2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Bad Goalie]

Final score -
Utica 4 - Syracuse 3

SOG:
UTC - 13 10 10 = 33
SYR - 10 8 11 = 29

Scoring:
Schmelzer (1) from Casey (9) and Beckman (5) PPG
Beckman (3) from Hardman (1)
Hardman (2) from White (5) and Engaras (1)
Hardman (3) from Parent (1) and Casey (10) PPG

Poulter - 29 SA/ 3GA/ 26 SVS

3 ***s
#3 - Adam Beckman (Utica Comets) 1G/1A
#2 - Derrick Pouliot (Syracuse Crunch) 2A
#1 - Mike Hardman (Utica Comets) 2G/1A

Comets record is 1/10/1/2
Still nothing to write home about, but it's a start.

Back in action tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. vs the Rochester Americans.

The Hershey Bears defeated the Amerks tonight in Rochester 4-3 in OT.
Hershey tied it with a 6 on 4 PPG by Mike Vecchione at 19:51 of the 3rd 18 seconds after Josh Dunne was called for interference at 19:33.

Vechione scored the OT winner at 3:38. The Bears had 3 shots to Rochester's 0.

 

[Guttersniped]

UTICA NOT LOSING?

 

[Guttersniped]

They’ve been saving this lol

 

[Guttersniped]

1-0
Schmelzer (Casey, Beckman) PP


2-0
Beckman (Hardman)


3-2
Hardman (White, Engarås)


4-3
Hardman (Parent, Casey) PP

 

[Bad Goalie]

11/23/24
Utica Comets @ Rochester Americans

Forwards:
(79) Laberge (16) Engaras (11) Legare
(5) Gambardella (26) Schmelzer (24) Halonen
(34) Beckman (67) Parent (39) Hardman
(20) Willman (13) Malone (61) Stillman


D-Pairs:
(6) White (17) Nemec
(83) Vilen (22) Casey
(93) Misyul (3) MacKinnon

Goal - (50) Daws

Amerks called for hooking at 10:12.
Comets to the PP.

G----------O----------A-----------L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Halonen !

Power Play Goal at 11:16
Halonen (6) from Parent (2) and Casey (11)

Goal comes on only their 2nd shot of the game.
1-0 Comets

End of 1
1-0 Comets
SOG:
10-6 Rochester

 

[Bad Goalie]

Period 2

Tyson Kozak gets 2 for cross-checking.
Comets to the PP at 2:18.
Best effort on the Comets PP was a shorthanded breakaway by Graham Slaggert and Daws came up big once again. he has been the difference so far.

Comets have given up 4-star chances to the Amerks and Daws continues to stymie them. SOG are 15-6 in the game and the Comets haven't got a shot in the period, Amerks have 5 and a s**t load of shots that have gone wide, been deflected, or blocked.

Hardman at the bottom of the right circle shoots and it slides under the pad.
ITS I-n--n--n-n-n-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hardman (4) from Casey (12) and Beckman (6)
6:59
2-0

Alekksandr Kisakoff 2 for for hooking.
8:14
Comets going to the PP again.

S__________S___________O__________R__________E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1-timer by Halonen from the left dot.
Halonen (7 )from Nemec (1) and Willman (3) PP
9:56
Nemec's 1st point since his arrival.
3-0

Misyul off for holding at 10:37.
PK successful.

Legare picks up a loos puck 10 feet inside his own blueline and races up the right side. it ends up a 2on1 with Engarasbut 3 Mmerks are nipping at their heels. Legare speeds ahead and between the dot and the top of the circle rips a wicked wrister and ..........

S--------C---------O--------R----------E-------S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Legare beat the keeper to the far side high oover his blocker.
blocker side
Legare (2) from Vilen (2)
15:24
4-0

Goalie change Michael Houser comes on to replace Felix Sandstrom.

Gambardella gets in alone and the puck hops over his stick as he drags it in front of Houser.

From 18:02 - 19:21 the Amerks put 5 good scoring chances on Daws. Nico was up to the task 3X with his glove and 2 with the pads.
Comets didn't like the aftermath in front on the last Daws stop. The results were Misyul and Tyson Kozak dropping the mittts and going toe to toe. Misyul landed 3 rights in a row and the linesmen jumped in to end it.

5 each for fighting at 19:21.

Period 2 ends
4-0 Comets
SOG:
17-11 Rochester
2-period total
27-17 Rochester

 

[Bad Goalie]

Period 3

The 1st 4 minutes Comets get 4 shots on Houser.

Next 4 minutes the Amerks put 4 shots on Daws.

12 minutes to go.

Comets put 3 shots on Houser in 38 seconds.
Schmelzer's isthe 3rd and he SCOREs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Off the post and in from the left circle.
10:03
Schmelzer (2) from Gambardella (1) and White (6)
5-0

Brendan Warren ruins the night for Daws. He scores at 19:49.
11 seconds short of a shutout.
5-1

End of 3rd
SOG:
11-9 Utica

 

[Bad Goalie]

11/23/24
Utica comets @ Rochester Americans

Final Score -
Utica 5 Rochester 1

SOG:
UTC - 6 11 11 = 28
ROC- 10 17 9 = 36

Scoring:
Halonen (6) from Parent (2) and Casey (11) PP
Hardman (4) from Casey (12) and Beckman (6)
Halonen (7) from Nemec (1) and Willman (3) PP
Legare (2) from Vilen (2)
Schmelzer (2) from Gambardella (1) and White (6)

3 ***s
#3 - Seamus Casey (Utica Comets) 2 A
#2 - Brian Halonen (Utica Comets) 2 G
#1 - Nico Daws SA 36/ SV 35

2 road games back to back vs the Comets top 2 rivals, Syracuse and Rochester, and the Comets finally found some JOY. They won 2 in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wins #1 and #2 on the season.
Improve their record to 2-10-1-2.

 

[Bad Goalie]

11/23 - NONE

 

[Bad Goalie]

11/24 - NONE

 

[Bad Goalie]

Last night the Devils had to kill a 5-minute major with 7+ minutes to go and holding on to a 4-2 lead. Justin Dowling was sent to the box to serve Timo Meier's cross checking major and game misconduct. The Devils were fantastic allowing only one SOG while killing it off with the last part of it a 6 on 4. When it was killed, Dowling came out of the box and scored into the empty net putting the final nail in the predators coffin and icing the game for the devils at 5-2.

Congrats to Justin. It was the 8th goal of his 112 NHL GP over the course of his 14-yr professional career.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Here's another brilliant move by whomever the Bozo is who makes them for Utica.

Andy Welinski was released from his AHL PTO.

The next move made to make up for his absence was to bring Jackson van de Leest up from Adirondack to take his place.

Welinski wasn't causing any problem and was a very capable fill-in if any D-man needed filling in for. Van de Leest doesn't come close to that definition. The Comets are not in trouble VET wise so that's not an issue.

Unless Andy has a deal for the next stop on his floundering career, this move was foolish at best. They traded out a competent #7 for an ECHL meh D-man who can't skate at the AHL level. When he and MacKinnon were both in the Comets lineup at the same time last season the results were not good. Will, for whatever the reason (choke! choke!), has become a regular game night player. Thus, have to pray nobody in that 6 goes down because Jackson is now #7.

I sincerely hope Andy's agent got him better than a PTO somewhere. Otherwise this was a move made based upon NOTHING of value.

 

[tailfins]

The work Fitz and MacKinnon have done in Utica leaves a lot to be desired. They've got Nemec and Casey down there. Those guys need to progress this year. Plus Daws and Poulter - would be nice if one of them could break through.

Utica doesn't need to be Calder Cup contenders, but I don't think it's good for anyone's development if Utica is a tire fire.

I'm not sure what can be done right now. I see Rem Pitlick posting random stuff on Instagram. I don't think he's signed, but not sure if he's called a career or what. He'd be a good VE. Perhaps an AHL trade? You'd think they'd be beating the bushes for some sort of solution.