Josh Tataryn signed with the Fort Wayne Komets of the UHL today & scored a goal 11:08 into his 1st game.

Add an assist for Josh! Goal & Assist in his 1st game with Ft. Wayne!

Won't be long before he's knocking down the door of the AHL, as long as he can keep up the hard work & effort.

Maybe Fort Wayne is headed for a playoff run and Tats wants to hitch on with a team with a bit longer season. Stu notices that Greenville of the ECHL is 5th in their division



AAAAAAAAY!

Komets thrive on green ice
By Justin A. Cohn
The Journal Gazette (Ft. Wayne, IN)

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Josh Tataryn had a heckuva first day with the Fort Wayne Komets.
He signed his first professional contract, arrived at the rink Monday night to find green ice, learned his team's backup goaltender was the 42-year-old equipment manager, scored a goal on his first shot, tallied an assist and departed the rink a hero in a 4-1 road victory over the Kalamazoo Wings.

Tough act to follow.

"I really don't know what my expectations were going in," said Tataryn, a right wing. "I just wanted to go out there and personally just go hard and try to do my job out there."

His tasks included boosting the Komets to an early 1-0 lead, on his second shift 11:08 into the first period. He intercepted a pass from Kalamazoo defenseman Josh Akright, who was also playing his first professional game, then Tataryn blasted a 25-foot slapshot into the top of the net.

"This feel great," Tataryn said. "I was nervous yet excited going into the game. I took that pass and just let the shot go right away because I know you're not going to get too many opportunities like that."

The Komets never squandered the early advantage, despite having seven rookies in the lineup because of various ailments to regular players, and Fort Wayne (39-20-10) reclaimed the top spot in the UHL with 88 points.

"The young guys who have joined us, they've played with energy and they've played hard," Komets coach Greg Puhalski said. "They're fitting in real nice and we want that to continue."

Another of the Komets' rookies was goalie Cory Campbell, who hadn't played since Feb. 21 but was given the start because No. 1 guy Tom Lawson was back in Fort Wayne with the flu. As if the layoff didn't give Campbell enough to worry about, the ice was painted green as part of the annual St. Patrick's Day ritual at Wings Stadium, and that made the puck difficult to see.

"I was a little worried coming in because it had been so long since I had been in a game," said Campbell, who is 3-1-0 since being acquired in a Jan. 21 trade with Missouri. "And the green ice was a little weird. It seemed almost like a mat. ... It was a little harder to (see) the puck, but it was still doable. So there was really no excuses."

Campbell stopped 20-of-21 shots in the game, which was the 22nd green ice game but the first involving Fort Wayne. The crowd of 4,267 - it was heavily populated with Fort Wayne fans - was the largest of the season at Wings Stadium.

Also out of the Fort Wayne lineup were defenseman Kevin Bertram (head injury), defenseman Bart Stevens (shoulder), left wing Adam Lewis (wrist) and right wing Ryan Severson (head injury). The Komets had to play one man short of a full 18-player lineup for the third straight game, and forward Kevin Kotyluk spent this contest as a defenseman. But the Komets still extended their recent surge to 3-0-3.

"This is nice," Puhalski said. "Contributions from everyone are important and everyone had a piece in this one."

Tataryn, 20, was selected by the Komets in the fourth round of last week's North American Amateur Draft. He had 17 goals and 30 points in 41 games this season with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.

"I need to watch him a little bit more," Puhalski said, "but I thought he played OK for his first game. His first shot, to score, that's not bad."

Tataryn's early tally was followed by a power-play goal from teammate Colin Chaulk, who redirected a Bobby Stewart shot into the net at 14:04 of the first period. Fort Wayne had 17 of the first 18 shots on goal in the game.

Kalamazoo center Pat O'Leary, one of two Irishmen in the game, brought his team to within one goal by poking a rebound into the net at 6:11 of the second period. The Wings outshot the Komets 10-3 in the second period.

Stewart helped his team recover and gain a 3-1 lead by scoring with a slapshot from the right circle :42 into the third period. Stewart's team-leading 42nd goal - it was his fifth goal in the last two games - came after Tataryn set him up with a pass from the defensive zone.

"I had a good game on the green ice, so I wish there could be green ice everywhere," said Tataryn, 6-feet tall, 185 pounds. "It was a little hard to see the puck, but I didn't mind it overall."

Komets left wing Joe Forte, another rookie, finished the scoring with a shot from the slot at 12:51. It was his first professional goal in his fourth game since signing with the Komets last Wednesday.

"It felt pretty good. I had a bunch of chances in the first few games I'd been playing," said Forte, 23, who is fresh out of Brock University. "It's nice to finally get one in there."

Kalamazoo goalie Chad Alban stopped 25-of-29 shots. The Wings have a league-worst record of 27-36-8.