Komets general manager David Franke still believes he will have a coach in place by June 1, though he declined to get into specifics about potential candidates – with one exception.The days leading up to Friday were full of changes. Guy Dupuis was stripped of his captaincy, and P.C. Drouin of his alternate captaincy. Brandon Naurato was released. Derek Patrosso and Danko Mironovic returned from concussions.
But the result was the same for the Komets, who lost 5-1 to the Quad City Mallards at Moline, Ill.
It was the sixth straight loss for the Komets, whose Central Hockey League-worst record dropped to 5-14-1.
This, after the Komets won the last three IHL championships.
The only Fort Wayne goal was scored by Mathieu Curadeau, who tied it at 1 on a first-period power play.
Aside from that, the Mallards rolled, led by their power play, which scored on 4 of 9 opportunities.
Fort Wayne’s starting goaltender, Nick Boucher, was yanked for the second time in three games. He gave up three goals on 14 shots in the first period. His replacement, Kevin Reiter, stopped 20 of 22.
The Mallards (12-11-0) were led by forward Jake Riddle’s two goals.
Naurato’s rights were claimed Friday by Dayton, which plays the Komets at Memorial Coliseum today. It’s unknown whether he’ll be in the lineup.
