Bettter late than never. Here's some of my takes on the Comers opening night.
Rochester Americans @ Utica Comets
Sunday Oct.17, 2021 - 3pm
Adirondack Bank Center/Utica Aud
1.
My biggest takeaway had nothing to do with the game. It was the irresponsibility of Management and the Utica fan base in the building. The house rules are all vaccinated persons are encouraged to wear a mask and those not vaccinated are required to wear a mask. There is no requirement of proof or lack thereof checked upon entry. It's all up to the honesty of the person showing his ticket. Thus, anybody can just walk in. The masks only encouraged means they don't HAVE to wear one. So everyone enters as if vaccinated and then they choose not to wear one. The vast majority of the 4,000 in attendance were without masks. You had to look hard to find them. Utica NY is in Oneida County where the rate of infection per 1,000 has consistently ranked amongst the highest counties in NY State. The Aud is a small enclosed space with people sitting right on top of one another making it a petri dish for COVID spread. You don't need a lot of positive cases to get it spreading around, particularly if a share of the infected are season ticket holders who can give it to one another and then return to the next game (a 3 in 3 weekend) while still contagious and infect more unsuspecting and still unprotected others. That doesn't even consider the unvaccinated idiots walking around begging for their dose.
VACCINATIONS DON'T MAKE PEOPLE IMMUNE! They lessen the severity of the infection for most, which means probably no hospitalization and very unlikely they will die. It doesn't mean you might not get good and sick. MacKinnon said it must be really bad based upon how he felt having had the vaccination. It also doesn't mean you still don't end up with some of the long term after affects. It simply means you probably won't have to go to the hospital and better yet, you won't die.
COVID is not gone. It's not over. It's not back to normal and we won't get there for some time if people don't practice sound health procedures. Right now that is not the behavior of a large portion of our population.
2. Lineup
Forwards:
Greer/De Leo/Holtz
Foote/Boqvist/Clarke
Zetterlund/Talvitie/Flynn
Gambordella/Schmelzer/Thompson
D-Pairs:
Groleau/Okhotiuk
Bahl/Russo
Wotherspoon/Walsh
Goal - Daws
Scratches:
Vukojevic
Schnarr
McGrath
Stevens
3. The game
Period 1
Early on the Comets got pinned in their own zone and the Amerks were swarming. Comets didn't seem to know where to be and were either chasing or standing and watching. When they had the opportunity to play the puck they just whacked at it and never took control. Their wacks either ended up back on Rochester sticks or just out of the zone only to be brought back in. Comets passing was off target or bounced off the sticks of the intended mate.
The result of that erratic play was the normal commission of a foul. Clarke got whistled for a hook and the Amerks went to the PP. The Comets killed it and the Amerks helped out by some sloppy puck work and shots sent wide.
The Comets gained possession briefly after the penalty was killed and Clarke got a shot on goal.
The eventual result of the Comets early ineptitude was a goal by the Amerks. A point shot by a totally uncovered Oskari Laaksonensen with all kinds of time to decide what to do was actually a shot pass wide to Daws's left and it was tipped in by Jack Quinn standing off to the left of the post.
1-0 Rochester at 4:28.
The Comets would finally get themselves straightened out. Put the pregame jitters in front of a loud full house behind them and slowly began to exert some pressure of their own. The action went back and forth and finally the Comets struck on a very similar play to the Amerks goal. Thompson passed the puck from the right side out to Okhotiuk in the center of the ice below the blueline. He pump faked and then shot the puck and it went in.
1-1 7:16
Less than a minute later Wotherspoon took a shot and pushed back at the Amerk hitting him after the shot. His push was with a his stick across the frame of the Amerk. It wasn't even a hit with the stick. As I said, just a push. This no acceptance of cross checking this season is going to result in a lot of weak penalties called.
Comets back to the PK.
The Amerks PP was highly ineffective and didn't get a shot on net.
Shortly after Wotherspoon returned the Comets applied some pressure of their own and Sean Malone got called for interference. The Comets PP was abysmal.
Casey Fitzgerald took a long shot on Daws who was sitting very deep in his crease and the shot beat him. That was not a good goal.
2-1 Amerks at 14:40.
The Amerks exerted some more pressure and Daws made a couple of big stops. With the Amerks still pressing, Thompson chipped the puck out up the left boards. Schmelzer raced with the Amerks Jimmy Schuldt through the neutral zone and Ryan won the moving battle as they reached the blueline. He outmuscled Schuldt and was free to walk in alone, faked a shot on the doorstep and stepped wide right and roofed it. Really nice goal!
2-2 17:09
Less than a minute later Walsh made a long cross ice pass to Greer in the neutral zone near center ice and hecarried it across the blue line and immediately hit Holtz behind the defense. Alex walked right in with speed and beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to put the Comets on top for the first time. Very poor D by the Amerks to allow Holtz behind all of them. Honestly, it was the first time Holtz appeared in the game and it was a welcome sight.
3-2 Utica 17:52
An Amerk slashed Daws and Tyler went after him and both got 2. Wotherspoon got 2 for roughing and Graeme sat for him. All the penalties at 19:38. The Comets are killing a 4on 3. It doesn't jive with the game report from AHL.com
Comets to the PK for the 3rd time in the period. 4 on 3 this time. The scoring chance at the end of the period belonged to the Comets' Boqvist.
3-2 Comets after 1
SOG: 12-11 Rochester
PP:
Amerks - 0/3
Comets - 0/2
Period 2
Comets start out a man down. With penalty nearing its end, the Amerks get called for too many men on the ice at 1:01.
4 on 4 for a bit then it's a 4 on 3 for the Comets. Holtz scores to make it 4-2 Comets and it's a PPG at 1:29.
Clarke on the right side half boards hit Walsh in the middle inside the blue line.
Wash took 2 strides forward and then passed it to Holtz setting him up for a perfect 1-timer in the left dot.
Holtz hit it perfectly and blew a laser past Luukkonen, who had set up perfectly for the shot and still couldn't even get a piece of it.
This goal was an exact replica of the many 1-timer goals Reid Boucher scored for the Comets game after game from the right dot spoiling the Comets fan base through the '17-18, '18-19, and '19-20 seasons. Unfortunately for us, we know we won't see Holtz doing that for anywhere near that long.
4-2 Comets 1:29
Josh Teves, a former Utica Comet over the past 2 seasons, showed us you guys why the Canucks did not qualify him and why no other NHL team took a flyer either. He single handedly blew up 2 Amerk flurries at the point. The first time he blew a point shot wide and out of the zone and then after they set up again he flubbed a pass to him at the point and it went out of the zone again.
Play went up and down for next 10 minutes or so with the Amerks getting the better of the shots.
Talvitie laid out an Amerk with a big hit at center ice.
Holtz misfired a shot in the low slot that just dribbled in on the keeper.
Shortly after the Comets were pressing in the SAmerks zone and Holtz had the puck moving along the end boards and suddenly was met face to face with a physical hit form an Amerk D-man. He looked shocked. He didn't expect that. Keep your head up Alex. Big learning point that could have gone a lot worse.
Comets get hemmed in and ice it. Amerks change up and the 2nd group applies pressure and the Comets means of getting it out is icing #3.. Amerks switch up again. 3 separate Rochester 5s against the same 5 Comets. Finally get it out, but it's a scoring chance . Howevcer, the rushing Comets are gassed. LOL
Comets break into the zone and Green comes down the middle at top speed and the pass doesn't get to him but tied up with a D-man , Greer blasts head on into Luukkonen. He is immediately jumped and ragdolled. He eventually emerges from the bottom of the pile and a couple Amerks poke at him. Just when it all appears to be under control Luukkonen comes all the way around his net and pulls at Greer from behind and pokes at him with his blocker and Greer briefly erupts again.
Greer gets 2 for charging Luukkonen, matching 2 for roughing with Ryan Scarfo, and a 10-minute misconduct for abuse of officials. I didn't see anything physical so it must have resulted from his mouth.
Graeme serves his penalty for charging.Comets kill the penalty.
I got called for dinner and lost the last few minutes of the 2nd.
End of 2.
4-2 Comets
SOG:
7-5 Rochester for a 2-period total of 19-16 Rochester
Period 3
The 3rd picked right up with Holtz getting a good shot off30 seconds into the period and 7 seconds later daws stopped Ryan MacInnis.
Comets continued to pressure and the Talvitie got his first of the season. Another Comets one timer this time from 1 knee by Aarne. It came with the Comets playing 6 on 5 due to a delayed penalty. They maintained control, made a couple passes, and then De Leo sent a pass from a few feet below the blueline on the right side to Flynn at the bottom of the left circle. he looked up and then wired a cross ice pass to Talvitie who one timed it on one knee from the dot in the right face off circle. Another beautiful goal.
5-2 Comets at 2:30
The next couple chances over the next 5 or 6 minutes belonged to the Amerks, but Daws remained strong.
Then the Amerks defense failed Luukkie once again. Flynn dipsy-doodled through the neutral zone, entered the Amerks zone, and sent a shot from the middle of the ice a few few inside the blueline and skated off towards the right circle. His shot had been blocked and was recaptured by Walsh who got the puck to Zetterlund a few feet inside the blue line on the left side and he found Flynn cruising in off the bottom of the circle. Flynn skated to the net again behind all of the Amerks. forehand backhand crossing through the crease for goal #6.
6-2 Comets at 8:43.
Foote and Brandon Davidson got into a "Why I oughta" and then Foote did. The 2 got five each for fighting Nolan got the extra 2 for instigating and got he game for instigating inside the last 1o minutes.
The Comets killed the 2 to Foote and immdeiately at the end De Leo picked up 2 more for slashing. The Comets killed this one as well. The Amerks got 2 shots on the first PP and only 1 on the 2nd one.
Holtz got a scoring chance aright after the comets Penalty ended and Lukas Cragg got 2 for charging on the play at 15:23. Comets put 2 on net.
Comets win this one 6-2.
SOG:
Amerks - 12 7 8 = 27
Comets - 11 5 8 = 24
PP:
Amerks - 0/5
Comets - 1/3
Okhotiuk (1) from Thompson (1) and Zetterlund (1)
Schmelzer (1) from Thompson (2) and Gambardella
Holtz (1) from Greer (1) and Walsh (1)
Holtz (2) from Walsh (2) and Clarke (1)
Talvitie (1) from Flynn (1) and De Leo (1)
Flynn (1) from Zetterlund (2) and Walsh (3)
Daws - 25/27
Walsh - 3 Pts (3 assist)
Holtz - 2 Pts (2 goals)
Flynn - 2 Pts (1 goal/1 assist)
Zetterlund - 2 Pts (2 assists)
Thompson - 2 Pts (2 assists)
3 Stars:
#1 - Alexander Holtz (Utiica Comets) 2G
#2 - Tyce Thompson (Utica Comets) 2A
#3 - Nico Daws (Utica Comets) 25/27
