2022-23 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Bad Goalie]

O-Zone faceoff. Primeau a save.

Comets dump it in.

Poulter a blocker save on along shot

Feed in front to a Rocket who walked unmolested past Walsh and Groleau - puck watching! He missed the net!

Poulter a save on a tip in.

Pinho can't take a pass at the O-blueline and the Rocket come back in and wire a shot off the post.

TV TO
5:00 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

O-Zone faceoff.

Win the draw

Puck in front but no shot. Utica gets it and a shot in front is saved by Primeau.

Nemec shoots from the bottom of the circle. Follows it behind the net and Laval breaks out with him on the wrong end.

Comets come back and the puck goes into the Comets bench.
Skirmish takes place and it ends up 4 mins for the Comets and 2 for Laval.

Laval with a PP.

They shoot it wide and out.

Back in.
1-timer attempt bounces over the stick in front

Poulter a stop.

1-timer off the side of the net.

Poulter a stop. Another!

Comets send it down and the PK is over.

2nd ends

3-1 Comets

SOG:
17-11 Laval

2-period total:
25-24 Utica.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Rochester leads 3-2 after 2 in W-B/S.
Syracuse trails 4-1 in the 3rd in Bridgeport

Kiss Tribute band in all the makeup and trappings playing between periods.

3rd gets going.

Whistle goes with the puck put on top of the Laval net by Laval!

Dump it out and get it deep. Working so far.

Groleau nearly tipped a rolling puck past Poulter. It would have gone wide if he had just followed it and then picked it up. PHEW!

Primeau a stop.

Nemec can't keep the pass in and the Comets have to get back in.

Shaya saying the Comets can shut it down with the best in the league. I have to strongly disagree.

Comets very slow pursuing loose pucks in their own end.

Yeah, that's the way to shut it down.
Give your opponent a 2 on 0.
They score.
The Rocket are back to within 1.
Just plain terrible!!!!!!!!!!!

3-2
5:07

Confidence is gone and they act lost. It's like a switch gets clicked and they fall apart.

Holtz in, toe drag gets by the defense, and his backhander is stopped.
Walsh stopped and Primeau holds on.

TV TO:
13:15 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

Comets ice it. 12:41

Get it down the ice and here comes the Rocket.

Comets get it out.

Laval comes back again and a whistle for a hand pass.11:58

Comets dump it.

Schmelzer works the end boards and centers it clean to Holtz in the bottom of the circle and he is stopped on a great save by Primeau. Holtz looks skyward. Schmelzer is the only center the Comets have that can win a battle with 2 opponents and then make a perfect tape to tape centering pass. Too bad he can't shoot well enough to match up some goals to go along with those 24 assists.

Here comes the Rocket, Dump it in.
Comets get it down the ice.

Comets in their own end again.
Up the ice and dump it in.

Laval shoots over the net. Another shot wide. Comets get it out.

Laval in control again.
Comets turn it back up ice.
Laval icing on a missed pass. 9:12 to go.

Laval dumps it in and the Comets get it right back out.

Good Laval chance low in the left circle off the rush and Poulter holds on.

TV TO:
8:39 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

There is an eternity left in this one.

Laval up the ice.
Comets back down the ice and Clarke shoots. It's held.

Laval is baiting the Comets to draw a penalty. Which Comet will be the dope?

Laval dumps it. Puck battle and Engaras gets it off the glass and out.
Laval back in.
Thompson gets it out.
Puck right back in and Russo slides it to Poulter for a whistle. 6:39.

Dumped out and Laval dumps it back in.

Clarke a 1-man team with no intention of passing, shoots it wide and out.

Lavsal working in the Comets end.
Comets dump it out and get up ice and dump it in.

It's back out, but the Comets dump it right back in.
Now here comes the Rocket.
Comets get possession and shoot it down.

Laval working and Poulter grabs the shot. Whistle.

TV TO
3:43 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

Comets gave Belleville 2 in the last 3 minutes on Wednesday to snatch a loss from at least 1 point if not 2.

Keep an Eye on Primeau.

Comets dump it out and Laval in turn ices it. 3:18

Laval starts up ice. Comets regain it and dump it in.

Laval up the ice and dump it in. Long point bomb and Poulter hangs on.

Laval TO and with a faceoff in the Comets zone. Primeau has options here. What will his coach do. He's gone.
Lose the draw and the Comets clear.
Laval takes 2 shots 1 wide and 1 over the crossbar. Comets have no t touched the puck as the Rocket skate all over but are not taking shots.
Comets get it out.
Comets get it down the ice.
Poulter a save.
Another stop by Isaac. :29 to go.

Pure f--cking chaos for 27 of the 29 seconds
2 different goal mouth scrambles ensue.

Poulter makes 2 stop, the puck rolls into the slot and a 3rd save, and he then loses the puck under him. He rolls to find it and can't. The Comets find it and clear it to the boards.

The puck goes out to the point and it was a repeat in the Comets crease. Players all over the place. Poulter a couple blocks and loses the puck's whereabouts again. Bodies all over the place and the buzzer goes to end it.

Comets hold on to win it 3-2 and it was not easy by any stretch of the imagination!

COMETS WIN! COMETS WIN! COMETS WIN!

Poulter is by far my star of the game. We'll have to see.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Comets vs Laval Rocket Game recap

Final Score:
Utica Comets 3 Laval Rocket 2

SOG:
Utica - 14 11 9 = 34
Laval - 7 17 11 = 35

PP:
Utica 0/4
Laval 0/3

Scoring:
Holtz (6) from Schmelzer (24)
Halonen (16) from Clarke (27) and Talvitie (10)
Talvitie (3) from Laberge (7) and Walsh (27)

Poulter - 33/35

3***
#1 Aarne Talvitie (Utica Comets) 1 G/1 A (AArne needs to frame this one for posterity. #1 star for him is as rare as hen's teeth Congrats to a hard working kid who as reached the pinnacle of his career - the AHL.
#2 Alexander Holtz (Utica Comets) 1 G
#3 Mitchell Stephens (Laval Rocket) 1 G

My Honorable mention/ actually 4th star would be Isaac Poulter. Without him the Comets are licking their wounds and finding themselves on a 3-game losing streak when they need points more than ever in a dog eat dog North Division battle for the last 4 of the 5 playoff spots.

Next game for the Comets is right back here in Laval at 3 pm tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Big night for the Comets in the standings.

Syracuse came in trailing the Comets by 2 PTs and lost to Bridgeport 5-2. That dropped them 4 back of the Comets.

Rochester is slowly closing the gap, but lost to Wilkes-BarreScranton 5-4 in OT. That gives the Comets a 6 PT lead.

Laval's loss dropped the 10 Pts behind Utica but left them in the same spot as before the game, trailing Belleville for the 5th and final spot by 1 PT.

Here's the big picture.

X- Toronto 60 GP - 83 Pts

Utica 60 GP - 68 Pts
Syracuse 58 GP - 64 Pts
Rochester 58 GP - 62 Pts
Belleville 60 GP - 59 Pts
Laval 60 GP - 58 Pts
Cleveland 57 GP - 57 Pts
Those 3 games in hand on Belleville are big for the Monsters only trailing that 5th place by 2 points. They lost last night in OT so picked up 1 point to move within 2. The 2 meet each other tomorrow and Sunday in Belleville for 2 huge games.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Who's been the most disappointing Devils prospect in AHL this season? Is it Tyce Thompson? He doesn't look like he will be an NHLer, even a depth one.

 

[Bad Goalie]

3/18/23
Utica Comets @ Laval Rocket

The second meeting of the 2 in less than 24 hours. Utica won last night's game 3-2.
Isaac Poulter was a major reason for the victory. He played Wednesday as well. He went back to back last weekend winning them both. Theut played the 3rd in 3 nights, a loss.

I can't get inside Dineen's head, but with the Comets not paying again until next Friday, I'd run with Poulter again. If he looks drained after the start, pull the plug and see if Theut can hold on for the Comets while they fight to get some goals for at least a point. He can't wait long as the Comets have real difficulty winning games if the opponent scores 3 goals.
I still believe that Poulter gives them the best chance for a win.

Forwards:
Igrabimov/Schmelzer/Holtz
Geertsen/Talvitie/Laberge
Halonen/Pinho/Clarke
Thompson/Engaras/Grasso

D-Pairs:
Wotherspoon/Nemec
Hayes/Russo
Groleau/Walsh

Goal - Theut

Scratches:
Poulter (BU)
Daws (inj)
Gambardella (inj)
Stevens (inj)
Hutchison (inj)
Vukojevic (Iinj)
Hatakka (inj)
Gourley (H)
Hawryluk (?)
Foote (recalled)

 

[Bad Goalie]

1st is underway
Theut a save

Comets in but lose the puck.

Ibragimov to Holtz on the rush and Holtz can't control the pass

Theut in a Theut a save.

Grasso gets a shot from the right dot stopped and held.

Comets dump it in. Playing along the boards but accomplish nothing.

The Rocket come in strong. Gignac eats up Walsh, cuts to the middle, and slides it by Theut.

1-0
2:41

Theut a save.

Comets in and accomplish nothing.


Another Rocket off the left side and walks right to the net and Theut makes a stop from point blank range.

A wrist shot from the point is in. Theut is shaky at best.

2-0
3:38

Comets going to the PP. Stevens 2 for tripping.

Never get excited when the Comets get a PP.

Cleared.
Comets dump it in.
Clarke forces a shot, bloclked, and cleared.

Comets back in and Halonen is stopped.

Thompson deflects a Walsh shot wide!!!
Cross ice pass but no Comets stick.

Cleared out.

5 on 5 and another Rocket takes it to the net alone and Theut stops him. Theut has not been given an ounce of help from his D to the moment.

TV TO
13:58 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

Rocket come in and Comets break it up and get it down the ice, but Laval is back in and they pass it through the slot.

Comets into the Laval end. Penalty coming. Comets back to their own net and now come back down ice and there's the whistle. Lots of 6 on 5, but the Comets never threatened.

PP
Win the draw
Halonen shot stopped.
Cleared all the way.

Comets come back.
Laval sends it all the way down.

Repeat above.

Comets are in.
Battle in front.
Cleared to the corner.
1-timer by Clarke stopped.
Holtz blast just wide.

PP is over - 0/2

Laval running around in the Utica end.

Thompson is stopped.

Breakaway by Laval and Theut is there again.

If the Comets keep giving up these chances this game will be a blowout. That's 4 times a Rocket player has been alone going in on Theut.

TV TO
7:15 to go.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Ibragimov and Schmelzer are in and Instead of shooting Ibrag takes Schmelzer's pass and goes aaround the net and centers it. It's intercepted and Laval breaks out.

Another shot from the right dot and Theut smothers it.

TV TO
5:28 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

Another Rocket skates across the crease unmolested. Can't get his shot away 5 feet from Theut!

Rocket ridden wide by Hayes.
Doesn't matter because Russo is on the wrong side of the ice and Grasso is trailing the other Rocket player headed to the net and he scores with no Comet in sight.

The Comets play is pure SHIT.

3-0
15:46

 

[Bad Goalie]

Laval back in.

Comets gets in and nothing happens.

Off sides.

Laval at work again. Utica throws it down the ice.

Walsh wrister - blocker save.

Primeau grabs a loose puck for a whistle.

Another naked Rocket and he misses the net.
3 Comets get a chance to clear the zone 19 feet from the blueline and each one individually failed.

Offsides Laval

1 minute to go.

Period ends with the Comets desperately trying to get a shot with 19 seconds to go and finally succeed after the time ran out. Shot wouldn't have counted.

After 1 it is 3-0 Laval in a game in which they have dominated every inch of the ice.

The Comets have not had a single shot to match the multiple chances Laval has had on all 3 of their goals and at least 6 more I can recall where they had the puck within handshaking distance of Theut with no defensive p[layer in sight. They also took shots from the slot to the dots unmolested. I repeat. The Comets didn't have a single shot of that type.

They were 0/2 on the PP and combined with 0/4 last night are at least #30 in the league. That's where they were coming in.
They haven't had to employ their #27 PK yet.

SOG for the 1st were16-8 for Laval

The Comets best shots never made it between the pipes.
W_________I_____________D________________E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or
misfired
or
shot directly into a defender

 

[Bad Goalie]

2nd is underway

Icing Rocket 17:16
No shots for either team yet.

Point shot stopped and smothered by Theut.

Clean shot form the top of the circle stopped by Theut.

Comets attempt a shot but it doesn't reach the net.

Thompson passes the puck to his point who has already evacuated the spot because the Rocket could have broke out. Thompson never seems to know where his mates are unless they are right in front of him.

Hayes and Yaremko square off. No punches landed.

Halonen gets a shot just inside the right circle. Gobbled up by Primeau.

TV TO:
13:57 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

Utica gets a PP out of that confrontation.

Bring it in and twice it's poked off a Comet's stick and then sent down the ice.

Comets in and a couple passes and then a cross ice pass to Clarke from Holtz is deflected out of play by a quick stick.

Nemec makes a quick sweep check from behind or Laval was out on a SH breakaway. Comets are back in and Walsh gets a good look--- shoots------S_____C_____O_____R____E____S!!!!!!!!!

3-1
6:03

Laval right back in and gets a shot from the bottom of the right circle uncontested. Theut the save and a whistle.

Clarke to Halonen and his shot from the left net front is stopped.

Laval comes back down. 2 on 2. The D are back. The trailer (3rd Rocket, uncontested receives a pass at the top of the circle and walks down to the net and shoots form the dot and it's in. No forward on the back check left the shooter all alone. Again a shot by a Rocket player uncontested. Defensive effort today has been pathetic.

4-1
9:41

So much for getting back into the game.

TV TO
8:44

 

[NJ07102]

Who's been the most disappointing Devils prospect in AHL this season? Is it Tyce Thompson? He doesn't look like he will be an NHLer, even a depth one.

Totally true. His season is a huge disappointment, he went way backwards in his development.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Crossice pass to Thompson waist high.

Out to the blueline and Thompson gets called for hooking. 11:16

Comets to the PK.

Shot from the right dot and Theut a stop.

a high stick - whistle
Down the ice by Utica.

Laval clears it themselves with a bad pass back to the blueline.

Point shot from 20 feet in and Theut a stop and cleared.

PK successful.

Comets offsides.

TV TO
5:46

 

[Bad Goalie]

Big save again from Theut on a guy in clean.

2 on 1 Laval and they blow it themselves.

Thompson a toe drag and his shot is blocked as he takes it.

Nemec going for a rebound in front and it bounces over his stick.

Pass in front to a naked Rocket is gloved by Theut before it gets to him. Pass way too high.

1-timer after the draw and it's over the net. Guy was wide open to get that shot off in the circle. Great scoring chance. How many of their shots today would fail to qualify as great chances? Maybe a handful of their 29 to date.
The opposite would be true of the Comets. Maybe have 4 or 5 good chances and none like the Rocket have had.

Breakaway and Nemec skating hard to get back back just nudges him off the puck in as he enters the net front.Puck slides wide.

Period is over.

4-1 Laval

SOG:
13-8 Laval

2-period total:
29-16 Laval

 

[Bad Goalie]

3rd is underway

I'd bet this one is over. Laval will shut the Comets down and the Rocket will also take every chance the desperate Comets will give up. Not a good time to be Theut. Not that any time tonight would have met the criteria.

Shaya talking about the Comets getting 1 early and then chippng away to maybe get even at the end of regulation. This guy is the eternal optimist and real homer personified. Calls a good game, but his continual blabbin g about how good these guys are, their heart, the refusal to give up, their great PP and PK play when everyone knows it sucks. etc. You can call a good game, support your team, and still give a realistic assessment once in a while.

My thouhgts for the 1st 3 and 1/2 holding true.

Pinho shot from the the top outside of the left circle easily gloved for a whistle.

Laval only forechecking with 1 guy.

Icing Laval.

Primeau a shaky stop by Schmelzer. 14:42

Laval shot straightaway from the high slot. Theut an easy glove stop.

Comet giveaway into the crease, but shot attempt as thwarted.

Nemec dumps and Halonen gives Clarke the puck and he misses an entire open side. The best look any Comets has had all day.

Laval icing.

TV TO
11:08 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

Laval was called for hooking before the play stopped for the TO. Comets to PP #5. Currently 0/5.

Shaya on sight had no idea a penalty had been called.

Comets mash around for 4o seconds and it's cleaered.

Comets are in and a pass to Russo goes out,

Svhmelzer shot stopped.

Nemec wrister wide.

Holtz a bomb from the center blueline.

Grasso shot bounces off the net front mob. Another shot through the maze is grabbed by Primeau.

PP ends. 0/5

Laval shot held by Theut.

TV TO
8:23 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

I think I hear the fat lady singing.

It's not even worth keeping my attention on the keyboard for the remainder here. I'm just going to relay anything big that happens.

Primeau makes a save and nearly puts it into his own net attempting to play it. Ha

Groleau called for high sticking at 14:24.

Comets to the PK.

TV TO
5:36 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

It's 4 minutes. He bled.

1-timer stopped by Theut coming across.

Cleared

Schmelzer launches a SH chance from the left circle - wide.

Comets get it out.

Back down again. 1:51 on the PP

Shot stopped by Theut on a cross ice pass.

Theut a rapier like glove save from between the hash marks.

Another glove stop on a wrister from the point. :24 left on the PP

Holtz a shot from the top of the left circle goes wide.

1 minute to go. "Turn out the lights......."

Comets call a TO Come on Dineen!

Gonna work on the goalie pulled? Why don't you spend a whole lot of time on your for shit PP during the next 5 days off. 0/9 these last 2 games. Came in at #30.

It's thankfully over. This one was really hard to watch.

Only real bright spot here was Theut. 4 goals on 41 shots, but the majority were 10 bell shots and kept coming up huge/

4-1 final

I'll recap this one later. Dinner time.

 

[My3Sons]

It's 4 minutes. He bled.

1-timer stopped by Theut coming across.

Cleared

Schmelzer launches a SH chance from the left circle - wide.

Comets get it out.

Back down again. 1:51 on the PP

Shot stopped by Theut on a cross ice pass.

Theut a rapier like glove save from between the hash marks.

Another glove stop on a wrister from the point. :24 left on the PP

Holtz a shot from the top of the left circle goes wide.

1 minute to go. "Turn out the lights......."

Comets call a TO Come on Dineen!

Gonna work on the goalie pulled? Why don't you spend a whole lot of time on your for shit PP during the next 5 days off. 0/9 these last 2 games. Came in at #30.

It's thankfully over. This one was really hard to watch.

Only real bright spot here was Theut. 4 goals on 41 shots, but the majority were 10 bell shots and kept coming up huge/

4-1 final

I'll recap this one later. Dinner time.

What are you eating tonight? I’m an hour behind and our son is napping so I’m not sure yet.