitalization of an error, but it would be Muskegon from
there on in.
Dan Riedel's slapper started the rally. With Fort Wayne
once again down by two skaters Riedel blasted the puck
through Fort Wayne's Nick Boucher. The score started an
argument between Boucher and fellow defender Kevin Bertram,
but it was a bit premature for sniping at one another.
One could argue the pair were even more upset when Mark
Cadotte tipped in a Nelson pass with under a minute left
in the middle period to even the game.
Fort Wayne dominated the final period, but could not get
the game-winner past Isaac Reichmuth. Reichmuth stopped
12 shots in the period many of them of the difficult variety.
Muskegon may have trailed in quantity, but not in quality
as Rafal Martynowski banged in the game-winner with help
from Bill Zalba and Justin Rohr. The goal needed a conference
with the referee and the linesmen in ordered to be allowed,
but there is no conference needed to decide the Muskegon
Fury are giving the Fort Wayne Komets much more than they
expected.
|
|
| Game
3 |
Muskegon
3 - Fort Wayne 7 |
|
by Tom Schettino -
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Fort
Wayne Leads Series 2-1 |
Fort
Wayne, IN - They have been huffing and puffing
and finally the Fort Wayne Komets blew the door down on
Muskegon netminder Isaac Reichmuth, chasing him from the
goal after four goals and 41 shots in just 40 minutes
of play.
Fort Wayne has outshot the Fury by a wide margin in each
of the previous two games only to be denied repeatedly
by Reichmuth. Reichmuth finally buckled under the weight
of the Komets attack as he allowed three second period
goals within five minutes to let the game get out of hand.
By the time the game had ended Fort Wayne had outshot
the upset-minded Fury by a 54-22 margin.
Guy Dupius, Konstantin Shafranov and Mathieu Curadeau
each scored a goal and had two assists to lead the attack
during the 7-3 victory.
The contest was close through the first period as Luciano
Aquino and P.C. Drouin scored for the Komets sandwiching
a shorthanded goal by Muskegon's Jeff Nelson. The final
period was also even as Dan Riedel and Philippe Plante
scored for Muskegon and Curadeau and David Hukalo notched
goals for Fort Wayne. The second period was a different
story as Dupuis, Shafranov and Justin Hodgman hit on the
scoreboard for the Komets to blow the game open.
Kevin Reiter was the winning goalie for the Komets with
19 saves, Clayton Pool stopped 11 of 13 Fort Wayne third
period attempts in relief of Reichmuth.
Frustration boiled over at several points in the game
as the two clubs combined for 93 PIM. Game 4 of the series
is set for Wednesday night in Michigan.
|
|
| Game
4 |
Fort
Wayne 5 - Muskegon 6 |
|
by Tom Schettino -
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 2-2 |
Muskegon, MI - Jeff Nelson appears to be shaking off his rust at just the right time for the Muskegon Fury. Nelson, who limited himself to seven games during the regular season, was held to four assists in those games. However, the Jeff Nelson seen in the regular season is nothing like the playoff Jeff Nelson.
This game was the same old story and the same old dance as Fort Wayne controlled play and blistered the Fury out-shooting them by a 45-18 margin. Muskegon capitalized on their chances and completed a three-goal comeback when Nelson finished his hat trick with a shorthanded goal to begin the third period.
It appeared Fort Wayne had grabbed the game and set themselves up for a 3-1 series lead when Matt Reynolds gave them a 5-3 lead at the 2:38 mark of the second period. Muskegon coach Bruce Ramsay made the decision to pull goaltender Isaac Reichmuth at that point and placed him with Clayton Pool in goal.
All Pool would do is stop the next 27 shots fired upon him which allowed his teammates to snipe away at the Komets lead. Nelson started the rally less than 30 seconds after Reynolds' goal and Dan Riedel (1-2-3) banked in a power play goal with an assist from the returning Robin Bouchard to tie the game. Riedel's score set up Nelson for his heroic shorthanded game-winner.
The first period had a flurry of scoring, perhaps at a record pace. Nelson started the game off with a goal off a Riedel pass and the two clubs traded goals throughout the first twenty minutes.
At the 9:58 mark Sergei Durdin tied the game for Fort Wayne which started a stretch of four goals in 44 seconds--which may be a mark for the fastest four goals in IHL history. Rafal Martynowksi answered for Muskegon, he was followed by Komets winger David Hukalo, who was in turned followed by the Fury's Billy Collins which ended the outburst. Luciano Aquino and Mathieu Curadeau scored the game's next two goals to give Fort Wayne a temporary lead.
Fort Wayne has been frustrated by outstanding netminding by both Reichmuth and Pool and the Fury have been opportunistic, scoring their goals with limited chances. Arguably the Komets have played well enough to sweep the series, yet they are going back to Indiana for Game 5 on Friday night tied with the upstart Muskegon club.
Game Notes
Bouchard made his first playoff appearance in this game. He had been sidelined with concussion-like symptoms. Fort Wayne captain Colin Chaulk sat out this game due to a suspension for leaving the bench. Chaulk went off the bench to argue a call with the referee in Game 3. Chaulk may be replaced on the sidelines by Curadeau who picked up a major penalty and a game misconduct for spearing after Nelson's second goal early in the second frame. |
|
| Game
5 |
Muskegon
0 - Fort Wayne 3 |
|
by Tom Schettino -
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Fort
Wayne Leads Series 3-2 |
Fort
Wayne, IN
- The Fort Wayne Komets have the pesky Muskegon Fury against
the wall. This series was supposed to be a walk for the
Komets and they have played well enough offensively to
win each game, but their defense and goaltending has been
spotty.
In Game 5 the Komets defense finally caught up to the
scorers as they used 23 saves by Nick Boucher and scores
from three different players to win the contest. By now
observers must realize the Fury will not be pushovers
in the series and will have a chance to even the set with
a win at home on Saturday night.
Matt Reynolds kicked off the contest with a shorthanded
goal at the 14:05 mark of the first period. Konstantin
Shafranov added insurance in the second with an assist
from David Hukalo and rookie Luciano Aquino's rebound
bat-in of a Mitch Woods shot while on the power play sealed
the game.
Muskegon's Clayton Pool played well in defeat with 33
stops, but the Fury offense took the evening off. Muskegon
has been very opportunistic in this series and will have
to revert to form if they want to force the series back
to Indiana for Game 7.
|
|
| Game
6 |
Fort
Wayne 5 - Muskegon 1 |
|
by Tom Schettino -
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Fort
Wayne Wins Series 4-2 |
Muskegon,
MI
- Muskegon had high hopes of winning Game 6 in front of their home fans and sending the series back to Fort Wayne for a winner-take-all Game 7. The Komets shot that dream down in just over five minutes as they rolled over Muskegon on their way to the Turner Cup Finals.
The Fury were not foolish for believing they could knock off the heavily-favored Komets. Although outshot in each of the previous five games Muskegon was saved by excellent goaltending and opportunistic scoring, but the clock struck midnight before the Fury could even get to the dance.
Luciano Aquino started the Komets flurry when he batted a Mitch Woods shot out of middair just 40 seconds into the contest. Mathieu Curadeau's slap shot avoided Flint netminder Isaac Reichmuth less than a minute later and Fort Wayne converted on their first three shots to chase Reichmuth when Justin Hodgman finished off a beautiful feed from Sergei Durdin.
Muskegon coach Bruce Ramsay replaced his young netminder with Clayton Pool and the Fury closed it to two goals when Robin Bouchard converted on the power play in the second period. It would be the last bullet for the Fury. Just under a minute later P.C. Drouin fired a hard-wrist shot high over Pool's glove and effectively clinched a berth in the finals for the Komets. Aquino would later add his second of the night to finish out the scoring.
Fort Wayne played a stellar defensive game after they took the three-goal lead. The 16 shots taken by Fury is in line with the rest of the games in the series, but the Komets did not allow easy scoring chances or blow coverages in this game as they had in the past games.
Even though the result of the series is about what everyone expected, the Fury played hard and tuned the Komets up for their showdown against the Port Huron Icehawks for the Turner Cup. That series is slated to start next Friday and will likely rotate home games between the two teams. The full series schedule is due to be released on Monday.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Power
Play |
1st
- 19.8 |
| Penalty
Killing |
1st
- 85.0 |
| FORWARDS |
| LUCIANO
AQUINO |
41-50-6-91
(+27) |
| COLIN
CHAULK |
24-50-74
(+14) |
| PC
DROUIN |
23-51-74
(+25) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| GUY
DUPUIS |
15-43-58
(+41) |
| SERGEI
DURDIN |
7-19-26
(+31) |
| BRANDON
WARNER |
6-13-19
(+8) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| KEVIN
REITER |
32-10-4-0
(8 SO)
2.34 GA
.910 PCT |
|
| NICK
BOUCHER |
24-2-2-2
(0 SO)
2.32 GA
.913 PCT |
|
|
|
