2023-24 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Bad Goalie]

Schmid a save off a Crunch driving right into his crease. Net is off and the final
TV TO 3:22

Comets down a man delay of game.

PK successful.

Period 1 comes to an end. Seems like it took forever.

After 1 it's 3-2 Syracuse.

SOG:
12-3 Syracuse

Comets were penalized 6 times with 2 5on3's.

 

[Bad Goalie]

2nd is underway

Clarke brings it in and Vilen moves to the high slot, gets a pass and wires it into the top of the net.
G_______O__________A__________L

Vilen at 1:28

3-3

3 goals on 4 shots!

 

[Bad Goalie]

Comets to the PP

Now skated out twice.

No shots and no O-zone pressure in the 2 minutes.

 

[Bad Goalie]

3 stops by Schmid and he holds the 3rd one.

TV TO 13:09 to go.

Clarke on the fly shoots from the circle. Right into the keeper.

TV TO
7:10 to go




TV TO
5:52
Comets to the PP.
Too many men.
The last one was impotent.

Here goes.
Cleared.
Cleared.
That's a worthless 2 minutes.

Stillman to the bench in pain holding an arm.

Schmelzer a giveaway at his own blueline.
Breakaway-------Post!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got away with that one.

2nd is over
SOG:
9-9

 

[Bad Goalie]

3rd period
Here we go.

Crunch score 1:40 into the period. to take a 4-3 lead.

Comets just can't stop this crap. Goals allowed in the opening minutes of any period.
Also comes way too often at the end of periods.

MacKinnon has the puck in the low slot off a pass. He's all alone. He shoots the damned thing wide!!!!!!!!!!!

Engaras goes for 2.
High Sticking 3:18

Comets once again to the PK.
They kill it.

TV TO
13:15 to go

TV TO
9:17 to go

Comets to the PP.

Dowling - Stopped.
Wotherspoon - Wide

Schmid comes way out to the boards on his right to stop a breakaway. The puck comes off the wall and schmelzer picks it up, but it bounces off his stick and t acrunc player picks it up headed to an nopoen net. Schmid goes diving back into the crease side ways feet towards the slot flat on his back. Wotherspoon dives headlong stick outstretched and blocks a sure goal!!!!!!!!!!!.

Durandeau - Stopped directly in the crease.
Clarke - Stopped

Penalty is over, but Halonen collects the puck between the dots and he fires it home.

COMETS TIE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4-4 at 13:21

 

[Bad Goalie]

Crunch clean breakaway ----- FIRED WIDE!

3:22 to go in the 3rd.

Comets have been holding on since the tie goal. Schmelzer 2 chances on the doorstep.

1 minute to go.

Comets going to OT again.

3-0-3 in their last 6 games . And here they go for #7 in OT yet again.

OT
Clarke coughs it up inside the O-blueline..
The Crunch coming back in 3 on 1 and Schmid stops it in the crease.

Comet the other way with Clarke in the middle. Flubs it. Gives it to Wotherspoon inn the low slot and his shot is blocked .

(Clarke cannot move with the puck! it's been like that all season. Woptherspoon was the last guy you'd want with the puck in that position.)

Criscuolo digs it off the end boards and feed Parent on the left boards. he gets stripped. Crunch come back 2 on 1 and they miss wide.

Comets in big trouble. They dump it out, but the Crunch still have it.

Dowling clean breakaway and he's stopped.

Comets 2 on 1 Clarke to Vilen and another big stop.

The puck comes off the boards and there is a Crunch directly in front and he scores with no time showing on the clock. The zebras go to the box and look at the screen and it's good.

Winning goal at 4:59.

Final score: Syracuse 5 Utica 4 in OT
Comets have point in their last 7 games.
3 wins - 1 OT loss and 3 SO losses.

They have no excuses in this one. Their chances to win in the OT were huge and they failed. That's that.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Watched the highlights.

Schmid gave up 5 but 3 of the 5 goals were jist really good top corner shots. The first goal being given up 10 seconds into the game kind of sucks. That overtime goal he could of came out and played that puck but it was a real close call.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Syracuse 5 Utica 4 (OT)

SOG:
UTC 9 9 6 3 = 21
SYR 12 9 5 2 = 28

PP:
UTC - 1/4
SYR - 1/5

Scoring
Dowling (8) from Parent (17) and Wotherspoon (8) PP
Schmelzer (8) None (EN, SH)
Vilen (1) from Parent (18) and Clarke (12)
Halonen (4) from Clarke (13) and Schmelzer (15)

Schmid 23/28

2 point nights for Schmelzer, Parent, and Clarke

3 *s
1 Joe Carroll (Syracuse Crunch) 1G
2 Philippe Meyers (Syracuse Crunch) 1G
3 Walter Merela (Syracuse Crunch) 1G

Vukojevic left the game early in the 3rd and did not return. If he's out that would mean the Comets go with 2 ECHL call-ups in the starting 6 on D.

Felix will have to go. He is a RD. Russo is a RD and Wotherspoon is a LD who's been playing on the right with Russo and Foote since Nemec went up. Foote's recall has also put left shooting Vukojevic on the right with Russo being the only righr shot on the ice. Now they'll have Russo, Woth, and Felix with Hatakka, Vilen, and MacKinnon. The question is who gets MacKinnon and which kid is going to have to try and carry Felix. There are other possible combos but it is going to leave the D very compromised.

Bigger question is where is Misyul whom we have heard nothing about while he last played on 12/30. That's 5 games withMacKinnon in his spot.

My major dis on MacKinnon is that he can't hit the net with a howitzer, but he shoots every chance he gets. Tonight all alone between the bottom of the circles after sneaking in from the point and he blew it wide. Not even close.
Shaya didn't say anything, but I don't recall seeing Stillman in the 3rd either. That could just be me.



Comets next game Wednesday at 7 vs the Belleville Senators at the Utica Aud.

 

[Guttersniped]

Could be an interesting option for the Comets. Know nothing about him, but decent numbers in the WHL suggests like he could develop into a good AHL forward.

This is where McClennon ended up.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Syracuse Crunch have signed 26-yr-old RD Ryan Orgel from Adirondack to a PTO. The Thunder signed him from the SPHL's Pensacola Ice Flyers on 12/30. He is technically on loan, but can be signed by the Crunch to an AHL deal if he pans out.

He is likely filling a hole and will be released from the PTO when the spot he's filling is reclaimed by a Crunch player missing from the lineup at the moment.

This is an example of how AHL teams can poach from ECHL teams they are not affiliated with for various reasons, one of which is their ECHL affiliate doesn't have a guy they feel is good enough for the spot they need to fill. Makes one wonder if MacKinnon has heard of this kind of thing.

 

[Bad Goalie]

1/17/24
Belleville Senators vs Utica Comets

Forwards:
67 Parent/10 Dowling/92 Clarke
15 Gambaedella/51 Criscuolo/61 Stillman
21 Durandeau/26 Schmelzer/24 Halonen
79 laberge/16 Engaras/90 Ibragimov

D-Pairs:
83 Vilen/5 Russo
93 Misyul/8 Hatakka
5 Mackinnon/23 Wotherspoon

Goal - Schmid

Scratches:
Poulter (BU)
Kallgren (Inj)
Vukojevic (Inj)
Fitzgerald (H)
Isley (H)
Felix (H)
Bowers (H)

Comets scored a 14:49 on a blast from Gambardella at the inside of the top of the left circle.
Comets were outshot 14-10 and from the 5 minute mark on the Comets were outplayed and the shots at one point were 14-5.

Comets got a PP with 1:35 left in the period and got a couple good 1-timers.

 

[Bad Goalie]

2nd Period

Short PP (25 seconds) over with no possession.

This game has been ed by wide shots from great spots by both teams.

Laberge and Saulnier drop 'em. A lot of measuring and finally they tie in and Laberge threw 2 open shots and Saulnier tackled him to the ice.

5 each for the fight.

Wotherspoon whiffs on a 1-timer. Puck out to Russso and he mishandles it out of the zone. Not good.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Puck from the corner by Schmelzer and Ibragimov 1 times a blast from the top of just inside the left circle.
S________C________O_________R__________E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2-0 Comets
5:28

 

[Bad Goalie]

Stillman from the low slot as the Comets were working into the slot but couldn't get possession but as it came loose Criscuolo didn't hesitate and just fired it-------------------------------------G_______O______A_______L!!!!!!!!!!!!

3-0 7:42

As I finish typing Parnet centers it to Clarke, he shoots from almost the same spot but a little closer and he ____________________________________________________SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4-0 Comets 8:39

Goalie change Mandolese is done and Merilainen steps in.

2 perfect passes to first Parent and then Clarke, both at the left side of the Blueline, and neither player could take the pass.

TV TO
9:25 to go

 

[Bad Goalie]

No time to rest. Half the game remains.
Dineen, let them keep playing. Screw your shutdown crap they can't execute. Best Comets D is offense in the other end of the ice.

They are letting up and the Sens are threatening. Don't let them up!

TV TO
4:58

 

[Bad Goalie]

Shots are even in the period at 6 each.

Sen strong arms his way down the right side past 3 Comets one after another and gets off a good shot kicked out by Schmid.

Parent circles the net and hits Dowling all alone off the left net front and he can't handle it.

Comets to the PK in the last minutes of the period. Real good chances by the Sens, but Schmid and the clock keeps them off the board.

That 1:16 was not great penalty killing. It was good goal keeping!

Belleville finally cracks the scoresheet.

4-1

SOG:
10-6 Belleville.
Belleville's last 3 shots might have been on that PP.

3rd period will start with a :44 second penalty left to kill. They need to prevent them from getting any more hope with a whole period left to go.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Shane Bowers was returned by NJ today, but is not dressed.

The Comets survived one of their Achilles Heels, giving up goals in the last minute of a period.
The other is goals at the beginning of a period.

They killed the penalty.

Right off a D-zone faceoff and the Sens score again!

Like I said EARLY GOALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lead shrinks to 4-2

Sens threaten in close again and Schmid holds the fort.

Wake the F**K up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bad Goalie]

16:07 to go and it's been all Belleville thus far here in the 3rd.

Schmid another save.

Comets haven't been into the Belleville zone.

Bewllville back into the zone.

Icing Utica. The Cometsa don't seem to have any answer for what Belleville is doing so far.

They have lost every single D-zone face off.

Engaras blocked a shot and goes to the bench in pain.

Comets threaten, but nothing comes of it.

2 on 1 Sens and it's off the post.

YOU HAVE A TIMEOUT DINEEN!@! MAYBE YOU SHOULD CALL IT!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bad Goalie]

Sitting in the NJ 5-man box will result in a tie game.

It's a shooting gallery. Belleville shots coming from everywhere.

Shots are now 33-17 Belleville with 12:40 still left to go. 9-1 this period thus far.

Sens are on the puck everywhere it goes. The Comets don't have a chance to breathe. Maybe they should SKATE!

Schmid another big stop.

 

[Bad Goalie]

I don't have a good feeling about this one at all. Comets method of keeping the game going the other way is dumping it out to the other end.

Comets skate it to the blueline and dump it in and go for a change.

Faceoff back in the Comets end. Win the draw and ice it.

10:15 to go.

Comets first threat of the period 2 shots and neither on net.

Sens ice it.

7:58 to go.

Clarke shot blocked. Can't shoot through 3 guys in front of you?

Here's a brilliant move. Comets "too many men" while playing the puck in their own end.

PK with 6:21 to go.
TV TO

 

[Bad Goalie]

Also a recent pattern. Taking late dumb penalties with close leads.

Just like the recent pattern they surrender the goal on the PP.

4-3.

 

[Bad Goalie]

The building sounds like a morgue.

TVTO
4:19 to go.

The last recent evil has been a 6 on 5 goal giving up the tie goal. Then they lose it in the OT or SO.

A good chance for Schmelzer in the slot swallowed. That's ther first shot in forever.

Sens hit the crossbar.

2:48 to go.

This is the 31st team in goals scored in the AHL.

2 to go. There goes the keeper.

Comets 2 chances at the open net from in front and Belleville stopped them

Gambardella in the zone shoots at the open net and misses the net. Belleville trying to get to the other end. ICING.

Belville calling TO with 10 seconds to go.

Comets win the draw and Wotherspoon dumps it in and that ends it.

Comets eke it out 4-3.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Comets get 2 points and points in 8 straight games.
3 Shootout losses.
1 OT loss.
4 wins.
The Comets have crawled out of the North Divison cellar. They are now 1 point ahead of the shocking new cellar dweller - the Toronto Marlies!

 

[Bad Goalie]

Utica Comets 4 Belleville Senators 3

SOG:
BEL 14 10 15 = 39
UTC 10 6 5 = 21

PP
BEL 1/3
UTC 0/1

Scoring
Gambardella (5) from Vilen (7) and Russo (8)
Ibragimov (5) from Schmelzer (16) and Misyul (7)
Criscuolo (8) from Stillman (5) and Hatakka (7)
Clarke (14) from Parent (19) and Vilen (8)

Schmid 36/39

3 *s
1 Graeme Clarke (Utica Comets) 1G
2 Akira Schmid (Utica Comets) 36/39
3 Topias Vilen (Utica Comets) 2A

The only Comet with more than 1point was Topias Vilen with a 2 point night on his 2 Assists.

The game had a total of 6 penalties.
2 were a wash on 5 minutes for fighting.
Comets had 3 of the remaining 4. None of the 3 was necessary.

1 - Interference on a play where the puck was gone and Misults gave a bump to slow up progress, but when he stepped in front for a second bump he got the penalty. Nowhere near anything going on at the time. Senseless penalty.

2 - Delay of game.

3 - Too many men. Never an acceptable penalty. Belleville scored their 3rd goal on it. That goal made the score 4-3 with 5:23 still left in the 3rd. They had come all the way back from a 4-0 deficit.

Comets were lucky in this one.

Comets next contest Friday Vs Rochester Americans at 7 pm in the Utica Aud.

 

[My3Sons]

Utica Comets 4 Belleville Senators 3

SOG:
BEL 14 10 15 = 39
UTC 10 6 5 = 21

PP
BEL 1/3
UTC 0/1

Scoring
Gambardella (5) from Vilen (7) and Russo (8)
Ibragimov (5) from Schmelzer (16) and Misyul (7)
Criscuolo (8) from Stillman (5) and Hatakka (7)
Clarke (14) from Parent (19) and Vilen (8)

Schmid 36/39

3 *s
1 Graeme Clarke (Utica Comets) 1G
2 Akira Schmid (Utica Comets) 36/39
3 Topias Vilen (Utica Comets) 2A

The only Comet with more than 1point was Topias Vilen with a 2 point night on his 2 Assists.

The game had a total of 6 penalties.
2 were a wash on 5 minutes for fighting.
Comets had 3 of the remaining 4. None of the 3 was necessary.

1 - Interference on a play where the puck was gone and he was given a bump, but when he stepped in font for a second bump he got it. Nowhere near anything going on at the time. Senseless penalty.

2 - Delay of game.

3 - Too many men. Belleville scored their 3rd goal on it. The goal made the score 4-3 with 5:23 still left in the 3rd. They had come all the way back from a 4-0 deficit.

Comets next contest Friday Vs Rochester Americans at 7 pm in the Utica Aud.

Are thr young lefty defenders progressing? NJ could use one to make the jump.