The Tahoe Knight Monsters took on the Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday. Puck drop was at 3:00 PM. The game was at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline Nevada. It was the forty first game of the season. The Tahoe Knight Monsters were coming off of a 2-0 victory to the Fort Wayne Komets. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had a record of 25-12-3. The Knight Monsters were in 5th place in the ECHL. The Knight Monsters were 2nd in the Western Conference and 1st in the Mountain Division. The Fort Wayne Komets are the ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. The Komets had played thirty eight games this season. The Komets were coming off of a 0-2 loss to the Tahoe Knight Monsters. The Komets had a record of 24-13-1. The Komets were in 12th place in the ECHL. The Komets were in 6th place in the ECHL Western Conference. The Komets were in 3rd place in the ECHL Western Conference Central Division.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters had played two more games. The Knight Monsters had one more win. The Knight Monsters had the better points percentage. The Knight Monsters had scored twenty seven more goals. The Knight Monsters had allowed twenty three more goals. The Knight Monsters had the better goal differential. The Knight Monsters had four more points. Would the Knight Monsters win back to back? Would the Komets find their grove again?
#1 Jesper Vikeman got the start in net for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. It was his twenty third game of the season. On Sunday, Brennan Kapcheck of the Tahoe Knight monsters was suspended for two games following an unpenalized cross-check in Saturdays game. #36 Brett Brochu got the start in net for the Fort Wayne komets. It was his twenty first game of the season. On Sunday, forward Brad Morrison and defender Kabore Dunn were activated from reserve by the Komets. Defender Dustyn McFaul and forward Justin Taylor were placed on reserve by the Komets.
Less than two minutes into the game, the Fort Wayne Komets took the lead. The goal was scored by #47 Kirill Tyutyayev. His goal was assisted by #8 Jack Dugan and #328 Cameron Supryka.
Four minutes into the game Ethan Kappen of the Komets received a penalty for hooking. On the powerplay, the Tahoe Knight Monsters tied the game. #10 Jett Jones scored. His goal was assisted by #26 Nate Kallen and #21 Sloan Stanick.
Seven minutes into the game, Darren Brady of the Komets received a penalty for tripping. Ten minutes into the game, Adam Robbins of the Knight Monsters received a penalty for goaltender interference. On the powerplay, the Komets retook the lead. #47 Kyle Mayhew scored the goal. His goal was assisted by #8 Jack Dugan and #29 Odeen Tufto.
With under eight minutes left in the first period, Aiden Girduckis of the Knight Monsters received a penalty for hooking. With under a minute left in the first period, Nick Deakin-Poot of the Komets received a penalty for tripping. The score was 2-1 Fort Wayne Komets after the first period.
Just over a minute into the second period, the Fort Wayne Komets took a two goal lead. The goal was scored by #21 Noah Ganske. His goal was assisted by #64 Nolan Volcan and #13 Anthony Petruzzelli.
Seven minutes into the second period, Brad Morrison of the Komets received a penalty for tripping. Twelve minutes into the second period, Jake Johnson of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for tripping. With three minutes left in the second period, the Komets scored to take a three goal lead. The goal was scored by #29 Odeen Tufto. His goal was assisted by #8 Jack Dugan and #92 Ethan Keppen.
The score was 4-1 heading into the third period.
Two minutes into the third period, Harrison Rees of the Fort Wayne Komets received a penalty for interference. Eight minutes into the third period, #92 Ethan Kappen scored for the Komets. His goal was assisted by #8 Jack Dugan.
Nine minutes into the third period, Sloan Stanick of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for interference. With five minutes left in the game, the Komets scored again. #39 Brannon McManus scored the goal. #20 Jack Gorniak and #88 Brad Morrison got the assists.
With under a minute left in the game Nick Deakin-Poot of the Komtes received a penalty for high-sticking. With two seconds left in the game Adam Robbins of the Knight Monsters received a penalty for high-sticking. The final score was 6-1 Fort Wayne Komets.
https://echl.com/videos/fort-wayne-komets-vs-tahoe-knight-monsters-jan-26-2025
The Tahoe Knight Monsters trailed after the first period but it was still a close game. The Fort Wayne Komets dominated the second and third period. The Knight Monsters never got their offense going. The Komets scored five unanswered goals to win the game. They also had great goaltending. the story behind this game is that signs were put up by fans making fun of #8 Jack Dugan during warmups. He then went and got four assists. That may have motivated the former Henderson Silver Knights player in this game. This was the biggest home loss yet. The Komets get back to winning. The Knight Monsters couldn’t win two in a row. I don’t put all of the blame on Brennan Kapcheck being suspended. It didn’t help. The Knight Monsters have struggled to stop teams from scoring throughout the season. This game was no exception. The difference in this game was the Komets goaltending keeping the Knight Monsters out of the net. Over all three games the Knight Monsters struggled to score. This was due to the Knight Monsters not having an answer for the Komets. The Komets did a solid job all weekend to limit the Knight Monsters chances. The Knight Monsters got fewer scoring chances and were not able to capitalize on those chances because they kept missing the net. The other thing the Komets did really well was having quick counter attacks. Most of the teams the Knight Monsters have played so far this season did not have as strong of a counter attack. Every other play was an odd man rush for the Komets. The Knight Monsters didn’t really have an answer for it.
There has been some talk about goaltending amongst the Knight Monsters fanbase. The reality of that is both Knight Monsters goalies are good. It does not matter who wins more or who the fans like more. It is mostly up to who the Vegas Golden Knights want to get more playing time. It also seems like the fans are blaming goalies for losses because they don’t understand the game. Goalies are always the first to be blamed. It does not matter who is in net if every other play is an odd man rush. If the defense is not doing their job the goalie can’t do his. The goalie shouldn’t be there to bail the team out on every play. There was only two goals in this game where I thought the goalie should have had it.
The Fort Wayne Komets had two more shots. The Komets had the better shot percentage. The Komets had four more penalty minutes. #1 Jesper Vikman saved 22 shots for a 79% save percentage for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. #36 Brett Brochu
saved 25 shots for a 96% save percentage for the Fort Wayne Komets
The Tahoe Knight Monsters have a record of 25-13-3 with 53 points in 41 games. The Knight Monsters are in 6th place in ECHL. They are in 2nd place in the ECHL Western Conference. They are still in 1st place in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. They are in a playoff spot. They are seven points into a playoff spot. They have the second highest points percentage in the division. The Knight Monsters are seven points away from the top spot in the ECHL. The Knight Monsters are five points away from the top spot in the ECHL Western Conference.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters take on the Kansas City Mavericks for game forty two on Wednesday, January 29th. It will be an away game. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 PM. This will be an ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division game.
Zac Electrifly 
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