Komets beat Orlando, 3-2

Fort Wayne, IN -  The Solar Bears got their second-straight 39 save performance, this time from G Hannu Toivonen, but fell 3-2 to the Fort Wayne Komets at the Memorial Coliseum on Sunday evening.

C Brett Smith kicked off the scoring for Fort Wayne, notching a marker 5:46 into the first period. Smith's shot found it's way through some traffic and after changing direction, it trickled over the goal line to give the Komets the 1-0 lead. It was the only goal scored in the opening period.

Late in the middle stanza, the Solar Bears evened up the score at 1-1. While on a 5-on-3 power play, D Bryce Lampman one-timed a pass from D Michael Wilson past Komets G Marco Cousineau with 4:37 left in the period. Fort Wayne answered before the end of the frame, when LW Garrett Klotz found a loose puck right in front of the net and lifted it into the top corner of the net for a power play goal with just 49 seconds left, giving the Komets a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

Just over six minutes into the final period, Fort Wayne extended their lead to 3-1. RW Brandon Marino pushed a puck into the crease and C Corey Elkins knocked it home to give the Komets the two-goal lead. Orlando answered with their second power play goal of the game, as D Michael Wilson fired a shot from the top of the slot into the top right corner of the net at 11:18 of the frame. Marino had a chance to put Fort Wayne back up by two when he was awarded a penalty shot with 2:52 left in the contest, but he was denied by Toivonen. The Solar Bears earned a power play chance with six seconds left in the period, but it wasn't enough as the Komets held on for the 3-2 win.