Allen, TX – The Allen Americans looked to take a commanding 3-0 series lead on Thursday night against the Fort Wayne Komets, in front of a reported 5,075 Allen faithful. The Komets however, had designs of their own, determined to not go quietly into the night and themselves back in the series with a 2-1 win.
Mike Embach scores in the first period at 4:11 / Photo by Kimberly Sauer (PHN)
Fort Wayne got the important first goal when Mike Embach batted a loose puck past Jake Hildebrand in the Americans net at the 4:11 mark of the first period. The Komets kept Allen’s scoring chances minimized through most of the frame, doing a great job defensively, supporting Pat Nagle in net with multiple blocked shots.
Late in the middle frame, the Komets extended their lead to 2-0 when Mike Embach netted his second of the night with just 42 seconds remaining in the period. Fort Wayne continued to outshoot the Americans by a count of 25-21 at the second intermission.
Gary Steffes scores in the third period / Photo by Kimberly Sauer (PHN)
Allen showed life in the third period, fighting back against a tough Komets forecheck and finally cashing in when Gary Steffes lit the lamp at 11:36. However, the Americans failed to mount a successful late game comeback, again being outshot by the Komets 12-7 for the period and 37-28 for the game.
The Americans hold the series lead 2-1 in the ECHL Kelly Cup Western Conference Finals, which resumes this weekend in Allen.
Game four of the Western Conference Finals is set for Saturday night at the Allen Event Center with the puck drop scheduled for 7:05PM CDT.
Contact the author at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer: Kimberly.Sauer@prohockeynews.com
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