2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Bad Goalie]

4/2/25
Utica Comets at Toronto Marlies
With the AM recall of Casey and the Comets already in Toronto, The Comets played the game with 5 D and 13 Forwards.

White was the 6th D-man and all 5 interchanged all game long to stay as fresh as possible.

Wendt was the extra forward.

Where the Hell are Hatakka and Edwards??????????????????????????? Did they actually leave these 2 back in Utica? Are they both injured though not seen as happening in their game on Sunday.

Haven't heard any announcement by idiot Shaya!

The Forwards set up their regular 4 lines, but 1 guy was left over, Wendt.
Forwards:
(5) Gambardella (14) Gruden (11) Legare
(39) Hardman (26) Schmelzer (20) Willman
(67) Poulter (28) McLaughlin (24) Halonen
(79) (13) Malone (5)

D-Pairs:
(83) Vilen (7) Strand
(3) Dello (44) Osipov
(6) White

Period 1
Comets started this one in trouble almost immediately going to the PK.
Osipov
Hooking
1:50

Surprise! Suprise!
Passs by the Marlies out to the left point is flubbed in an attempt to send it across to the right point and Willman scoops it up in the middle just outside the blueline and goes the length of the ice and in all alone on Hildeby and........................................
S_________________C_______________O_____________R____________E___________S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Willman
2:42
SHG
1-0 UItica


Wiman got a 2nd breakaway at 3:40 and hit the post after putting the keeper flat on the ice.

He still hasn't even mentioned that Casey was called up or that the Comets are playing with 5 D. Hatakka and Edwards would easily have provided the Comets with 6 D, but neither is dressed. Why NOT Shaya??????????????? He doesn't even seem to have noticed that they are playing with only 5 D.

He has managed to tell us how fantastic an actor that Val Kilmer was. What movies that Shaya saw and how he was disappointed that he didn't even get an Oscar nomination for his role in Tombstone. All this while the game is going on.

Period 1 over.
1-0 Comets
SOG:
8-6 Utica

Period 2

Comets called for Cross-checking
Willman
Cross-checking
1:14

A minute later Gruden shoots the puck over the glass.
Gruden
Delay of game
2:34

Comets down 2 men. 5 on 3 for the Marlies

Fantastic stop by Daws on Nylander.
Off the Post
5 on 4
Nylander stopped again by Daws going post to post.
Comets kill the rest off with no chances against.
PK is over.

TO goes to the box.
Nick Abruzze serves it
Too many men
5:39

Comets on their 3rd PP.

Schmelzer and Gruden put their 1st 2 SOG of the period shots and that's it for the PP.

Marlies controlling play it in the Comets zone. This is not looking good.
Steeves stopped by Daws
Daws stops him again on the rebound
Toronto finally dents Daws.
That alomost seemed inevitable. You can't allow that kind of intense pressure without giving one up.

Logan Shaw
9:49
1-1

Daws a huge save on Mastrosimone off a 3 on 2 rush to keep this one even.

Comets came alive for a short spurt for 2 minutes form the 15 minute mark thru the 17 minute mark.

The Marlies responded with 4 chances of their own in the last 2 minutes.

Willman stopped on the doorstep.

Then the Marlies blundered again.

William Villeneuve
Tripping
19:54

Period 2 ends
1-1
SOG:
14-9
Daws was the answer for the Comets in the period.
Hildeby was no slouch either.


Period 3
Comets open the period on the PP.

Hardman stopped.

These guys have enough troulbe scoring on the PP and giving it away with a penalty of their own dosen't help.

Strand
Holding
0:23

Daws a huge save on Quillan going post to post again.

Now before the Starnd penalty is up Toronot is dumb again.

Cedric Pare
Hooking
2:15

I said earlier that these teams were not reafy to play at their best at 10 in the norning and theyare shaowing it. Poor D in both ends. Both goalies doing head stands on the great chances the D-zone coverages are allowing.

The rest of the period was more of the same. Both teams trading offensive chances watching their respective goalies keeping them in the game.

Halonen and Niemela both crash full speed into the end baords sisd by side as Niema was ridden off the play near the post to the left of Daws. Itwsas not lokking good for either of them. Eventually both found their feet and left the ice under their own control.

Blandisi on a breakaway and Daws made the stop and the puck was under his butt.

Apparently Shaya had no idea the Comets were playing with 5 D with 3 good ones absent, Casey, Hatakka, and Edwards. He doesn't know this team well enough to reecognize that Osipov, Strand, Dello, Vilen, and White is not the team's normal D-core for any game?


Period 3 ends
1-1
SOG: 7-7
3-period total
27- 24 Toronto

This one is going to O----ver---time!

OT
Comets send out:

Schmelzer, Strand, and Willman

Marlies win the draw bring it Into the Utica zone they flub a pass tot he blueline,

Schmelzer gains possesion and taks it into the TO zone and can't get a shot off.

Pnetnt onb then White and Hardman comes out all the while the Comets have maintained possession in the Toronto zone.

Willman took it form the bluelinr e to the net front. is stopped and slides into the end boards.

Toronto brings it back into the Comets zone. A shot and Daws makes the stop and pushes the reebpound at his knees to White coming back.

White brings it back in. Goes deep and sends it to Hardman inthe hight slot. He shoots it WIDE!

Tornto back 2 on 1 and the shot is blocked.

Picked up by Hardman in the right circle. He gives it to parent at the Toronto blueline. X drives to the left post, but slides it back to Hardmanm coming hard. Mike shoots from the left hashmark and he rips a wicked wrister into the past Hildeby................................................................................................................................................
G__________________________O________________________A_________________________L!!!!!!!!
COMETS W-------I--------N !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COMETS 2-1 in OT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OT SOG:
2-1 Utica

Recap

Utica Comets 2 Toronto Marlies 1

SOG:
UTC - 8 6 7 1 = 25
TOR - 6 14 7 1 = 28

PP:
UTC - 0/5
TOR - 0/4

Scoring:
Willman (7) Unassisted SHG
Hardman (18) from Parent (18) and Vilen (19)

Daws 27/28

3 *s:
#3 - Dennis Hildeby (Toronto Marlies) 23/25
#2 - Mike Hardman (Utica Comets) 1G- GWG
#1 - Nico Daws (Utica Comets) 27/28

Comets record:
27-29-5-4

Next up -
Friday, 4/4
Springfield Thunderbirds at Utica Comets, 7pm Adirondack Bank Center (Utica Aud)

 

[Bad Goalie]

Does anyone have the reason why the Comets only dressed 5 D-men for today's game with the Toronto Marlies?

I know Casey was called up to the Devils.

Edwards and Hatakka were not dressed leaving the Comets to ice:
Strand
Osipov
Dello
Vilen
White

Someone must be able to explain this fiasco.

[email protected]

 

[Bad Goalie]

4/4/25
Springfield Thunderbirds at Utica Comets

Final Score
Utica 5 Springfield 2

I'll expand upon this tomorrow. It's 1:33 am and I'm hitting the sack.

I'm b--a-a-a-ck.

Forwards:
(39) Hardman (26) Schmelzer (20) Willman
(67) Parent (28) McLaughlin (24) Halonen
(15) Bowers (14) Gruden (11) Legare
(79) Laberge (13)Malone (5) Gambardella

D-men
(6) White (3) Dello
(83) Vilen (7) Strand
(73) Edwards (44) Osipov

Goal - (1) Daws

Period 1
In the first 14 minutes the shots were 10-3 and the 3rd Springfield shot made the score 1-0 them.

Very soon after Schmelzer evened it up 1 minute and 4 seconds later. He put a shot past Ellis on a pass from Edwards.

1-1 is how the period ended but the SOG were ridiculous, 16-4. Springfield's goal came at 14:05 and they only produced 1 SOG after that.

Period 2
The Comets came out in a rage and Strand put them up 2-1 potting a rebound of a McLaughlin shot at :54. It was the 3rd shot of the 1st minute for the Comets. What Strand was doing 10 feet from the goal on the left side is another story, LOL.

The period ended with the score still 2-1 and Springfield had a total of 8 shots on goal, but I said to the guy behind me, "This is really scary. We have outshot them 26 to 8 and they are only 1 shot from a tie game!"

Period 3
My crazy comment I made at the end of the 2nd period came back to haunt me as Tanner Dickinson at 1:54 of the 3rd banked a shot off Poulter from below the goal line to make it 2-2. It was the 1st shot of the period for either team. Why Poulter wasn't holding the post is something only he could tell us. Both Springfield goals would have to get an explanation from Isaac.
This one and the on the 1st 1 he was down on his knees leaning forward over a puck right in front of him . He had his glove in the air over the puck, but he didn't cover it. A T-Bird simply smacked it and it went off Isaac and into the net.

Springfield scored on 2 Poulter brain farts. Any other time in the game he was lights out making huge stops one after another.
Like the first period the Comets answered back almost immediately. Legare skated into the Springfield end with a defender right with him. He kept the puck to his right side and rifled a shot from the outside of the circle that beat Ellis for what would end up being the game winning goal. His goal came 12 seconds after Springfield had tied the game.

The game went back and forth from that point until Osipov, as the Comets have done in the past few games took a penalty at 11:05 and 10 seconds after his penalty ran out Edwards, in trying to clear the puck out of the zone, tossed it into the seats for a delay of game penalty and the Comets were right back to the PK. The Comets not only killed it, but they didn't give up a SOG! The Comets have the #28 ranked PK% in the AHL.

With 2:20 to go (17:40) Ellis went to the bench. They had 2 very good chances, 1 blocked and 1 deflected wide. The puck was cleared out and fought for in the neutral zone and Parent finally came away with it and with a T-Bird hanging on, he shot it into the empty net from the top of the circle.

4-2 Comets.

Ellis came on for the faceoff and went to the bench as the T-Birds carried the puck into the Comets end, 18:14. They controlled play and put 4 shots on Poulter and standing tall he stopped them all.

The Comets got the puck out and Hardman hit Willman with a pass. He was angled off with a T-Bird riding him wide, but he maneuvered his stick into position and backhanded a weak shot from faceoff dot depth that went into the net. Game over! 5-2 Comets.

The final score was not indicative of where this game was with 2:20 to go and the T-Birds skating 6 on 5. The Comets fought to limit the shots and take away space in doing such they were able to push the puck out of their zone and with some strong struggling high in their zone managed to get 2 guys into the open up ice for 2 ENGs.

Final Score -
Utica Comets 5 Springfield Thunderbirds 2

SOG:
SPR - 4 4 13 = 21
UTC - 16 10 6 = 32

PP:
SPR 0/3
UTC 0/2

Scoring:
Schmelzer (19) from Edwards (2) and Willman (16)
Strand (3) from McLaughlin (14) and Willman (17)
(McLaughlin had 5G/9A with Providence before the trade. He has 0G/5A in 11GP with Utica.)
Legare (16) from Gruden (8) and Bowers (14)
(Gruden had 7G/6A with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before the trade. He has 1G/2A in 11 GP with Utica)
Parent (14) Unassisted
Willman (8) from Hardman (15)

Poulter (19/21)

3 *s
#3 - Nathan Legare (Utica Comets) 1G - GWG
#2 - Austin Strand (Utica Comets) 1G
#1 - Max Willman (Utica Comets) 1G / 2A

Comets record improved to 28-29-5-4.

Next up:
Providence Bruins at Utica Comets
7pm at the Adirondack Bank Center (Utica Aud)

 

[Mgd31]

I’m drunk at a wedding. This team is on a heater. They don’t quit

 

[My3Sons]

I’m drunk at a wedding. This team is on a heater. They don’t quit

My oldest is getting married in February. I won’t be drunk.

 

[Bad Goalie]

4/5/25
Providence Bruins at Utica Comets

Forwards:
(67) Parent (28) McLaughlin (24) Halonen
(39) Hardman (26) Schmelzer (20) Willman
(15) Bowers (14) Gruden (11) Legare
(79) Laberge (13) Malone (5) Gambardella

D-Pairs:
(73) Edwards (44) Osipov
(6) White (3) Dello
(83) Vilen (7) Strand

Goal - (50) Daws

Period 1

This one was a lot harder for the Comets than last night. The Bruins hit the ice with one thing in mind, HIT!
Secondly skate, skate, skate.
Their intention was to stop the Comets in their tracks, attack the O-zone with numbers, and shoot. They accomplished the first 2, but the shooting thing was not so much. The Comets spent a lot of time in their own end, way too much time, but it was bend, but not break until they got the message. That came at 6:10 when the Bruins scored on their 4th shot. Remember that Springfield scored on their 3rd shot last night.

The Comets caught the game's 1st break at 13:08 when Ty Gallagher shot the puck over the glass and got 2 for Delay of game.

43 seconds later Colton White swiped a loose puck into the open side of the net when the puck came to him all alone after a scramble in front of the net. It was trhe Comets 1st PPG in what seems like ages. They have the 30th worst PP in the 32 team AHL.
Nevertheless that goal tied the game at 1.

White
14:56
1-1

Providence out shot the Comets 3-2 over the last 5 minutes of the period.

Period 1 ends
1-1
SOG:
8-5 Providence

Period 2
The Comets came out like Coach Parent had lit a torch to all of their asses. The Comets were matching the Bruins hit for hit, forechecking hard, backchecking in their own zone and taking away the chances for the Bruins to score.

At 5:18 the reborn Max Willman scored to give the Comets the lead. Schmelzer fed him the puck and and Willman deposited it into the net.

Willman
5:18
2-1 Utica

The Comets would carry the play for the next4 minutes and then ex-Comet Daniil Misyul was called for boarding Edwards at 10:17. The Comets only managed 2 SOG .

Shortly after the teams returned to 5 on 5 and a whistle halted play. Osipov and Joey Abate dropped 'em and engaged in the most fists thrown fight I have seen in years. Osipov landed blow after blow, all to the head. Abate wouldn't quit and Osipov obliged him. Another punch and Abate's helmet went flying and Osipov landed 4 or 5 more to the face and head before the Linesmen finally jumped in. The fight saw the crowd one by one rise to their feet and then a combined crescendo of clapping, whistling, and screaming and yelling turned the building into a standing, ear shattering din.

Both got 5 for fighting. Osipov got a huge amount of ice which he held on his right hand for the 5 minutes. He played the rest of the game. He better keep ice on and off that hand for most of the rest of the night.

The game was played up and down for around the next 3 minutes when Matthew Poitras took a 2-hander to Parent's stick in the Comets end.

Poitras
Slashing
16:11

No matter Legare went behind the net and trying to get past a Bruin, threw his elbow back to get free and that elbow landed smack between the guy's eyes.

Legare
Elbowing
16:18

4 on 4
The Comets were applying pressure and the puck came out. As they were bringing it back in a Comet (I think it was Laberge) was exiting the ice and his position sub went on the ice from the other end of the bench. Laberge was well behind the play and coming onto the bench. The ref deep in the Comets zone blew his whistle and made a big deal of flashing 4 fingers on 1 hand and 1 on the other as he skated out of the Comets end and to the Comets bench. He called the Comets for Too many men.

Labrege
Too many men - bench penalty
17:25

Providence a 4 on 3 PP.
At 18:11 the Poitras penalty ended giving them a 5 on 3 for 7 seconds. Then Legare came back and it was a 5 on 4, but the Comets kept the puck in the Providnce end for a large part of the Too many men penalty. Mostly from the incredible forecheck of Legare and other Comets tossing the puck back in when Legare finally lost his man, but then because it got dumped back in he was able to pick up where he left off. Brilliant individual effort.

2nd Period ends
2-1 Comets
SOG:
12-4 Comets

2-period total
17-12 Utica

Period 3
The Comets came out in the 3rd like a team possessed to get a 2-goal lead. They were banging and crashing and dumping and chasing and bottling the Bruins up in their own zone. They didn't get any shots on net, but the Bruins were a mess.

At 3:22 Legare potted another of what in the last few games has become his signature goal. He flies down the right wing and gains position on a defender and rifles a high hard shot all in one motion past what has begun to look like a helpless goalie.

Legare
3:22
3-1 Comets

The onslaught continued as the Comets went right back to work banging and crashing and forecheking the Bruins into submission. Halonen was stopped on a shot in front and then spun around in the net front and sent a blind backhander the past a helpless Nolan Maier.

Halonen
4:27
4-1 Comets

The Bruins finally got out of their zone and into the Comets end for a brief moment, but Utica went right back at it. Willman and Schmelzer combined to give Schmelzer an open shot and he buried it.

Schmelzer
6:18
5-1 Comets

That shuts this one down right?
W_R_O_N_G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Comets now have an insurmountable lead. All they have to do is keep playing hockey. Get it out of their own end and get it deep into the other end and jusrt keep forechecking and backchecking for the next 13 minutes or so.

Right around the 10 minute mark, maybe a little sooner the Comets became turtles. They just opened up the ice and let the Bruins do what they had been unabke to do all game long, control the puck in the Comets zone and propel pucks towards the net.

The result didn't take long to occur.

Joey Abate
11:54
5-2 Utica
It's Abate's 2nd of the night, both Bruins goals at that point.

Wake up call for the turtles? Nah, why fear an uprising. We own them.

Comets in their turtle shells are penned in once again and cannot even get the puck out of their own end.

Jake Schmaltz
14:00
5-3 Utica

After the Schmelzer goal the Buins unleashed 8 of the next 9 shots and scored 2 goals.

6 minutes to go and victory is still in question. Daws has become the Daws we have come to know here over the years. When things start going south he has a tendency to implode. NJ has seen the same Daws on several occasions. Tonight was no different. Attacking team finds Daws on his knees in the center of his net helpless to move.

The Comets finally begin to at least wake up and take the puck to the Bruin's end and keep it there for a bit.

With just under 2 minutes to go the Bruins bring it in and Maier goes to the bench. The Bruins get 2 more shots on Daws and then disaster nearly strikes again. The puck goes around the boards and Daws gathers it behnd his net just outside his left post. There is no doubt what his plan is and everyone in the building knows it. Sure enough he attempts to launch the puck from that spot the length of the ice to score a goal. Problem is it is partially blocked and if Willman hadn't collected it. it would likely have been back in the Comets' net. But Willman did and put it into the Bruin's empty cage.

Willman
18:56
6-3 Utica

Wow! Now everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

Apparently Daws was done for the night 17 seconds later Dan Bancroft introduced himself to Daws as he walked right down the middle past defenders and rifled another past a bewildered Daws. Fortunately 47 seconds are not enough to mount a comeback, but just to be sure the rest of the Comets put on the ice for that time span kept the puck out of their own end.

Period 3 ends and the Comets win!

Recap
Utica Comets 6 Providence Bruins 4

SOG:
PRO - 8 4 12 = 24
UTC - 5 12 8 = 25

PP
PRO - 0/2
UTC - 1/3

Scoring:
White (3) from Willman (18) and Vilen (20) PPG
Willman (9) from Schmelzer (17)
Legare (17) from Vilen (21) and Gruden (9)
(Gruden 7G/6A/13Pts with W-B/Scranton cefore the trade. 1G/3A with Utica in 12GP)
Halonen (24) from Parent (19) and Dello (5)
(Dello 1G/3A/4Pts with Grand Rapids before the trade. 2A with Utica in 8GP)
Schmelzer (20) from Willman (19)
Willman (10) from Daws (1) ENG

Daws 20/24

3*
#3 Joey Abate (Providence Bruins) 2G
#2 Ryan Schmelzer (Utica Comets) 1G/1A GWG
#1 Max Willman (Utica Comets) 2G/2A

Willman was the #1 star for the last 2 nights.

Current record:
29-30-5-4

I have said for months that if the Comets could reach .500 it would be an amazing comeback after beginning the season 0-13. Well tonight they are now 1 game below the .500 mark.

They still, have 6 games to go, and they could still end up below the .500 mark, but they have come so far and that has to be enough to will them to keep this success going for just a little bit longer. The playoffs are out of the question, but .500 is a goal that all of them can feel good about reaching.

It's also time to congratuate interim Coach Parent. Coming into tonight the Comets were 8 games over .500 since he took the helm. It's 9 now.

Next up
Wednesday, 4/9
Syracuse Crunch at Utica Comets. 7pm at the Adirondack Bank Center (the Utica Aud)