2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Bad Goalie]

1/22/25
Bridgeport Islanders at Utica Comets

Forwards:
(39) Hardman (26) Schmelzer (20) Willman
(67) Parent (16) Engaras (61) Stillman
(25) Foote (13) Malone (24) Halonen
(79) Laberge (15) Bowers (11) Legare

D-Pairs:
(6) White (17) Nemec
(93) Misyul (44) Osipov
(83) Vilen (3) MacKinnon

Goal - (1) Poulter

This game was over in the first period, but the Comets played like crap the rest of the way trying to hold off the Islanders rather than just playing hockey. perhaps parent wanted them to pull back the offense which demolished the Isles in the 1st. With 2 more games, a home and home with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday and Saturday and with this one their 5th in 8 days maybe he tried to find a way for them to go a little less heavy and save something for the next 2 games with only 1 day of rest in between. Those next 2 games will make it 7 in 11 days including home and away back to backs on consecutive weekends.

After the Friday/Saturday back to backs they get 3 days off before playing 3 more in 4 days.

Period 1

The Comets took mit to the isles immediately playing the same type of gritty hard hitting, in your face hockey. They never gave the Isles an inch of free ice. Malone cashed in to give the Comets an extremely early lead. His goal was the Comets 4th shot.
Schmelzer at :33, Willman at :34, and Osipov at :38 and Malone deposited Osipov's rebound at :40.

:40 Malone
1-0 Comets

The Comets just kept coming and Malone scored again on their 7th shot.
4:45 Malone
2-0 Comets

Parent and Stillman both had good chances turned away before Malone hit again to record his natural hat trick.
7:33 Malone
3-0 Comets

Immediately after the puck was dropped for the ensuing faceoff Halonen and Cole Bardreau drpped 'em in what was obviously a planned tilt between the 2. Bardreau's gloves came off a the drop of the puck and Halonen accepted the challenge. Halonen took the worst of it, but he slammed his opponent to the ice and the crowd felt that made him the winner.

7:39
Halonen - Utica
Bardreau - B'port
5 each - Fighting

During their rest stop Bowers was whistled.
8:48 Bowers
Holding

Before Bowers was released Cam Thiesling joined him.
10:39
Hooking

Time runs out for Bowers and the Comets go to the PP. Not much happens for most of the 2 minutes.But while still on the PP Nolan Foote scores on their only shot.

12:16 Foote
4-0 Comets

This was the end of Henrik Tikkanen, 4 goals on 11 shots.
Enter Jakub Skarek.

The Isles acted like they were at fault and came hard at Poulter and he ended up making 2 good stops in the next 2 minutes. Then the Comets got control and went the other way. Schmelzer got the puck to Willman took it in and shot. Skarek stopped his shot but Hardman was right there to bang home the rebound.

15:26 Hardman
5-0 Comets

Isles outshot the Comets the restof the way 3-1 and the period ended.

Utica 5-0
SOG:
14-7 Utica

Period 2

B'port came out on fire and took it to the Comets skating hard and hitting every comet to touch the puck. The Comets weathered the outburst.

At 3:24 the Comets went to the PP
Gemmel
Slashing

The Comets did nothing. Not even a shot and the Stillman got stupid. As the IOsles were breaking out behind the play Stillmand got irritated at a little mischief from Travis Mitchell and 2-handed him across the shins. That was enough for Mitchell and went after Chase and dropped him mwithhis 3rd swing. Chase popped right back up from his knees ,but the LM got in there and that was that.

5:06
Stillman and Travisd Mitchell
5 each for fighting
Stillman got an extra 2 for the slash

17 seconds latrer Chris terry got called for slashing.
5:23 Terry
Slashing

Over the course of the next 14 and 1/2 minutes The Isles outshot the Comets 8-3 and poulter was called upon to keep things staus quo and he made some really tough saves.

End of 2
5-0 Comets
SOG:
10-4 Islanders

Period 3
The 3rd was much like the 2nd with the Comets throwing the puck out, icing it, making terrible passes and looking like the team that was being taken to the back shed.

They also started a parade to the penalt box.

1:07 Comets
Too many men

They killed that one. with Poulter called upon to make 3 svaes inclose and 1 of the 3 was brilliant. Then for almost 2 minutes the Comets mounted a turn around and got 3 shots on Skarek and made some nice saves.

The Comets have slowly taken the physicality out of their game and now it's poke schecking and swinging theirsticks acroos the path of the skater who by passes it, both of these moves invite tripping and hooking calls.

5:11 White
Tripping

The Comets block some shots, the Isles miss the net a couple times and also have to schase down clearings, but get a couple more real good chances on Isaac who continues to stifle them,

6:58 Osipov
Tripping

The Comets are now down 5 on 3.
13 seconds later the Isles ruin the shutout effort of Poulter.

7:11 Liam Foudy
5 on 3 PPG
5-1
The Isles stil have a pp with Osipov still in the box. The Isles get a little taste of blood and want some more. Poulter is challenged some more and says no way and makes 3 more big time stops

The Comets act as if they are embarassed by their neglect of their keeper who has actually been called upon to keep from imploding since the end of the 1st period.

Malones's line picks up a little slack with Halonen and Foote joining him to apply some actual pressure for the Comets Halonen finishes it with a goal.

10:52 Halonen
6-1 Comets

The Isles weaken with the Comets goal and the 2 trade 3 chances each over the next 7 minutes or so, but the Comets put their 3rd away. Foote gets his 2nd of the night to go along with his 2 assists.

18:18 Foote
7-1 Comets

That's the game.
SOG for the 3rd:
13-8 Bridgeport

Final Score
Utica Comets 7 Bridgeport Islanders 1

Scoring:
Malone (4) from Osipov (3) and Misyul (6)
Malone (5) from Foote (13) and MacKinnon (2)
Malone (6) from Halonen (9) and Hardman (8)
Foote (10) from Vilen (8) and Willman (11) PP
Hardman (11) from Willman (12) and Schmelzer (9)
Halonen (14) from Foote (14) and Vilen (8)
Foote (11) from Nemec (14) and White (11)

Poulter (29/30)

SOG:
BRI - 7 10 13 = 30
UTC -14 4 8 = 26

PP:
BRI 1/4
UTC 1/3

3 *s
#3 - Brian Halonen (Utica Comets) 1G/1A
#2 - Nolan Foote (Utica Comets) 2G/2A
#1 - Jack Malone (Utica Comets) 3G

Poulter another outstanding job in his 3rd straight start. He won all 3 and allowed only 1 goal in each game.

It was a big night for Jack Malone and his linemates. They scored 6 of the Comets 7 goals.
Hardman had the other goal and also 1A.
Willman and Vilen each had 2 helpers.

Comets now 13-19-2-2 with 5 wins in their last 6 games.

Season is officially half over with this having been their 36th game.

Next up Friday vs the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Utica Aud at 7 pm.

 

[tailfins]

Sounds like Parent has found a style that can work for this team. Sounds like it's very high effort - I'm not sure how sustainable that is. But, even seeing some progress vs the early part of the season is welcome. 7 goals must've seemed like a pipe dream a couple of months ago.

 

[Better Call Sal]

These look sick.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Sounds like Parent has found a style that can work for this team. Sounds like it's very high effort - I'm not sure how sustainable that is. But, even seeing some progress vs the early part of the season is welcome. 7 goals must've seemed like a pipe dream a couple of months ago.

 

[Bad Goalie]

You are absolutely correct on all counts. I know the style is impossible to maintain without lapses, but like last night they will have down time for the better part of a game when leading by a bunch, or a shift or 2 when going strong, when out in front you'll see some slackers, and in Syracuse on Monday with their asses dragging from their 3 in 4 days with travel time to and from Laval on a home and home back to back, they protected rather than attacked in their own end and offensively pushed until the play broke down. They always had a man back. We didn't see 3 guys in the corners or bad forced passes with both issues leading to odd man rushes. When they lost possession, they hustled back to keep the Crunch at bay as much as possible, but it's also incumbent on the goalie to do his part when he's called upon. Both Brodeur and Poulter have done that job with flying colors. 4 games form those 2 (1 by Brodeur and the last 3 by Poulter) in which they only allowed 1 goal in each game.

Since Brodeur's win in Toronto, the Comets are 5-1. Brodeur is 1-0, Poulter 3-0, Daws 1-1 and the game he won the Comets scored 7 goals and he was weak on 2 of his 3 allowed. Many of us in Utica are not as enthralled with Daws as NJ may be. We are actually hoping Daws gets a callup with Marky maybe needing a short break. That would leave Utica to playing Poulter and Brdeur getting starts on the back to backs coming up. Maybe that will keep good things happening and not be a fluke where they revert back to their losing ways like they di earlier in the season. They broke their horrid streak of 13 losses to start the season by winning 5 in a row and then went right back into the same play that plagued the horrid start.

The 7 goal pipe dream vs Bridgeport last night was actually deja vu of the 7-3 win over Hartford on 1/15 except the Comets absolutely owned Bridgeport in the 1st last night. Then, like I said, the in your face fast physical game was no longer necessary and they cooled down. The critical piec is that they don'r forget whst has been resposible for their recent success. They have to bring it right back on Friday vs the Pens.