The Komets were dominated early in the opening game of the Western Conference finals with the defending-champion Allen Americans. But something clicked late in the first period tonight and they fought their way back.

The comeback fell short.

Despite two goals and an assist from Troy Bourke, and being within 1 goal in the waning minutes, the Komets lost 5-3.

It was only their second loss in their last 10 playoff games.

The teams will meet in Game 2 at Memorial Coliseum on Sunday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Allen, Texas, for potentially three games.

In the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals, South Carolina defeated Wheeling 3-0. Vitek Vanecek had the 33-save shutout for the Stingrays.

The last thing the Komets wanted to do was give the Americans, who won Central Hockey League titles in 2013 and 2014 and added the ECHL championship last year, a lot of opportunities on special teams. As the Komets shook off the rust of a week without playing, the Americans opened the game with a short-handed goal and two power-play goals for a 3-0 lead in the first period.

It was the first meeting between the teams since 2012, just before Fort Wayne won the CHL championship and then left for the ECHL. Fort Wayne captain Jamie Schaafsma was a part of Allen’s three championships, captaining it last season before leaving to play closer to his home in Chatham, Ontario.

Goaltender Riley Gill, who backstopped Allen to the Kelly Cup last year, had the first big play of the series by kicking his left leg to stop a shot from Bourke at the end of a 2-on-1 rush 1:46 into the first period.

The Americans, who were coming off a seven-game victory over Idaho and a six-game victory over top-seeded Missouri that ended Tuesday, opened the scoring with their fifth short-handed goal of the playoffs. After Allen cleared the puck from its own zone, Gary Steffes won a race down the ice, circled the net and then fired the puck into the top of an open net at 5:27. It was the fourth short-handed goal allowed by Fort Wayne, which needed seven games to defeat Cincinnati before completing a sweep of Utah on May 6.

Goalie Pat Nagle recovered by stopping a J.P. LaFontaine shot from point-blank range 39 seconds later, but he was helpless to stop Gregor Hanson’s redirection on a power play at 9:03 for a 2-0 Americans lead.

The Americans got another power-play goal when Casey Pierro-Zabotel took a crossing pass from Chad Costello, the ECHL’s leading scorer and MVP during the regular season, and fired it above Nagle’s glove for a 3-0 lead at 10:56. At that point, Allen had 13 of the game’s 16 shots on goal.

Late in the period, the Komets awoke from their slumber, started dishing out some checks and got a goal with 13 seconds left from Trevor Cheek, who scored into an open net after a Bourke shot from 40 feet was knocked down in front.

An 11-player melee broke out 7:40 into the second period, when Alex Belzile crashed into the Allen net and Gill threw a barrage of punches his way. During the same stoppage, after Allen’s Kyle Neuber was in front of the Fort Wayne bench, another sizable scrum broke out. The referees, Nic Leduc and Peter Tarnaris, gave out only 12 minutes in penalties to six players and didn’t award a power play.

Fort Wayne’s Gabriel Beaupre fought Steffes at 17:29, shortly after Allen’s Hanson drew a penalty by flopping over Nagle’s stick next to the net. Allen had five of the first six power plays.

Bourke trimmed the Komets’ deficit to one goal at 3:16 of the third period by sending a shot off Gill’s left leg and then smacking the rebound past him. After Nikita Jevpalovs made it 4-2 at 11:39 with a shot from the left circle that went between Nagle’s legs, Bourke answered at 13:28 with a 30-foot shot that took advantage of a Schaafsma screen.

The Americans cemented the victory with an empty-net goal by Vincent Arseneau.

Both teams totaled 26 shots on goal.

Notes: The Komets made one lineup change, scratching forward Paul Crowder in favor of rookie Taylor Crunk, who hadn’t played yet in the postseason. The Komets’ other scratches were Garrett Meurs, David Friedmann, Randy Cure and Cody Corbett. … The Americans are planning to bus to Chicago and go to a Cubs game on Saturday. … Former Komets player Kevin Kaminski attended the game, as did ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna. … The Americans played without Aaron Gens, Rick Pinkston, Justin Courtnall, former Fort Wayne player Tristan King, Daniel Doremus and goalie Joel Rumpel.

jcohn@jg.net