Photos: Komets stun Mavericks late to win Game Two

Photo by Eli Ralls

The Western Conference Finals between the Kansas City Mavericks and Fort Wayne Komets shifted in dramatic fashion on May 23 as Fort Wayne battled back to even the series at one game apiece with a thrilling road victory in Kansas City.

After the Mavericks claimed Game 1, the Komets answered in Game 2 with a clutch performance highlighted by late-game heroics. Fort Wayne weathered an early Kansas City push and jumped out to a quick first-period lead behind goals from Dru Krebs and Harrison Rees.

Kansas City refused to go away, rallying throughout the night behind key contributions from Landon McCallum, Bobo Carpenter, Marcus Crawford, and Justin Janicke. The Mavericks erased deficits multiple times and electrified the home crowd with a late equalizer in the final minute of regulation.

But just moments after the Mavericks tied the game, Fort Wayne silenced Cable Dahmer Arena. Josh Bloom blasted home the game-winning goal with only 26 seconds remaining, stunning Kansas City and giving the Komets a dramatic 5-4 victory to knot the series.

Yesterday’s matchup continued the high-scoring, hard-hitting theme of the series as Kansas City responded with a 6-4 win in Game 3 to regain the series lead. The Mavericks exploded offensively in the second period with goals from McCallum, Crawford, Janicke, Carpenter, Jimmy Glynn, and Jakov Novak to overcome an early Fort Wayne lead.

Now the Western Conference Finals continue tonight as the Mavericks look to extend the lead in the series on the road while the Komets aim to defend home ice and even things once again.

With a trip to the Kelly Cup Finals on the line, the intensity between these two teams continues to rise every game.

Our photographer Eli Ralls was there to capture everything: