Something has happened to the rivalry between the Komets and the Kalamazoo Wings: It’s gone almost entirely into Fort Wayne’s favor.

Thanks to a 5-2 victory Saturday, the Komets have won 5 of 6 games this season against the Wings.

And that’s on the heels of Fort Wayne winning 4 of 5 playoff games in the first round last season.

Despite the recent success, the Komets have won only 25 of the last 51 regular-season games between the teams, whose arenas are only separated by 115 miles.

More important than the success against the Wings, the Komets are having success overall. They have won three straight games and six of their last nine heading into Tuesday's game at Memorial Coliseum against the Brampton Beast.

The Komets (14-10-1) tallied nine of the game’s first 11 shots, including a chance by Garrett Thompson, who stick-handled through the defense and fired an 8-foot shot on goaltender Joel Martin 8:20 into the first period.

But the Wings (10-16-3), who have lost four straight games, opened the scoring when defenseman Charlie Vasaturo’s shot from the blue line caromed off the boards behind the Fort Wayne net and landed on the stick of forward David Gilbert, who swept the puck into an open net at 9:10.

It took only 27 seconds for a response to come from Fort Wayne’s Kyle Thomas, a right wing, who skated down the left boards and flung a shot from 50 feet out that eluded Martin.

Right wing Alex Belzile put the Komets up 2-1 at 13:17 – the shots were then up to 13-4 – when he accepted defenseman Drew Daniels’ pass from the left side of the net and one-timed it underneath Martin. Daniels, who came into the night with three goals and 15 points in 15 games, had missed the previous contest, a 4-0 victory Monday over Atlanta, because of a lower-body injury.

Goalie Pat Nagle, who had 21 saves for his first shutout of the season in that game, stopped Kalamazoo’s Eric Kattelus on a short-handed breakaway 16 minutes into the first period to maintain Fort Wayne’s 2-1 lead.

The Komets’ other goalie, Spencer Martin, was called up to San Antonio of the American Hockey League earlier in the day because the Rampage had lost Calvin Pickard to the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. With Fort Wayne, Martin was 6-4-0 with a 3.00 goals-against average, .887 save percentage and two shutouts. Martin is a rookie.

After Nagle had a couple of terrific saves on Justin Taylor – including one on a short-handed breakaway – Taylor atoned with a terrific goal at 16:58 of the second period, when he skated out from behind the Fort Wayne net, spun in the opposite direction and lifted a shot into the top of the net to tie it at 2 with the shots 24-11 in favor of Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne regained the lead 56 seconds into the third period when forward Mike Embach was in front and sent a wobbly shot that went underneath Joel Martin, though Fort Wayne’s Domenic Alberga may have tipped it first.

Then forward Shawn Szydlowski finished off a 2-on-1 rush to make it 4-2.

Notes: With Martin called up, the Komets brought in Fort Wayne’s Alex Zion as a backup goalie. He played for Calvin College last season. … In the third period, Garrett Meurs fought Dane Fox, who had instigated it during a 10-player scrum in the corner.

jcohn@jg.net