EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Icemen handed their in-state rival Fort Wayne Komets their second loss of the season with a dynamic combination of special teams play and a strong showing in net by Pier-Olivier Pelletier. 
It was Evansville’s second victory in three games against the once dominant Komets and Josh Beaulieu led the attack with two goals and an assist. It was also Beaulieu’s second two-score night against Fort Wayne and the fifth-year forward is loving it. “I’m just taking advantage of playing with two great players in Robby (Todd Robinson) and Sean O’Connor on the right wing,” Beaulieu told the Evansville Courier and Press’ Randy Beard. “I can’t ask for much more. I’m just enjoying myself, having a lot of fun.” Pier-Olivier Pelletier stood fast in goal to stop 21 of 22 shots faced and earned his second win of the season. Beaulieu suts atop the list of CHL goalie leaders with a 1.30 GAA and is third in the league with a .952 save percentage. With the win, the Icemen remain undefeated during regulation play with a record of 3-0-1 and hold third place in the Turner Conference standings. They face the 2-1-2 Dayton Gems on Friday. In front of a record setting crowd, announced at 8,722, the Icemen kicked off the first game on home ice with a fast and furious pace. Evansville enforcer Mike Sgroi and the Komets’ Brent Henley dropped the gloves at the 1:42 mark with Sgroi coming out on top. Komets winger Kaleigh Schrock was called for hooking 29 seconds later and the Icemen took advantage, tallying the first score of the night and the first goal ever in the Ford Center. According to Beaulieu, he was attempting a pass across the crease when the puck deflected into the goal off the stick of a Komets player. “It was lucky on our part, but I’ll take it,” Beaulieu said after the game. “They are going to happen like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a dozen like that this year because we’re playing so well on the power play.” The Komets held a narrow 6-5 shot advantage going into the locker room after 20 minutes but were unable to faze Pelletier, who was solid in net. The Icemen controlled the action at the outset of the middle frame but it was Fort Wayne’s Brett Smith who scored the equalizer at the 2:44 mark, assisted by Bobby Chaumont and Artem Podshendylaov. Smith, a former member of the now defunct CHL champion Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, took advantage of a disorganized Icemen squad whose special teams had just killed off a Fort Wayne power play. It would be the only score of the night for the Komets. The physical play continued to highlight the contest and just four seconds after Smith’s goal, Kaliegh Schrock and Jordan Little dropped the gloves, earning both a trip to the sin bin. Beaulieu scored his second of the night, the eventual game-winner, at the 8:04 mark, on a set up by Todd Robinson and Philippe Plante. An interference call on Fort Wayne defenseman Tristin Lewellyn at the 14:17 mark set up the third goal of the period, this time by former Komet Sean O’Connor, who beat Kevin Beech with a point blank shot fed by Beaulieu. Evansville led the shot count in the second period 6-4 and took a comfortable 3-1 lead into the second intermission break. In the final frame, both goalies held their ice and prevented any further
scoring. Instead, the final 20 featured a fight between IceMen rookie forward Malcolm Gwilliam and the Komets’ Tom Mele at the 7:02 mark and a bout between the Komets’ veteran center Colin Chaulk and Icemen defenseman Matt Gens. The IceMen will return to action on Friday night, facing the Dayton Gems for the first of two games at the Hara Arena. Contact the writer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
