WIth a 3-2 victory at Quad City on Saturday night, the Fort Wayne Komets moved past idle Dayton and into seventh place in the Central Hockey League's Turner Conference. The old guys came through for the Komets as P.C. Drouin, Colin Chaulk and Leo Thomas scored for Fort Wayne. Thomas's goal with 1:09 remaining off a Mike Ratchuk pass was the game-winning goal.
Fort Wayne out-shot Quad City 36-34. It's the Komets' ninth win in their last 10 road games.
Comments
They don't play again until Friday. (we'll be there!!) If they can find another gear and get this win today, I think they will have earned a day or two off. This game is huge. The schedule is tough for everyone as JR1 pointed out. It's the team that can get themselves ready and through these challenges that will prevail in the end.
I agree with Alan, the first ten minutes are crucial. But for another reason. You don't want to come out and give it everything in the first ten and have nothing left. Play smart, disciplined and maybe a few bounces will go your way. Try to control the puck more, don't shoot it in unless you have a guy moving to gain the zone. Little things are big when you are in these circumstances.
Wash your hands, Hit!!!
JM was taking orders from me.....just for the record.
LOL
JungleMonkey takes orders from nobody! Espcially P.C.'s homeboy.
HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HA!!!!!!
And if I'd have said they were going to win both games and they lost, I'd have jinxed it, right? Either way, I lose.
The Komets just got a shout out from Mike Emrick in the Hawks/Pens game... Sweet!
Right when we were walking out the door, Doc was giving some love to the Komets/Gems/CHL.
Sorry, Eric beat me to it...
What's up with the 15 year old ref and linesman? Don't they have to graduate high school first?
any score yet? cant get wowo in angola if all things!!
2-0 Komets, I think Tim... I'm at work and can only partially listen... Couple fights too....
Thanks JR1!
Great game Komets...4-0 Komets I bet that bus trip that their fans came up in, going to be a long trip back.
This afternoon, I thought I heard Mike Emrick say that in 1970 there were only 7 American players in the NHL. Is that right?! I mean, I know the league was smaller then, but sheesh.
Dayton = Bunch of wusses. You have to understand that I'm looking at this from the perspective of one of their fans. When your team just got shut out by a rival who was playing for the third night in a row (with a road trip the previous night), you give credit to your opponents, sure. But then you wonder why the heck your team couldn't even score when it should have been fighting for playoff positioning. Or why your team has lost 3 of 4 and 7 of it's last 10 for that matter when it began the season with so much promise. This was the time to fight and they blew it. Maybe I haven't seen Dayton play in person, but I know when a team is tanking.
Maybe Naurato is what is making Dayton so special.
He-he. Wouldn't surprise me. :D
Tim, go to www.wowo.com and listen to the feed over the internet, or go to the other team's website and take the link to listen to their broadcast.
Mike in Toronto. If you could have been at the game Sunday night, I think you would have enjoyed it. Your post about playing within yourself, conserving energy by playing smart positional hockey the first ten minutes is dead on. They did everything except conserve energy.
It was the Komets who came out flying, participated in two fights (during the first ten minutes of play), and dictated the flow of the game. They were swarming the Dayton goal and had at least three redirections that just floated by the net or the score would have been much, much worse. ( Actually I was thinking they may have been a little snake bit as some of these pucks just wouldn't find the net).
To those who think the Gems are to be taken lightly, I would not agree. Yes , they are in a slump and have had their #1 goaltender called up to Worcester of the AHL, but I didn't see much "quit" in them. I thought they skated hard and gave a good effort. Did they play a solid "60 minute" game. Probably not but even Nick Boucher was quoted as saying the K's played a full 60 minutes for the first time this season.
Maybe instead of criticizing the opponent so much after a Komets win, we should congratulate the Komets for an outstanding effort.
The Komets have one of the easiest schedules in the whole league so they shouldnt be too upset that they have to travel once in a while. Most teams have a lot more long nights that we do.
Andy, within their own division shouldn't it be the same? It seems to me you play 3 games on the weekend no matter how much travel in between it's tough.
Alan, I will be there next Weekend. Looking forward to seeing some of the gang.
Mike....enjoy your time here!! Stop out at Canlan if you get a chance and watch a game there too. (it's cold in there, kept at 44 degrees rinkside, so bring extra layers!) It's a nice facility, if you have not been there yet, and it's where the Komets practice, and where the kids play. Fun place to be to catch hockey action when there's no games going on at the Jungle.
I never said Dayton should be taken lightly. No team should. When you go out there thinking "This will be a piece of cake", that's when it comes back to bite you on the butt. And remember, a wounded animal is often the most dangerous kind. The trick is getting on a team that's down in the dumps early. Don't give 'em a chance to feel good about themselves and think, "Hey, maybe we CAN win..." Dayton has it in them to win. They just have to believe they can, leave it all on the ice, and for goodness sake fight for it. They aren't doing that right now, but it isn't because they can't. Hockey is a sport of ebbs and flows. The Gems are ebbing, and they don't have a lot of time left to turn things around.
Yes, well done Komets, but I'm really more of an impartial observer. Like Blake, I'm not rooting for any particular team in this.
BlueLineBaby. Thanks, I have been over a few times. It is a great facility. Remember I'm coming from Canada. I have been in a few cold rinks in my time. LOL.
Wendy is just observing this thing now......
Why?
Careful Hit, you might set her off on another random rant about how she's not a puck bunny despite what JM, you, and myself think
I'm a student of the game and a big fan of Mr. Spock. I believe that one has to maintain a certain distance to remain objective. I haven't been cheering for any particular team since 2007-08. As for the puck bunny/looking for a date, I've decided that there is no need to point out the obvious. I'm too old for such nonsense.
LOL.....
But seriously.....
All the random stats she researches and elaborates on....
The word-search game she plays trying to find a word no one will.....surmise!
The analyzing of others comments, press clippings, blog reports, Bob Chase's tone, the direction of the wind, and such...
I mean....if not a fan...what is she?
Justin Cohn???
I'm just glad we didn't have a home game around Halloween...
Plus.....Blake is Super Fan....Don't let him fool you as he sits at home reading the blog in his #9 ThrowBack Komet Jersey, Komet Boxers, and cuddled up in his plush Komet Throw, sipping orange kool-aid from his Komet Koffee Mug.
His dog's name is Chief!!!
LOL