Komets, Reiter stymie Rush, win 4-1

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne Komets, led by a stellar performance in net By Kevin Reiter, have forced a deciding game five with their 4-1 rout of the Rapid City Rush in front of 8,687 fans at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Friday evening. Reiter stopped 42 of 43 shots faced, earning his second consecutive post-season win and propelling the Komets to a Easter Sunday showdown in Rapid City to decide which team will take on the Colorado Eagles in the Turner Conference finals. After losing the first two games of the best-of-five series on the road, the Komets rallied from a 3-0 deficit after 40 minutes of play on Wednesday night and tallied five goals on special teams to defeat the Rush in 5-4 in overtime. The Komets carried on the momentum of that victory, coming out strong in the first frame on Friday night. The home team sent 11 shots at Rapid City goalie Danny Battochio, four by winger P.C. Douin, before Drouin finally solved the “Batman” on the Komets’ third power play opportunity, set up by Frankie DeAngelis and Colin Chaulk at the 15:45 mark. The Rush battled back in the final 3:15 of the period, with four players sending the puck at Reiter, who was like a brick wall in front of the net, controlling his rebounds and frustrating the Rapid City offense.

Fort Wayne held a narrow 13-12 shot advantage after 20 minutes, with the extra shot making the difference, providing the home team a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission. The Komets continued their run-and-gun assault on Battochio in the second period, with defenseman Michael Ratchuk burying the puck for the 2-0 lead at the 6:15 mark, assisted by Artem Podshendylov and fellow blue-liner Matt Krug. Less than six minutes later, Colin Chaulk tallied his third post-season goal, with Ratchuk and Podshendylov credited on the assist. Battochio was pulled with 4:01 remaining in the middle frame after Mathieu Curadeau scored on a feed from Chaulk, who got into an altercation with Rapid City’s Scott Wray, who was assessed a Roughing minor. Both were given Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties. Tim Boron took over in net for the Rush and held off a lone Komets attempt in the closing minutes of the period. Fort Wayne had an 11-8 shot advantage in the second twenty, once again with each additional shot finding the back of the Rush net. Rapid City dominated the final frame with their physical play and a continuous barrage of shots on goal, sending 21 consecutive attempts at Reiter before finally denying the shut out on a blast from Kevin Harvey at the 14:59 mark off the special teams play set up by defensemen Riley Weselowski and Dave Grimson.Just 14 seconds later, Harvey earned an early trip to the showers and a probable suspension for an Illegal Check to the Head Major and an Illegal Check to the Head Misconduct after a brutal hit on Michael Ratchuk, who remained down for several minutes after the assault. Reiter denied the final Rush attempt with 2;12 remaining to play and aside from a fight between Rapid City winger Colt King and the Komets’ Kaleigh Schrock, AKA Schrocky Balboa, this one was in the books. The final shot count was 43-30 in favor of Rapid City; the only advantage they held in the game. The home team was given a sustained standing ovation from an enthusiastic hometown crowd, who for most of the season, doubted the Komets would even make the playoffs, let alone force a game five for the right to go to the conference finals. The Komets, who won the last three Turner Cup championship titles before joining the Central Hockey League last summer, are 8-0 in playoff games in which they could have been eliminated dating back to 2008. On Sunday, the teams will face off at 6:05pm MST to determine who advances and who goes home for the off-season. There’s little doubt that there will be an abundance of blood, sweat and tears on the ice at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena after the 2010 IHL and CHL champions fight the final battle of the Turner Conference Semi-finals. Contact the writer/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com