11/11/2024
Cleveland Monsters @ Utica Comets
Final Score -
Cleveland 4 Utica 0
Comets now 0-9-1-2. Better defined as 12 straight losses since the season opened.
Still in last place in the North Division as well as last place in the entire AHL.
#31 in the AHL for goals scored.
Lead the league in goals against.
#32 in PK%.
#14 in PP % and falling. #20 in PPGF.
These stats are mind numbing.
I can't relate anymore at this moment. I'll give you an update by editing this tomorrow.
Forwards:
(34) Beckman (26) Schmelzer (25) Foote)
(20) Willman (15) Bowers (24) Halonen
(67) Parent (11) Legare (61) Stillman
(14) Bertuzzi (13) Malone (37) Wendt
D-Pairs
(83) Vilen (17) Nemec
(6) White) (22) Casey
(93) Misyul (3) MacKinnon
(50) Daws
The game was a tight checking, close contest with the Monsters on The strength of a PP goal leading 1-0 after 1 period.
At 7:32 of the 2nd the Monsters were awarded another PP on a ridiculous tripping call to Legare on what was actually a very good play by Nathan. He had been knocked to the ice outside the blueline in front of his own bench and his stick was gone. He scrambled to his feet. The puck carrier was about to skate up the middle and Nathan without a stick cut him off face to face and leveled him with a hard shoulder to his chest. No leg or hip contact and the guy went down over Legare's body. Nothing even resembling a trip. When nothing is going a team's way over several games (11) the inevitable would follow. At 9:18 with Legare still in the box the Monsters scored their 2nd PP goal of the game and made it 2-0.
Almost like the hockey gods said enough of this crap and at 12:37 Tre Fix - Wolansky was charged with spearing, assessed a 5-minute major and ejected. The Comets were granted the best chance possible to get back into this game. They started out with 3 shots right off the face off, 2 one timers by Halonen and a point shot by Vilen (I think, maybe Nemec). All 3 saved and the puck was cleared. The Comets spent most of the rest of the PP trying to get into the zone, set up if they got there, retrieving the puck from their end after it was cleared several times, missing the net or flubbing shots, and trying to prevent the Monsters from scoring shorthanded at least 3 times. In short they pissed away the 5 minutes.
Period 2 ended 2- 0 Monsters.
Comets would have to really take it to the Monsters in the 3rd. Well they didn't even come close to it. In the previous 2 periods the Comets outshot the Monsters 20-15. In the 3rd, a period they had to score at least twice while shutting out their opponent, they were outshot 16-7 and outscored 2-0 resulting in loss leaving the shutout for the 3rd time this season and chalking up their 12th game without a win.
In that 3rd period in a scramble in frong to the net Misyul gained possession and slid the puck back to Daws to freeze it. At a speed of maybe 1 MPH or less it trickled right through Daws's knees and into the net for the 3rd goal at 11:05.
At 15:56 a long shot got past Daws as it often has in games past. He seems to just quit when he concludes it's over. Not a good trait for a goalie period , but especially for a guy who is working to become NJ's #2 next season.
It makes no sense to try and describe the breakdowns, scoring problems. positional errors, player weaknesses, lack of chemistry between line members, weaknesses some players reveal showing they are simply not AHL level players, lack of speed exhibited by most of the players when compared to opponents they are either attempting to beat or catch up to, and obvious absence of hockey IQ in most of them. It turns out to be the same old same old.
Simply put this not a good hockey team. Doing the best they can do and giving everything they have, they cannot muster enough to win most of the games they will play. It's really hard to say that as a team they lack the skills it takes to be successful as they are constructed as a team. There are a few players who stand out among the rest as guys who have what it takes but cannot do it by themselves and some are only hurting the team and themselves by trying to do that. Casey, Nemec, Foote, Misyul, Vilen, and Beckman stand out as guys who would be outstanding to very good on a team with comparable players. Halaonen is a guy who is trying to do so much by himself and it's not working. Willman is pretty much in the same boat.
Parent playing in his 1st game was very noticeable in his tenacity and effort on the boards, in 1 on 1s, the back and fore check, driving the net, and making accurate crisp passes, The attention the Monsters were paying to him backed this up. He was a thorn they had to pluck and they harangued him all game long.
In summary, this team has maybe half of what they need personnel wise. That's very unlikely to change and NJ is probably going to take their best as the season progresses due to issues with the parent club. So, I'll give you the lineups, scoring, SOG, and high lights of any player when they occur.
Over and out.
Cleveland Monsters @ Utica Comets
Final Score -
Cleveland 4 Utica 0
Comets now 0-9-1-2. Better defined as 12 straight losses since the season opened.
Still in last place in the North Division as well as last place in the entire AHL.
#31 in the AHL for goals scored.
Lead the league in goals against.
#32 in PK%.
#14 in PP % and falling. #20 in PPGF.
These stats are mind numbing.
I can't relate anymore at this moment. I'll give you an update by editing this tomorrow.
Forwards:
(34) Beckman (26) Schmelzer (25) Foote)
(20) Willman (15) Bowers (24) Halonen
(67) Parent (11) Legare (61) Stillman
(14) Bertuzzi (13) Malone (37) Wendt
D-Pairs
(83) Vilen (17) Nemec
(6) White) (22) Casey
(93) Misyul (3) MacKinnon
(50) Daws
The game was a tight checking, close contest with the Monsters on The strength of a PP goal leading 1-0 after 1 period.
At 7:32 of the 2nd the Monsters were awarded another PP on a ridiculous tripping call to Legare on what was actually a very good play by Nathan. He had been knocked to the ice outside the blueline in front of his own bench and his stick was gone. He scrambled to his feet. The puck carrier was about to skate up the middle and Nathan without a stick cut him off face to face and leveled him with a hard shoulder to his chest. No leg or hip contact and the guy went down over Legare's body. Nothing even resembling a trip. When nothing is going a team's way over several games (11) the inevitable would follow. At 9:18 with Legare still in the box the Monsters scored their 2nd PP goal of the game and made it 2-0.
Almost like the hockey gods said enough of this crap and at 12:37 Tre Fix - Wolansky was charged with spearing, assessed a 5-minute major and ejected. The Comets were granted the best chance possible to get back into this game. They started out with 3 shots right off the face off, 2 one timers by Halonen and a point shot by Vilen (I think, maybe Nemec). All 3 saved and the puck was cleared. The Comets spent most of the rest of the PP trying to get into the zone, set up if they got there, retrieving the puck from their end after it was cleared several times, missing the net or flubbing shots, and trying to prevent the Monsters from scoring shorthanded at least 3 times. In short they pissed away the 5 minutes.
Period 2 ended 2- 0 Monsters.
Comets would have to really take it to the Monsters in the 3rd. Well they didn't even come close to it. In the previous 2 periods the Comets outshot the Monsters 20-15. In the 3rd, a period they had to score at least twice while shutting out their opponent, they were outshot 16-7 and outscored 2-0 resulting in loss leaving the shutout for the 3rd time this season and chalking up their 12th game without a win.
In that 3rd period in a scramble in frong to the net Misyul gained possession and slid the puck back to Daws to freeze it. At a speed of maybe 1 MPH or less it trickled right through Daws's knees and into the net for the 3rd goal at 11:05.
At 15:56 a long shot got past Daws as it often has in games past. He seems to just quit when he concludes it's over. Not a good trait for a goalie period , but especially for a guy who is working to become NJ's #2 next season.
It makes no sense to try and describe the breakdowns, scoring problems. positional errors, player weaknesses, lack of chemistry between line members, weaknesses some players reveal showing they are simply not AHL level players, lack of speed exhibited by most of the players when compared to opponents they are either attempting to beat or catch up to, and obvious absence of hockey IQ in most of them. It turns out to be the same old same old.
Simply put this not a good hockey team. Doing the best they can do and giving everything they have, they cannot muster enough to win most of the games they will play. It's really hard to say that as a team they lack the skills it takes to be successful as they are constructed as a team. There are a few players who stand out among the rest as guys who have what it takes but cannot do it by themselves and some are only hurting the team and themselves by trying to do that. Casey, Nemec, Foote, Misyul, Vilen, and Beckman stand out as guys who would be outstanding to very good on a team with comparable players. Halaonen is a guy who is trying to do so much by himself and it's not working. Willman is pretty much in the same boat.
Parent playing in his 1st game was very noticeable in his tenacity and effort on the boards, in 1 on 1s, the back and fore check, driving the net, and making accurate crisp passes, The attention the Monsters were paying to him backed this up. He was a thorn they had to pluck and they harangued him all game long.
In summary, this team has maybe half of what they need personnel wise. That's very unlikely to change and NJ is probably going to take their best as the season progresses due to issues with the parent club. So, I'll give you the lineups, scoring, SOG, and high lights of any player when they occur.
Over and out.
Last edited:
