Thursday's stories

As frustrated as I am, along with everyone else, I still believe the Komets can WIN this series. Dig Hard, Play all out, Play with alot of Heart...Pick your heads up and Lets play Komet Hockey.

I'm with ya. Call me a orange-glass-wearing-kool-aid-drinkin'-Franke-puppet-season-ticket-holding-fool, but till the last second is ticked off the clock on our playoff season, I will never say we are done. WE CAN STILL WIN!!!

1 Game at a time, 100% team, 100% Heart all game long!!!

On the other thread Cohn reported that the K's were trying to get Hodgman's suspension reduced to one game since Lindberg played. To Cohn's credit he also stated that it was his opinion that the suspension should stand. I totally agree with him.

Who knows which team will show up Friday night. Will it be a team who never says "die". Or will it be a team who maybe after falling behind, or getting the lead and then falling behind will pack it in? One thing I do know is that I'm sick and tired of reading and hearing these players in interviews say, "we need to stop taking penalties, shoot more, crash the net, and get someone in front of the netminder." "We need to find a way to get our power play going and step it up on our penalty kill." Blah, blah, blah. It's like a broken record. Just do it. Sometimes I wish this was like football and we could just decline the penalty.

Friday night is do or die. If the K's can get this game they will go back to Port Huron and have Hodgman back in the lineup. I just imagine he is aching to get back on the ice and I think his presence could make a huge difference.

Drouin has scored a goal, now its time for Chaulk, Thomas, Hukalo, Shrock, and Chewy to find the net. Over 100 goals this year for these guys and not one in four games.

I'm not giving up. Too many talented players to have this much trouble. One game at a time, it's true.

It's also true that they have got to get going NOW.

IMO i think that it is still the K's series to lose. We have the better team, but it's all up to them. If they keep playing undisciplined hockey then this series will probably end Friday. However this team has everything it needs to be able to win 3 in a row. It is just up to them. If they play up to their abilities, and turn it on, i think friday we will win in a lopsided game, Bouch wins game 6 for us in POHO, and then game 7 in the Jungle. This is still very doable in my opinion. And maybe im just totally drinking Orange Kool-ade. But thats how i feel about this series. If the K's want it more, we will win...

Great articles Blake! I enjoyed reading what the players and the coaches had to say.

I would like to direct this post on the article under "Deficent no deterrent for Komets:

The information was great to see. But my comments are geared more towards the quotes from Drouin and Chaulk.

Drouin stated that Port Huron was going to have to run over them, that the Komets were not going to lie down. That is a good point to make, but I hope the players recognize this: The lights are on, the gates are down, and that Port Huron train is coming. Port Huron would like nothing less than to beat the one team that has been a thorn in their side for years. Being one win away is great motivation. Every shift is now the last shift. I wish the Komets would have used this mentality from the very beginning in this series.

Chaulk stated something that is so very true regarding the penalty kill/power play situation. Their powerplays have been unreal. When you can score 3 of 4 of a teams total goals in a game on the powerplay speaks volumes. The Komets have to make a better effort to stay out of the box. Don't give them the opportunity to have a powerplay goal.

By playing simple and smart hockey, good things can and will happen. Hopefully this is what we see Friday night. Go Komets!

Does anyone know how many 3-game win streaks this Komets team had during the season?

FW-

The Komets had 7 3+ game winning streaks during the regular season.

And they beat PH 3 consecutive times to finish the season.

I still think Colin Chaulk and Leo Thomas are the key to the series. When they find that next gear, the rest of the team feeds off of it. Nobody in the league skates with more purpose than Chaulk when he's fired up.

Shrocky needs to have a few shifts where he comes out an tears the ice up...

I don't if you have a defensman that can shoot... You play Rodger on the blueline.. Physical defense..

Fridays game will be won in the first 10 minutes.

JM: Thanks a lot for the answer. I figured someone out there knew. My only disagreement with what you wrote is your very last line about the first 10 minutes. We've won the first 10 minutes several times throughout the season, and even during this series posting multi-goal leads, only to shut it off the rest of the game and lose. I think we need more help with our middle 10 minutes and then again during the final 10 minutes, IMO.

I agree with ya guys and I think a lil Woods version 1.0 friday would help emensely... Need to get under thier skin and get them off thier game... Can Woods finally find it???

If the rookie goes tonight in goal for the Icehawks, they have to crash, crash, crash the net... Get him off his game early...

Ok, Bert, I'm willing to take back the purse comment... IF the Bert that scored last night shows up for work again this week ;-)

Good Point, FW... I guess what I was saying is that they can't lose the first 10 mins. If they come out on fire and take a two goal lead, I think knowing the season is on the line they'll step it up. If the Icehawks lead after 10 mins I'm going home. (thats a lie for dramatic effect.)

I'd love to see the old Woods. Nobody has been more critical of his signing than me. If he can sucker a couple PP's out of the Hawks and get his nose dirty in the crease it'll be huge.

They just have to decide if they want it and take the extra effort out on the ice. The skill is there.

If they can get a few goals from guys like Bertram that are not "expected" to score, that will help throw Port Huron off their game.

Loved the articles Blake!!!

I may be totally off base on this, but my recollection is that there really haven't been too many interference penalties called at games this year. Then, in the third period of this game we suddenly get three. Wow!

Also another tidbit that I am sure about. Two years ago, 7th game of the finals, against Port Huron the referee was Bob Langdon. For those of you who remember, he wouldn't call anything during that game and Port Huron absolutely hammered the Komets. Seem to remember Hodgman getting whacked so hard he had to leave the ice and I was wondering if he would be able to return. Seems to me Curadeau was beat up a little too. Kind of ironic how things have turned out.

(This in no way was any type of excuse for Hodgman's actions. It's just funny how life spins in circles sometimes.)

C'mon Alan, you gotta be able to see the difference between a Game 7 in OT and a Game 4. And it was John Searles.

Jim Hawthorne is Friday's ref.

Woods drew two power plays last night.

Just a side note is anybody suprised that at the souvenire stand they are already selling shirts that have 3-Peat on them? For as supersticious as hockey players and even fans can be i was shocked they already had those shirts...

That's standard practice. If they waited until the last moment, where would they sell them? You've got to strike when the iron is hot, so to speak.

Yeah, my mom bought me one--I wouldn't even touch it.

ChampionTrip is about to be tripped out. I still can't believe the logo for this year has three cups in it...

I agree that we'll know in the first ten minutes if there will be a game on Saturday (and hopefully Monday)

Blake, you are right. It was Searles. When I was twenty-one I had a better memory. Not sure what you meant by I should be able to see the difference between a game 7 in OT and a game 4. However, since I was so screwed up on that post I will just consider myself wrong on that too.

I'm a little worried. It hasn't been that bad a day for me to be so far off base. However when I'm wrong, I'm wrong and I thank you for pointing it out to me.

It's Searle

Blake--How do you know it is Hawthorne tomorrow? The IHL hasn't released who the referee is yet, at least on the IHL web site. Langdon is in Flint tonight. I don't care who the referee is. We still have to play our way and win the game.

I've been out of it the last few days. How did Larry get KO'D?

Schebig, Blake me and Jimmy been hanging out at bars in michigan all week.

And I actually paid for a round. Sorry you missed it.

Just a quick tid bit for all the fans who think the Komets may be getting a raw deal here, if you look at the power play stats, Fort Wayne has had 22 man advantages and Port Huron has 21. Now I aint the sharpest knife in the drawer but 22 is more than 21 SO, how can anyone make a claim that the IHL officiating is biased towards Port Huron? And as for the timing of them, I am pretty sure that Langdon didnt look up at the clock and say to himself, I think I am going to go ahead and give Chaulk a penalty first, and then, the next Komet player to do something stupid, I am going to go ahead and give them a penalty also. Bottom line is simple, Port Huron is executing on there chances and the almighty Komets are not.

Chucky C... what you really need to look at is if the penalties are really warranted or not. I, by no means am saying that the Komets are not guilty but there have been some weak calls or no calls period. It is tied with 6 mins left in a game and the ref has not called but 1 penalty all period long and it is tied at 2....and then you have a 5 on 3....on a couple of questionable calls. Its ironic to me. I get frustrated that the Refs decide the game and not the players.

So have the refs been favoring the Komets the last 2 seasons?

speaking of the playoff shirts......Komet Kuarters designed them. the middle cup is a ghost cup, thats why its not solid in color....