2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

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2/7/25
Utica Comets at Syracuse Crunch

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

D-Pairs:
(83) Vilen (7) Strand
(93) Misyul (44) Osipov
(6) White (22) Casey

Goal - (1) Poulter

Period 1
Comets kept the puck in the Crunch end for the better part of the 1st 5 minutes, but continually turned it over, made crap passes, passed the puck directly to Crunch players, and only managed 2 shots.

The Crunch got their 1st shot at 5:53 by Pouliot right in the low slot. Poulter the save, but Finley went to the rebound uncontested and scored at 5:54. Horrible team defensive play led to that goal.

5:54
Jack Finley
1-0 Crunch

Scrum after the goal resulted in matching penalties.

Pouliot
Legare
2 each for Roughing
5:54

4 on 4 very uneventful.

Crunch get another great chance with a shot in close and the rebound put on Isaac as well. Isaac saving their bacon as usual.

The Crunch get another penalty .

10:21
Conor Geekie
Roughing

Stillman a shot in close stopped by Tomkins, but he is laid out in the crease. Penalty coming out of this.
Looks like Stillman might have lost a chicklet.

11:06
Tobie Bisson
Double minor - High Sticking

Comets get a 5 on 3 for 1:15.
The best scoring chance during the 5 on 3 was for Syracuse. The Comets turned the puck over time after time and the Crunch just kept shooting it down the ice. The 5 on 3 was frittered away by very poor IQ play.

Still have the remainder of the double minor to go.

The 1st penalty of the double minor is killed.

As the 2nd minor is about to end Beckman passes the puck to Strand at the right point and then sets up for a return pass that he calls for. Strand answers and Beckman blasts a 1-timer and beats Tomkins clean high glove side. Another slap shot goal for Beckman.

15:02
ADAM BECKMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PP
1-1

Period ends with the score
1-1
SOG;
9-8 Utica

Period 2

Parent splits the D and shoots. Tomkins the save. X falls
and slides down the slot and into Tomkins. No call.

Legare a shot stopped.
Bowers shoots and is stopped.

The Malone line is on

Foote a backhander stopped.
Willman hits the post.
At the end of their shift Halonen gets a chance and it's Tomkins again.

Parent gets on the ice and Parent shoots high and wide.

Halonen shot stopped.

Parent shoots, save and Parent fires the rebound on.

Halonen sends Parent in clean and his attempt is fluffed and slides into Tomkins.

Shots at this point with 14:01 to go in the 2nd 8-0 Utica.
Too many good chances and nothing to show for it. Would have to guess that the Crunch will get their chances.

Poulter a stop.
Poulter again with a big stop. This one on the doorstep!
Those are the 1st 2 shots of the period for the Crunch.

Casey defends vs a 2 on 1. Breaks it up!

All good things for the Comets in the period and then they get called on the dumbest of possible penalties!

12:44
Parent to serve it
Too many men

The Crunch turn on the pressure.

2 saves by Poulter on Crozier

Now the refs even the calls by giving the Crunch their chance at a 2 -man advantage.

14:18
Ryan Schmelzer
Closing hand on the puck. He grabbed the puck as it fell out of the sky and threw it up the ice. LOL

5 on 3 for :25.

1st penalty killed.

With :33 seconds left on the kill the Crunch score.
The Comets dominated the period and then the PP bug cost them. They are #24 in the AHL on the PK.

15:43
Conor Sheary
2-1 Crunch. PPG

TV TO
3:34 to go

Period winding down and the Crunch defender turns it over on an attempted pass through the middle from the right faceoff circle. Right to Halonen who walks in and .............................
_____________________________________SCORES!!!!!!_________________________________________________

What a bad move for the Crunch. Instead of going to the dressing room up 2-1, a costly turnover makes it 2-2. That sets up new game for the 3rd. It's the same thing as scoreless.

19:24
Brian Halonen
2-2

End of Period 2
2-2

SOG 15-10 Utica

Period 3

3 on 1 and Poulter makes a brilliant stop!

Comets can't keep themselves in the hunt without doing something that blows a great effort.

7:03
Nolan Foote
Cross-checking
A dumb penalty to take in the O-zone.

Crunch with 2 shots at the end, but the Comets have killed it.

The Comets have fallen off as the Crunch have picked up their game and are taking it to the Comets.

Osipov lucky as his stick is tripped over by a Crunch player going to the net. No call. WHEW!

Big glove stop by Isaac on a shot form the left dot.

Isaac a glove stop on a shot by Crozier from the right dot. He holds on.

TV TO
9:35 to go.

Osipov shot gloved and held on by Tomkins.

Crozier shoots and Poulter is hurt. There was crowd in front and 2 or 3 guys fell over and one is on top of Isaac. Poulter is down on his front side and in obvious pain while trying to bend his left leg. He's being tended.
After a consultation and leg movement on the ice with no weight on the leg he tentatively gets up. He's gradually testing his left leg. Now putting full pressure on it. Takse a couple of squats and moves to his net. He puts the mask on and says he'll stay with it. Look for the Crunch to start firing rubber from anywhere to see if he's really OK.
The Best the Comets can do for him is to get the puck out of their zone and keep it out.

Bowers shot and Tomkins is there.

Crunch the other way and the puck trickles in to Poulter. Seamus is protecting Isaac by getting right into a Crunch player in the high slot preventing him from any nonsense against Isaac! This kid has a high IQ! Wish the rest of these guys did.

Another shot and a save. Isaac looks okay.

Parent and Schmelzer out 2 on 1. Parent carrying it and from the inside of the right dot near the hash mark he shoots .............................and .................... S___C____O____R_____E_____S!!!!!!!

14:09
Xavier Parent
3-2 Utica

Engaras beats a Crunch and carries it into the low slot and Tomkins stops him. Damn! Areal good move and he got in alone. That would have been a huge goal. Most surprising is we haven't seen that kind of move from Filip in the 3 seasons he has been with the Comets.

TV TO
3:51 to go

Austin Strand shoots and Tomkins holds on.

Tomkins will be headed off at some point. Comets playing all D. Not the way to do this guys!

He's gone 2:20 to go.

Comets sinking too deep and allowing the Crunch to maneuver.

Comets getting a penalty with 1:21 to go. No, not a penalty, They conference and call it off. Anyone Syracuse is livid.

1:00 to go
Poulter blockers a shot from the top of the circle out of play.

:46 to go and TO Syracuse.

9 seconds later and the Comets get the puck off a battled for draw that squirts to the right boardsboards. Osipov gets it on the boards dot high. He backhands it up the boards. Foote out battles Crozier at the blueline and takes off with the puck up the left side. Just before the blueline he hits Schmelzer in stride streaking (Really? LOL) down the middle and he BURIES IT from the right hash mark.

19:23
Ryan Schmelzer EN
4-2 Utica

Period 3 Ends/Game Ends
3rd Period SOG:
12-8 Crunch

Final Score:
Utica Comets 4 Syracuse Crunch 2

SOG:
UTC - 9 15 8 = 32
SYR - 8 10 12 = 30

PPs:
UTC - 1/3
SYR - 1/3

Scoring:
Adam Beckman (10) from Strand (9) and Vilen (12) PP
Brian Halonen (16) Unassisted
Xavier Parent (10) from Schmelzer (12) and Willman (14)
Ryan Schmelzer (11) from Nolan Foote (EN)

Poulter 28/30

3 *s
#3 - Ryan Schmelzer (Utica Comets) 1G/1A
#2 - Jack Finley (Syracuse Crunch) 1G
#1 - Xavier Parent (Utica Comets) GWG

This was a close fought game from the drop of the puck with the teams trading several minute spans of dominance.

Both goalies were on top of their games. The goals they surrendered were all good goals.

The hitting was hard and often with some bone jarring hits laid on by both teams.

After a bit of poor play early on the Comets went back to the style that has made them successful of late; hard forecheck, attacking the puck carrier in all 3 zones, playing the body, and working to get the puck out of their D-zone and deep into the attacking zone.

They still fail to prevent some point blank shots, but Poulter has been good at defending his net and tonight was no different.

They are not a skillful puck management team and that hurts their offensive efforts, but as long as they don't stop working they still get their chances. I guess by the law of averages, they get some past the keeper.

It's been a team effort for quite a spell now and as long as they continue to play that way, positive outcomes will keep mounting up.

This new style of play that Parent has them buying into has resulted in 9 wins in their last 14 games in which they have scored 4 or more goals in 7 of them. They have also won games 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, and 3-1.

3 of the 5 losses were by 1 goal and 1 of those was in OT so another point.

For a team playing as badly as they did in losing 13 straight to begin the season, they have crawled back winning 16 and losing 8 since then.

That's still leaves them 5 games below .500, but that's the first number they have to be shooting to reach - .500. That would be an accomplishment in itself.

The 2 teams ahead of them in the standings have only won 18 games. 2 more than Utica's 16, but Syracuse has earned 10 loser points while Belleville and Utica have 5 loser points each.

Utica trails 5th place Syracuse by 9 points with 2 games in hand.

Belleville is in 6th place and the Comets trail them by just 4 points, but Belleville has 3 games in hand on Utica and 5 on Syracuse. The Comets task to reach 5th place is a huge uphill battle, but at least they are finally in an actual battle.

They have 30 games left in their 72 game schedule. Syracuse is definitely in reach, but there is little room for error. We'll have to see what the status vs Bellevillle is when they catch up in their GP.

Comets next game is tomorrow evening in Utica vs the Belleville Senators at 7 pm. It doesn't matter what the games in hand are if the Comets keep beating both the Crunch and Senators head to head. The Comets got 3 out of 4 Pts vs Belleville last weekend, but the OT game gave the Sens 2 as well. If they were an out of Division team those 3 points would have been much bigger.

The Comets will have 3 more games left with Belleville this season and 7 with Syracuse including the final 2 games of the season.

It's been frustrating as Hell as a fan. I can't imagine what it's been like for the Comets who really can't stomach losing.
 
Last edited:
2/8/25
Belleville Senators at Utica Comets

Forwards:
(25) Foote (26) Schmelzer (20) Willman
( 39) Hardman (13) Malone (24) Halonen
(5) Gambardella (16) Engaras (11) Legare
(34) Beckman (15) Bowers (61) Stillman

D-Pairs:
(83) Vilen (7) Strand
(93) Misyul (44) Osipov
(6) White (22) Casey

Goal - (56) Brodeur

Comets get 2 chances and Merilainen
stops Stillman and Casey.

Sens go the other way. Brodeur a stop.
Another shot and it's in.
Sens score.

2:24
Donovan Sebrango
1-0 Sens

Legare is stopped.

The Sens into the Comets end.
Washkrunk shoots and scores

4:03
Keean Washkrunk
2-0 Sens

4:03 into the 1st and the Sens lead it 2-0.
SOG are 3-3
Leevi Merilainen has made 2 fantastic saves. Not so much Brodeur. 2 goals against on 3 shots.
I'll call him Leevi from here.

Can't let this get completely out of hand.

Beckman stopped by a diving sprawling save by LEEVI!

Legare and Jorian Donovan drop the mitts and go at it. Legare landed several rights. I didn't see a single punch from Donovan land.

5 each for fighting.

If Leevi keeps up this type of Goaltending the Comets are in for a long disappointing night.

Comets 6 on 5 due to a delayed penalty and the Comets controlled the puck, but couldn't get into the Sen's zone in 3 tries.

They finally get it in on the PP
- Foote is stopped at the doorstep.
- Beckman stopped again
- Another stop on Beckman.
- Foote shoots from the top of the right circle. High wrist shot and he.................................................?

S________C__________O_________R_________E_________S!!!!!!!!!!!!

8:47
Nolan Foote
2-1 Sens.

2 on 1 and Vilen sticks it aside.

Great stop by Brodeur.

Sens all over the Comets here.

Things settle down now and neither team makes any threats.

Vilen a great pass to Malone breaking on the net and his tip goes just wide. Malone has to pot that one. all alone with an open side.

Beckman hits the post!

Strand gets a stick up behind the play. A really dumb move. You can't get conned into making dumb plays. Every hockey player has to know that. DUMB!! Comets to the PK.
16:59
Strand
High-sticking

Brodeur makes a big stop of his own.

Comets kill it.

1st ends
2-1 Belleville
SOG:
10-8 Belleville Comets won last night and Belleville lost in Rochester. That combo put the Comets 4 points behind 6th place Belleville.

Period 2

The Sens are pressing early and the puck comes out toward the blueline. It hits a Zebra and Foote gets past the point man and picks up the puck and goes the other way. He goes all thew way in and shoots from the inside right hashmarks. Leevi seems to have blocked it........NO!!!! It trickles through him and
WE HAVE A TIE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:47
Nolan Foote
2-2

It's Belleville 2 and Nolan Foote 2, LOL.

Beckman a hard shot off the rush off Leevi's shoulder.

The Sens go the other way and Brodeur makes a big stop. The Comets are penned in and running around. They can' t clear the zone. It results in Colton White taking a penalty.

2:44
Colton White
Tripping

Comets clear.
They clear again.

Leagre breaks up the next attempt at the blueline and goes the other way and shoots on Leevi who holds on.

Comets kill it!

Legare with a chance in front, stopped.

Stillman a shot form the right boards, stopped and covered.

TV TO
12:50 to go

Icing Sens.

Out of play in the Comets end.

Icing Comets.

Shot defelected out of play in the Comets end.

Malone on the leftv side goes to the post fakes the backhand and tries a short shot to the far side. Leevi truns it to the far corne with his stick.

Trand rips a shot over Leevi's heads from just inside the blueline.
Out of play in the Sen's end.

Sens ice it.

Comets point shot deflected far out and out of play over the net.

TV TO
9:47 to go

Casey 1 timer point shot over the net.

Stillman shot stopped.
Halonen shot stopped.

Osipov stopped.

Parent stopped right on the doorstep.

Long shot from the right boards. Brodeur smothers it.

TV TO
5:11 to go.

Beckman a shot from the slot and Leevi holds on. Can't score through the 6-hole.

Comets icing with 3 to go.

Sens shoot a rebound right through the net front just short of the golaline. That was really close!

Shot from the point over the Sen's net out of play.

:59 to go.

Stillman hands out the biggest check of the night sendin the Sen over the boards and almost into his bench.
Osipove lays another one on inside the left side blueline. The game has seen hits, but the hard ones are picking up and most coming from Uitca.

There's the buzzer to end the 2nd.

2nd period SOG:
8-5 Utica
2-period total :
16-15 Utica

Period 3

Here we go it's just like a 0-0 game. Comets need to dig down deep. They really need this one and they have to know it. Nothing stupid. Limit Sens time in your zone and get into the Sens's end.

This is a 4-point night again. They got it 2 ways last night by defeating Syracuse while Belleville was losing to Rochester.

Halonen shot over the crossbar.

Parent carries it in and takes a backhander and the rebound came off the pad and Halonen was right there, but whiffed on a wave at it.
2 on 1 with Beckman and Stillman. Beckman's pass is broken up. Stillman gets Beckman back in ,but his attrempted shot never happens as the Sen gets a stick on his.

Brodeur a stop. brodeur races on a dump in and gets there 1st. he hits engaras who shoots and it's blockered away by Leevi.

Broseur smothers the puck as players fight for it at the edge of his crease.

Brodeur blockers a hard blast from the high slot off the glass.

Long shot from the left point gloved and held by Brodeur. Sens are shooting any time they haveany kind of chance. Hoping to make anything work for them.

Stillman and his line are in chasing a loose puck. from his knee and a long reach it gets it across to Legare who is stopped.

Back into the Comets ennd and they getito out and Legare gets rihgt to the doorstep on the laft side and hjis shot is stopped by Leevi.

Comets called for icing. 13:50 to go.

Comets exerting effort 3 times, but can't get the puck through the Sen's dedicated effort to defy them.

Vilen shot stopped.
Point shot out of play.

TV TO
12:17 to go

Strand on the rush takes a pass from Malone and shoots fromm the high slot as it arrived and Leevi grabbed it like picking cherries even though it was real hard wrister.

Bowers and Beckman moving in and they are thwarted.

BRODEUR comes out of his crease to cut down the angle on point blnk effort coming from the dot. It's ripped and he gloves the high slot. FANTASTIC. His best stop of the night . In fact his best stop as a Comet. WOW

Comets ice it.

TV TO
9:52 to go.

Brodeur scoops up a shot from the left circle.

The Sens are baiting after every whistle. Hoping like Hell to draw one.

Halonen had an open net after receiving a perfect pass from Strand and his 1-timer missed the net!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That could be the game. S**T, Damn, F**k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parent shot an easy stop along the ice.

The Sens get their chance on a shoit from 10 feet in nthe right circle. Shot goes completely out of play.

Casey threads a shot through traffic but Leevi tracked and gloved it.

Comets going to the PK.

14:26
Nolan Foote
Interference.

Comets all over the puck and schmelzer clears it down.
Cleared out again.
Down the ice again.
Legare grabs it and carries it all the way down the ice. Eating time off the clock.
The Sensare back in again. The Comets shoot it down. PK is over.

Offsides Sens
3:22 to go.

Halonen has no hockey IQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He had the puck in the left circle. 2 mates in the crease on each side of Leevi. Shoot the damed puck and hope for a tip or rebound. Nope, he tries to go back to the point.

Pilon fires from the slot and Brodeur gobbles it up and stays on top of it. Another big stop on a shot from a player totally all alone in a great sp[ot to score. Again he was out on top of his crease out of the paint.

Buzzer goes and we are going to OT. S**T!

Both are guaranteed a loser point, but the advantage in that case goes to the Sens the worst they can end up with is the Comets pick up a single point on them.

Well, it's still the Comets with 2 more points.

Schmelzer, Foote. and Casey.

Fotte wins the draw to his left directly to Casey.
- He backpaedals and causes the Sen coming at him to miss when he switches up and heads forward.
- Across the red line after faking to move back again and the original guy now chacin g him runs into the boards.
-Casey carries it across the blueline and steps insdie the Sen who was going to hold him up on the boards. This kid has moves up his ass and edges like no other I've ever seen in this league. Not sure a lot of NHLers have those edges either.
-That puts him in the clear and he walks in on Leevi.
-He dekes right and then left all standing in Leevi's face who went with 2nd move to the left and was completely out of the play when Casey brought it back to the right and slid across the goalline. Casey was actually coasting to Leevi while making thoise moves. Leevi was lost. I doubt he's ever seen something like that before.

COMETS WIN IT 3-2 in OT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:sc09:

I have no idea where that stupid NHL Stanley Cup image came from. I'll recap in a new post.
 
2/8/25
Belleville Senators at Utica Comets (Recap)

Final score:
Utica Comets 3 Belleville Senators 2 (OT)

SOG:
BEL 10 5 8 0 = 23
UTC 8 8 6 1 = 23

PPs:
BEL - 0/3
UTC - 1/1

Scoring:
Nolan Foote (14) from Vilen (13) and Beckman (17)
Nolan Foote (14) unassisted
Casey (3) from Schmelzer (13)

Brodeur 21/23

3 ***s
#3 - Jeremy Brodeur (Utica Comets) 21/23
#2 - Nolan Foote (Utica Comes) 2G
#1 - Seamus Casey (Utica Comets) GWG

Comets move to 17-21-3-2 # points behind 6th place Belleville and remain 9 behind 5th place Syracuse and the last playoff spot. Still wishful thinking.

Comets now 10-5 in their last 15 games.

Next up in Providence on 2/14 at 7pm and then right back in Utica the next night, 2/15, at 7pm vs the Rochester Americans.

The only thing that can be stated is they have to keep this up. They dug this hole for themselves with their 13 straight losses to open the season. It's all up to them. Keep the pedal to the metal.
 

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