“This was a culmination of everything we have talked about doing,” coach Brian Gratz, a Fort Wayne native, said of his team’s effort.
“You want to win — and make a statement.”
Lipsett (four points) was a catalyst. He made it 2-0 at 12:09 of the first, burying a pass from Damian Surma, who had a Komet defender clutching him. Lipsett added two more one-timers in the second.
“Chris has a great shot,” Gratz said. “Tonight, he was able to showcase it. It’s good to see his timing back.”
Jakaitis, the first star, was razor sharp, making 36 saves for his second shutout.
“From the start of the game, we put together a full 60 minutes,” said Jakaitis, who made key stops early and then saw his teammates sacrificing to block shots late.
Dayton (25-23-4) led 3-0 after one period, beginning with a power-play goal 6:46 in. Former Komet Brandon Naurato one-timed a Tim Hartung feed past Kevin Reiter.
Up 2-0, the Gems took advantage of a bad clear by Reiter when Mike Vaskivuo scored with 28.2 seconds remaining. Fort Wayne, which came back from a 3-0 deficit in a Jan. 1 game, unraveled in the second period and a Surma power-play goal put Dayton up 4-0 before Lipsett scored two straight.
“That was in my head,” Gratz said of the Fort Wayne comeback win two months ago. “We want to be able to finish opponents.”
NOTES: Vaskivuo (short-handed breakaway) and Hartung (power play, three points) added third-period goals. ... Fort Wayne’s Derek Patrosso and Leo Thomas were both ejected. Patrosso was tossed for verbal abuse of an official, while Thomas earned a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a violent slash to Greg Labenski’s ankle after the Dayton captain had already been called for a penalty. ... Matt Miller had two assists.
About the Author