FORT WAYNE, Ind - A point of discussion in the Fort Wayne Komets’ first-round matchup with the Kalamazoo Wings was the differences in rink dimensions between Fort Wayne’s Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and Kalamazoo’s Wings Stadium. Now, the topic has carried over into the defending champs’ Turner Cup Final showdown with the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

By rule, a North American hockey rink has to be 200 feet by 85 feet in order to be fit for pro league play, but building constraints and franchise preferences can combine to give a playing surface a good deal of individual geometric character.

To the naked eye, the home of the Komets appears to have deeper, less rounded corners than Wings Stadium and the similarly landscaped L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon. The additional space behind the nets in Fort Wayne would seem to favor the home team, with its abundance of smooth-skating playmakers. Conversely, tighter quarters would theoretically suit a crash-and-bang outfit like the Lumberjacks.

Following Game 2, Komets head coach Al Sims did nothing to dispel the effect of geometric idiosyncrasies on the way the game is played.

“We expect (Muskegon) to come out flying (in Game 3),” he said. “They have a smaller building and use it to their advantage.8 0

LUMBERJACKS’ TOP GUNS SILENCED SO FAR

Muskegon’s top line of IHL MVP Todd Robinson, 42-goal scorer Robin Bouchard and point-per-game winger Chad Woollard has been practically invisible through the first two games of the series. Only Robinson’s assist on Matt Gens’ late score in Game 2 has kept one of the premier offensive trios in minor league hockey from being kept completely off the scoresheet.

In a clash between Muskegon, the IHL’s top-scoring team and its second-best defensive club in Fort Wayne, there is no dispute as to which side currently enjoys the upper hand.

“We have three deep lines that can play defense and our goal is to keep the puck out of (Robinson)’s hands,” Sims said. “So far, it’s working.”

Robinson, a surgical playmaker who led the league with 89 assists and 1 12 points in the regular season, racked up 10 points in the Lumberjacks’ six-game first-round ouster of the Port Huron Icehawks, who surrendered the fewest goals in the IHL during the regular slate.

The 35-year-old Bouchard, still blessed with a wicked release, tortured Port Huron with five goals but has yet to get a sniff against Fort Wayne and IHL Goalie of the Year Nick Boucher. 33-goal scorer Woollard had a breakaway attempt stopped in Game 1 and has been inconspicuous since.

INSIDER INFO?

Kevin Armstrong, Muskegon’s 20-year-old rookie goaltender, looked confident in earning three wins against Port Huron and held strong in a 2-1 overtime loss to Fort Wayne to begin the Turner Cup Final, but his forcefield was severely compromised in Game 2 as he let seven of 46 shots through.

The final two Komets goals were probably the most vexing for the youngster, as Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn blew a 30-foot snap shot over his blocker hand and David Hukalo finished his hat trick with an off-speed floater from the blueline.

Has the Fort Wayne coaching staff developed an impromptu scouting report on the first-year netminder?

“We saw some things in Armstrong’s game (in Game 1)” Komets head coach Sims said in Game 2’s aftermath. “I’m not about to say exactly what we saw, but my being the father of a goalie (Tyler, who plays with the Mississippi RiverKings in the CHL) certainly helps in these situations.”

Lumberjacks coach Bruce Ramsay has fifth-year pro Clayton Pool, who carried most of the load in the regular season and was 1-1 in the first round, at his disposal if he chooses to make a change between the red pipes.

Contact matt.gajtka@prohockeynews.com

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