LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – The Tahoe Knight Monsters returned home Friday for a three-game series against the Fort Wayne Komets. The visiting team took two of the three games, but the Knight Monsters remain on top of the Mountain Division.
Friday – Knight Monsters Falter in Homecoming against Fort Wayne
The Tahoe Knight Monsters weren’t able to hold a 2-1 lead against the Fort Wayne Komets and ended up losing 5-2 in the first game of the second half. Simon Pinard and Logan Nelson both scored, but it wasn’t enough against a fiery Komet offense and shutdown defense.
FW started the scoring in the first with a pretty passing sequence that resulted in a tap in goal on the backdoor against Tahoe netminder Jesper Vikman. But the Knight Monsters would respond with a buzzer beating power play goal by Logan Nelson for the equalizer.
Tied up at one entering the second, Tahoe notched the go-ahead tally on a beautiful transition rush from Sloan Stanick to Simon Pinard. Pinard finished the feed from Stanick for his 21st goal of the season.
After an ice sheet issue forced the second intermission to begin early, the Komets scored just three seconds into play on a one-time rocket from Kyle Mayhew that rippled past Vikman. And Fort Wayne would take the lead three minutes into the third on a power play strike from Alex Petruzzelli to make the score 3-2.
Tahoe put up a fight throughout the third, but they were unable to punch through FW netminder Brendan Brochu, who finished the contest with 30 saves on 32 shots seen.
The Komets tacked on two empty net goals, both by Justin Taylor, to seal the deal late in the third. And the buzzer sounded on a 5-2 loss for the Knight Monsters, who fell to 24-12-2-1.
Vikman finished the game with 25 saves on 28 shots.
Saturday – Knight Monsters respond against Fort Wayne with Shutout Win
Jordan Papirny is unstoppable.
The Knight Monsters netminder carded his second straight shutout against the Fort Wayne Komets, making 28 saves and leading Tahoe to a 2-0 victory.
The first period began with a bang as Artur Cholach fired a missile past FW netminder Connor Ungar for his 6th goal of the season to open the scoring. It was his first goal since December 15 against the Utah Grizzlies.
Papirny stopped all 12 shots he saw in the first, including a barrage of Komets attacks late in the frame.
He would continue his sharp play in the second, making six saves in a scoreless frame for both teams. But while the Knight Monsters were unable to find the back of the net, they had three separate breakaways by Jake Johnson, Isaac Johnson, and Jake McGrew, all of which were stonewalled by Ungar.
In the third, while clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Knight Monsters penalty kill was tested three separate times. And they excelled, dominating the defensive zone and keeping the Komets to the perimeter. Throughout the game, Tahoe went five-for-five on the PK to win the special teams battle.
Midway through the third period, Tahoe’s power play executed with a Luke Adam one-timer goal to double the lead and add a massive insurance marker.
The buzzer would sound on a 2-0 win for Tahoe in what was an excellent response after losing in game one of the series.
Sunday – Knight Monsters Lose Series to Fort Wayne at Home
The Knight Monsters couldn’t contain the Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday, falling 6-1 in a physical bout to close out the series. Jett Jones scored an early power play goal, but it wasn’t enough as the Komets scored five unanswered and didn’t look back.
The first period featured fast and furious action at both ends, with both squads carding multiple high danger scoring chances. The Komets started the scoring just two minutes in on a rebound chance potted home by Kirill Tyutayev. But Tahoe responded on the power play with a Jett Jones deflection goal to tie up the game at one.
The Komets would score a power play goal of their own a few minutes later as Kyle Mayhew ripped a shot past VIkman to make it 2-1. FW netminder Brett Brochu was the star of the frame, making 10 of 11 saves including a few grade-A stops late in the period.
But things got worse for Tahoe in the second.
The Komets struck twice, with a Noah Ganske shot just a minute in and an Odeen Tufto tap-in with four minutes left in the frame. And the buzzer sounded to close out the period with Tahoe behind 4-1.
FW would add two more in the third to increase their lead to 6-1, and the final buzzer would sound on a series loss for the Knight Monsters, their first since mid-December against Utah.
Tahoe remains atop the mountain division with a 25-13-2-1 record heading into a heavyweight set against the Kansas City Mavericks on the road. The series begins on Wednesday, January 29 with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 pm.
