FORT WAYNE KOMETS (4-0-0-0, 8 Points)
For the second weekend in a row the Komets swept both home games against in-state rivals the Indy Fuel to continue their perfect record. Friday’s game was evenly matched until 8:15 into the third period when Alex Belzile scored with assists to Trevor Cheek and Peter Sivak. 10-minutes later, Mike Embach netted a goal, Cheek then scored the final goal at 19:44 to secure the 3-0 win. It also marked goalie Spencer Martin’s first professional shutout win in his very first pro game. In Fort Wayne’s first overtime of the season, the Komets stole the fire from the Fuel when Belzile netted the game winner at 4:38. Cheek scored twice and added an assist; while Jordan Southorn added two goals and Belzile along with Sivak each contributed a goal and assist. Contributer Amanda Gunnells provided this report
The week ahead: Fri. at Indy Fuel (2-1-1-0), Sat. home vs. Cincinnati Cyclones (2-2-0-0).
QUAD CITY MALLARDS (3-1-0-1, 7 Points)
The Mallards opened their week with a 1-0 loss to the visiting Tulsa Oilers, thanks to Brandon Wong’s power play goal in the second period. Steve Michalek picked up the loss, despite stopping 19-of-20 shots. The Mallards were 0-for-four on the power play in a game that saw the two sides combine for 27 penalty minutes in the first period. Quad City fought back the following night, posting a 5-3 win over the Oilers on the back of Rafael Bussieres’ two late third period goals. Logan Nelson and Miles Koules each added a goal and assist as the Mallards outshot the Oilers 37-28. The offense continued to produce on Sunday, as the Mallards jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second and went on to beat the Wichita Thunder 5-2. Six Mallards posted multiple-points, with Tanner Eberle leading the way with two goals and an assist.
The week ahead: Tue. at Missouri (4-1-0-0), Fri. at Norfolk (1-4-0-0), Sat. at Wheeling (3-1-0-0).
INDY FUEL (2-1-1-0, 5 Points)
The Fuel came out of a weekend road trip to Fort Wayne with one point after suffering a pair of losses to the division-leading Komets. Friday saw Indy drop a 3-0 decision, despite outshooting the Komets 29-21. Shane Owen made 26 saves in the contest that saw Fort Wayne score three goals in the final frame, two of them on an empty net. The Fuel salvaged a point on Saturday, battling back from a 4-2 deficit to take a one goal lead into the final minute before the Komets scored to force overtime. Rhett Bly scored two goals while Dylan Clarke added a goal and three assists on the night for the Fuel, as Fort Wayne netted the game-winner with just 22-seconds remaining in overtime. Mac Carruth saw plenty of action in net for Indy, as he stopped 47-of-53 shots he faced in the 6-5 loss.
The week ahead: Tue. at Kalamazoo (0-4-0-0), Fri. home vs. Fort Wayne (4-0-0-0).
CINCINNATI CYCLONES (2-0-0-0, 4 Points)
For the second week in a row, the Cyclones had a light schedule, and made the most of it. Cincinnati posted a 4-1 win over the visiting Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night to remain perfect through two games. Special teams were a key factor in the game, as the Cyclones were a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill while cashing in on 2-of-3 power play chances. Eric Robinson led the way for Cincinnati with a goal and two assists, while Steve Weinstein, Christiaan Minella and Garrett Noonan all added a goal each. Brad Thiessen made 19 saves en route to his second win of the season.
The week ahead: Fri. at Kalamazoo (0-4-0-0), Sat. at Fort Wayne (4-0-0-0).
EVANSVILLE ICEMEN (0-2-0-0, 0 Points)
The IceMen dropped their lone contest of the week, falling 2-1 to the Toledo Walleye despite posting a 39-27 shot advantage. Evansville spotted Toledo two goals before Tyson Fawcett netted the Icemen’s only tally mid-way through the third period. Chris Carlisle and Troy Rutkowski contributed the assists on Fawcett’s goal. The penalty-filled affair resulted in 62 combined penalty minutes between the two teams. Evansville will now prepare to take to the road for a brief eastern swing before returning home for a pair of games with Indy next week.
The week ahead: Sat. at Greenville (3-1-0-0), Sun. at South Carolina (1-3-1-0).
MISSOURI MAVERICKS (4-1-0-0, 8 Points)
The Mavericks extended their winning streak to four games with a pair of wins over the Wichita Thunder over the weekend. Josh Robinson made 27 saves to shutout the Thunder in Wichita on Friday night. Missouri scored three goals in the third period, with two coming in the first 1:17 of the period as they went on to win 3-0. Tyler Barnes and Kellen Jones each had a goal and assist, while Colin Markinson added a goal. Down 1-0 entering the middle frame on Saturday, the Mavericks scored two power play goals in the second to secure a 2-1 home opener win. Robinson made 17 saves as Trevor Ludwig and Andrew Courtney each posted a goal and assist to secure the win.
The week ahead: Tue. home vs. Quad City (3-1-0-1), Fri. at Tulsa (2-3-0-0), Sat. at Allen (4-2-0-0).
ALLEN AMERICANS (4-2-0-0, 8 Points)
The Americans came away from their western road trip with a perfect six points after picking up three wins. Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored the game-tying goal at 5:20 of the third period with Greger Hanson netting the game winner 2:35 later during a 3-1 win at Colorado on Wednesday. Allen then grabbed a pair of wins in their first ever visit to Utah over the weekend. Daniel Doremus scored the game winning goal, while Hanson and Gary Steffes added a goal and assist each for a 4-2 win over the Grizzlies on Friday. Aaron Gens contributed two goals and two assists, while Steffes and Pierro-Zabotel each added a goal and assist during Saturday’s 6-5 overtime win. Pierro-Zabotel was credited with the overtime game winner just 32-seconds into the extra period.
The week ahead: Sat. home vs. Missouri (4-1-0-0)
TULSA OILERS (2-3-0-0, 4 Points)
The Oilers earned a split, picking up two points during a two-game set at Quad City last weekend. Kevin Carr stopped 18 shots, earning a shutout and his first win of the season on Friday during Tulsa’s 1-0 win over the Mallards. Brandon Wong’s second period power play goal, assisted by Matt Konan and Dennis Brown would prove to be enough for the Oilers’ victory. The tables turned on Saturday, as Tulsa dropped a 5-3 decision to Quad City. The Oilers battled back, tying the game on three separate occasions, but ultimately allowed two goals late in the third period to fall. Phil Brewer led the way with two goals, while Brian Nugent added a goal for Tulsa. Jussi Olkinuora made 32 saves while falling to 1-2 on the young season.
The week ahead: Fri. home vs. Missouri (4-1-0-0).
WICHITA THUNDER (2-3-0-0, 4 Points)
After posting a pair of wins on opening weekend, Wichita suddenly finds itself in the midst of a three-game losing streak. The thunder was defeated 3-0 by the Mavericks at home on Friday as they allowed three third period goals, two of which that came just 24-seconds apart. Dalton Reum found the net late in the first period at Missouri on Saturday, but Wichita allowed two second period power play goals to fall by a final score of 2-1. The Thunder posted just 18 shots on goal for the game, with only seven of those coming in the first 40-minutes of the game. Ian Lowe tied the game mid-way through the first at Quad City on Sunday, but it wasn’t meant to be as the Mallards handed the Thunder a 5-2 loss. Donnie Harris cut the deficit to one goal late in the second, before Wichita allowed a pair of third period power play goals, allowing the Mallards to cruise to victory.
The week ahead: Fri. and Sat. at home vs. Colorado (0-4-1-0).
ALASKA ACES (3-2-0-1, 7 Points)
The Aces jumped into first place in the division after picking up five out of a possible six points during a three game home series with Idaho. Stephen Perfetto and Gleason Fournier scored goals just 1:29 apart in the third period Friday, before Alaska allowed a late goal that set up overtime and the eventual Idaho shootout win, 4-3. Alaska got its revenge over the weekend, claiming a 4-1 win on Friday and a 5-4 win on Saturday. Friday saw the Aces put 25 shots on goal in the second period, scoring on three of those shots. Joe Perry scored twice, while Tomasso Traversa added a goal and assist as the Aces cruised. Alaska held a 3-0 lead on Saturday before allowing the Steelheads to tie the game at 13:38 of the third. Traversa answered 1:10 later with the game winner, one of his two markers of the night.
The week ahead: Fri. and Sat. at Rapid City (3-1-0-0)
RAPID CITY RUSH (3-1-0-0, 6 Points)
The Rush scored a perfect four points over the weekend, after posting 3-2 wins during a home-and-home series with the rival Colorado Eagles. Winston Day Chief scored his 50th professional goal and Daniel O’Donoghue chipped in the game winner, unassisted, with four minutes remaining during a Friday night home win over the Eagles. Danny Battochio stopped 24 of 26 shots as the Rush outshot the Eagles 31-26. Day Chief was the hero on Saturday, as Rapid City traveled to Colorado and handed the Eagles yet another loss. Day Chief scored twice, including the game winner at 18:18 of the third, and Jonathan Narbonne added two assists as the Rush finished off a perfect weekend.
The week ahead: Wed. at Colorado (0-4-1-0), Fri. and Sat. home vs. Allen (3-2-0-1).
UTAH GRIZZLIES (2-1-1-0, 5 Points)
It was a rough weekend for the Grizzlies, as they dropped a pair of home games to the defending Kelly Cup Champion Allen Americans. Alex Krushelnyski scored late in the third on the power play to cut the Allen lead to one and Barry Almeida added another goal, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Americans went on to hand Utah a 4-2 loss. Down 4-1 at the midway point of the game, Utah chipped away and finally tied the game with 26-seconds left on Ryan Walters’ second goal. Walters finished with two goals and two assists, while Kenny Ryan added two goals and an assist. Allen, however, proved to be too much and Utah allowed the game winning goal just 32-seconds into overtime, with the final score of 6-5.
The week ahead: Fri. at Idaho, Sat. home vs. Idaho (2-2-1-0).
IDAHO STEELHEADS (2-2-1-0, 5 Points)
It was a rough road trip for the Steelheads, as they dropped a pair of games at Alaska over the weekend. Brandon Magee scored at 15:26 of the first for Idaho, before the Steelheads allowed three second period goals by the Aces to lose 4-1. The Steelheads battled back from a 3-0 deficit, with Taylor Peters’ goal tying Saturday’s game at 13:38 of the third. However, the lead slipped away just 1:10 later as the Aces went on to hand Idaho a 5-4 loss. Jefferson Dahl and Andrew Carroll each netted a goal and assist, while Eric Hartzell made 35 saves in his first loss of the season.
The week ahead: Fri. home vs. Utah, Sat. at Utah (2-1-1-0)
COLORADO EAGLES (0-4-1-0, 1 Point)
The Eagles were a perfect 2-for-2 on the power play Friday night, with goals by Kyle Ostrow and Jesse Mychan, but it would not be enough as the Rapid City Rush saddled the Eagles with a 3-2 road loss. The Eagles and Rush went head to head once again Saturday night, this time in Colorado, but the result would be the same. The Eagles held strong, answering Rapid City and tying things up twice on goals by Mychan and Christian Isackson. Unfortunately for Colorado, Rapid City would find a way to score once more in the final two minutes to hand the Eagles their second-straight 3-2 loss.
The week ahead: Wed. home vs. Rapid City (3-1-0-0), Fri. and Sat. at Wichita (2-3-0-0).
Contact the writer: john.hall@prohockeynews.com
Special thanks to Amanda Gunnells for her contributions to this report
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