After struggling through the first 24 games of the season to find goals, the Fort Wayne Komets pounded the Muskegon Lumberjacks with a season-high in a 7-2 win on Saturday night.
The Komets scored four goals during the first period while holding the Lumberjacks to only three shots. The Komets pushed the lead to 6-0 before the game was half over, ruining the night for a crowd of 3,875 at L.C. Walker Arena.
``We know if we're going to challenge for the league title, we have to beat teams like Muskegon and Port Huron when we play them,'' Komets coach Al Sims said. `We came out ready to do what it took to win. We got a couple of breaks. Instead of going off the post and out, we had two that went off the post and in. It was nice to get seven goals and give everybody a little confidence.''
Colin Chaulk scored two goals and had four points on the night. Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock scored twice and Leo Thomas, Frankie DeAngelis and David Hukalo each scored once for the Komets who broke a three-game losing streak to Muskegon. Nick Boucher made 26 saves in goal as the Komets out-shot the Lumberjacks 33-28.
Chaulk's line of Konstantin Shafranov and David Hukalo combined for three goals and eight points. Chaulk has four goals and 10 points over his last four games.
``I think it's a big thing to have two good puck handlers on the line with him,'' Sims said. ``He's the finisher on the line right now and we need him to keep it up. I think his intensity has picked up quite a bit. He's a winner and he doesn't like to lose. He's back to playing the way he does when he's in that frame of mind. He's working his butt off and it is producing the results.''
The Komets played without forward Tomas Klempa who was unable to return from Omaha, Neb., because of the weather. Forward Brad MacMillan also sat out a one-game suspension from the International Hockey League but will play Sunday in Flint.
Comments
Perhaps it took out vets 25 games or so to shake off the summer of rust and extra pounds put on by making the rounds of the Showgirls buffets. The last few games they have all stepped up and for now I am eating my words about cutting 1 or 2 or all of them. We'll see what happens but the light switch seems to be on. Of course, if Claude Damalphachuk (I don't know... it sounds like a goons name!) were playing tonight the Komets would surely have outdone what Team Canada did to Latvia today (15-0 )
FuryJacks needed a beatdown at home, good for the k's
Good for them. Kind of reminds me of how they turned the tables on Flint right around Christmas a couple of seasons ago, taking that beatdown in Flint and then delivering one of their own right the next game at home. That was the turning point when a decent team became truly great. Dare we hope for as much this season?
Tail of 3 periods really.... In the first the K's came out absolutely flying, getting all 3 forwards in deep and putting alot of pressure on whoever had the puck for Musky causing alot of turnovers. Musky looked about 3 steps behind in that period and even thier best crowd of the season to this point couldnt help them kick it into a gear that was even close to what the K's were putting out... I just remember thinking, where iin the hell has this come from???
The second period was more of the same at the outset until they got the 6 goal lead and then you could see them settling back a lil and Musky went into free lance mode dropping any kind of an organized offense except when on the PP and firing shots from whereever they had a lane... Musky got off quite a few good shots with 2 finding the net...
3rd period, the K's were in full prevent D. Satisfied with just chipping it out of thier own zone for the most part and only sending 1 guy deep into the offensive zone. Boucher was solid; but most of the shots he faced were from that area between the tops of the circle and the blueline...
As usual the K's looked very good on D and the offense seems to be waking up a lil bit scoring 12 goals in thier last 2 games. I'm not gonna say they have turned the corner yet; but I really liked how they came out attacking tonight putting constant pressure on the Musky players in all 3 zones...
wow, I think a nice post just got spammed... Oh well...lol
Komets 7 Muskegon 2. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!
Cool! A beatdown of the league leaders in their barn in front of their biggest crowd of the year. Lets keep this going...way to go Komets!!
I am trying to remember... did the Komets win that game that Muskegon took out the special "anti Komets" advertising for earlier this year?
Hopefully this happens consistently so all my previous posts will have been wrong. Small price to pay for a winning hockey team.
You mean the day after Thanksgiving game? Yup, they did. The K's also lost on Dayton's "Kill the Komets" night.
And they dropped one today to Flint 4-1.
And the Colts pulled the plug today on their possible win today. I totally disagree with this coaching move. The fans boo-ed, the players looked po'ed, and Peyton wanted to stay in the game obviously as he wouldn't take off his helmet and was lobbying to get back in the game. Why mess with chemistry, mojo, and your chance at a special season. If they lose in the playoffs now, no one will remember this team at all. And if the coaching staff was afraid of injuries and that is the reason for taking out the main players, then why play them at all???
Stupid IMO.
I'll bet that if the Saints had still been undefeated, they wouldn't have done it.
ask the denver and baltimore players what they think of the colts turning over and playing dead. the colts sure didnt do that when they had to play those two teams who are now behind the jets for the last wild card spot. you play the damn game to win, not to prevent injuries.
They have lost 2 now.
I just don't agree with taking the chance of disrupting the team mojo they had going. It looked like alot of players were very upset about this decision. They busted their butts for 15 weeks to be perfect, then they let the foot off the pedal, whe you are winning in the 3rd quarter....and for what? To lose? If they had planned to do this in the beginning, why not just sit them to start the game and not risk injury at all. Dumb decision all around. And the announcers of the game, Bob Lamey in particular scolding the fans for being unhappy, shame on him. He is a tool for thinking this shouldn't matter to the fans....it mattered to the players..
After listening to Peyton in his press conference, He could be perfect for the White House Press Secretary Job......very well thought out and politically correct responses. When you read between the lines....He ain't happy with this.
They should be scared of the HOUSTON TEXANS
Hey, the Bears have been playing the whole year to prevent injuries.
and the colts might just join them in the rec room watching the superbowl on tv!
++ Blake
Ask the Colts players how many of them give a crap what the Denver and Baltimore players think. It's not the Colts' jobs to get other teams into or out of the playoffs. I love it when they go to some player or coach from another team on the fringe and ask them what they think about what one of the top teams are doing. Doesn't matter what they think. When it comes down to it, the Colts did their jobs all throughout the season and earned the right to choose what to do at this point. As far as playing them or not playing them, Caldwell thinks about more football while he's going to the bathroom than everyone on this blog will ever know in a lifetime. It's exactly like what Blake said about Sims and hockey a few days ago.
Oh, so don't have an opinion and be told by Frozen Water what an idiot you are for being a fan of the team and questioning why quiting is wrong??? Hmmmm. Ok. I guess you are the voice of reason on this one. Since Coach Caldwell thinks about football while he goes to the bathroom, that makes his decision the right one. Got it. Or maybe this was Bill Polian's decision. Wonder what he thinks about when he goes to the Bathroom? Depends? I guess.
He probably concerns himself with how Hit feels about how he runs his incredibly successful football team and all of his criticisms of said team. Polian is definitely that type of guy. He really worries and puts a lot of creedence into armchair GMs' opinions. I just heard him break down on his radio show because of Hit's comments. What a joke.
Sorry I have faith in the leadership of one of the most successful teams in NFL history. I'm sure you know more though. Probably should've picked Lief in 98 too, right? ::sigh:: Craftsman...
THEY WON'T BEAT HOUSTON AGAIN=THAT IS WHY THEY LET THE jets win.
Hey, the Cincinnati Bengals are the AFC North Champions!!! At least one blogger on this forum is happy today!!!
Caldwell is in one of those darned if you do, darned if you dont situations.... He chose to rest his starters and give the second stringers the chance to hold the lead and they didnt...which makes the fan base angry for losing the possibility of a perfect regular season... If he would have kept his starters in and won, staying perfect; but lost say, Addai and Clark to late game injuries fans would be losing thier minds today saying how stupid he was to leave his starters in when they've already clinched a playoff spot... I dont envy coaches/mngmt who have to make these calls......
Blake, the Bears have played all season to prevent injuring players from their opponents.
Try not this year, but most of my life. Though I did get a very cool Bears sweatshirt for Christmas. I'll wear it proudly through, oh, the first quarter tonight.
Frozen Water......Really?
You think I was implying that my opinion on the Colt's has some implied idea that my word is bigger than the Colt's MGMT? Really? You might want to watch your opinions regarding the Komets so others don't come on here and bash you.
I still don't think going into any game with the idea that you are giving it a real effort is right. Did they give the ticket buyers of that game a half-priced deal? Was the food 50% off for the game? Were the Jerseys buy on get one free? Was the parking free? There were 70,000 people there for the game and the weather conditions were crap. Is it fair to the fans that went to the game expecting the team to give their full effort to win......the BS they ended up with?
I don't buy into the we need to save players from injury BS. It is a football game. Guys get hurt in practice. They played the starters at least half of that game....So your injury argument does not hold water.
Thanks for calling me a Craftsman. Classy of you. Next time I have an opinion about anything Frozen Water, I will email it to Blake, and he can email to you for your approval. What is with you, man? Thanks for the attack.
You play to win the game.
16-0 would have made this a special season.
Now if they lose in the playoffs, nothing will be remembered about this team, other than they quit in game 15 to rest their players and lost.