And one person who did not think it was a very good game was Komets coach Al Sims.
``I didn't think it was great, not for us anyway. I thought we looked tired from Timmy Haun all the way out to everybody else. We didn't get the goaltending, and we didn't play good team defense. Our power play really let us down.
"Their big players came to play tonight, and they out-played our big players.
"It's our 10th game in 16 nights, and we did not have it. We were tired, and we made tired mistakes, tired passes. We just did not have it, and when they got that fourth goal, we generated one good chance with Chwedoruk from Hukalo, and that was it.
Comments
I will say it right now. In the history of this hockey club, there has never been a bigger Komet killer than Robin Bouchard. Count me as happy he won't be around next year.
Bouchard has seven goals in nine games against the Komets this season. Bouchard has tormented the Komets throughout his career, scoring 48 goals and 98 points in 83 games.
Won't be around?? He may play here next year...if he decides not to retire.
I really started noticing the passing issues with about 10:00 to go in the third. When the guys get tired, the gameplan seems to change to launch the puck up the ice and hope a teammate gets to it first. Just seemed like several guys read on here that it is ok to go 75% because that is how it looked after Muskegon scored the 4th goal. Up until then, I thought the guys played well and were fun to watch.
PP has been an issue in over the last 6 games 3 -27 one area you don't want to be going backwards as the playoff's near. Any reason why Woods only skated about 5 to 6 total shifts tonight?
Komets also clinched a playoff spot tonight with Flint's loss.
When was the last time the K's didn't make it to the play-off's?
Wonder who was "motivated" tonight??
Sgriffith it was the 50th anniversary season. They had a winning record and if memory serves me right had a better record than teams in the other division who did make the playoffs.
really amazing the string of success they have had making the playoff's then.
zach, the ks didnt always play in a/aa leagues.
That would be an interesting few pole questions
#1 Biggest Komet killer (Bouchard? Doug Evans? Michel Mongeau? )
#2 Biggest Villain (Toperowski? Duhart? Shawn Byram? Collander? Bezeau when he came back to town in another uniform?)
#3 Best opposing Goaltender.. I freaking got so tired of watching Derek Wilkenson and Geoff Sargeant steal games against them years ago.
So what do you do with a Bouchard? Anytime he steps out on the ice put a hit on him, nail him in the boards, whack him in the back, punch him in the kidney. Anything to get him off his game glue somone on him man to man. I don't know what's the answer? I think we have handled him previous nights
If you are "tired" take a nap. Oh thats what about 75% of the team did after the 4th goal.
Well we can all see that leaving Bouchard wide open all night is not the answer....
For not "having" it last night, they kept it pretty close... If they would have just put the body on Bouchard or pestered him more we would have beaten the #1 team on an "off" night...
Well, I think Danko and a teammate (I forget who) handled Bouchard pretty well last night once in the 4th....slammed into him and wiped the ice with him. Shockingly, no penalty (Hawthorne is a tool - called one of the worst games I've ecer witnessed, as far as no calls, bad calls, etc)). I agree with Frozen Water's earlier comment that we played well until later in the 3rd, then we started to look tired. I think the guys hustled their butts off, one and all, but just were wiped out. You could see it when they skated back to the bench each time.
And I think it was in the 2nd period...the tripping call on PC....the Muskegon player fell, slid into the boards, then PC tripped over him....so, seriously help me out here....how is that a trip on PC? Or was it just a bad call or did I miss something that happened before their guy fell down?
Once in the 3rd, sorry.....I was reading 4th goal, my bad...LOL....
Hey Blake, still think we can shut down the top scorer in the league whenever we want to? A hat trick says no. I doubt he read the article, but regardless it jinxed us anyway.
Maybe they should start playing a diamond and 1 on him. Put a guy like Schrock or Woods on him all night. Let them get under his skin and literally hit him all night. It would really wear him down.
Hawthorne sucks. The PC call was awful. I don't think PC touched him, and if he did, it was after the FuryHack player was on the ice all ready.
My biggest complaint last night that I kept saying from start to finish.....Why aren't we playing Bouchard and Robinson physically. Especially Bouchard. You know he is their #1 option. So our guys just lose sight of him and no one was responsible for shadowing this guy and laying a body on him. All 3 of his goals were plays where he was hanging out around the net with no one in orange and black paying attention to him. Unacceptable to me. It took a freaking hat-trick before Danko finally decided to check him 2 times.
Were the Komets trying to help him get his goals last night? Kind of looked like it to me. When a guy is allowed to skate around the ice like he is invisible. I don't get it.
On a different note. Anyone out there get their season ticket package for 2010-2011 yesterday? I didn't, but the people in front of me did. And she claims that the children's tickets bounced up to $250 and all ticket packages increased in price......Why? If the IHL is the league we are staying in, and we are decreasing the schedule, and they are rumored to be decreasing the weekly salary cap and possibly decreasing the number of veteran players....why did the season ticket prices increase, again?
I have my opinions, but I will let someone else answer it so I don't seem like the Nellie here.
Good game last night mostly, my only complaint was really the lack of touching Bouchard. That can't happen. Or you lose and get burnt. And we did.
I haven't received mine yet Hit but sounds like they're in the mail so I'll ask the same question I did last time the discussion was about ticket price and couldn't find an answer. Does anyone remember the last time the price went up? How many years ago? How much has everything else in the world gone up since then?
Based just on the increase of my health insurance premiums alone I can guess their costs have gone up in spite of fewer games. The rest we don't know about yet. I will admit though that raising prices with a shorter season could be a hard sell and now that I'm retired I'm sure not going to be happy about it.
How to stop Bouchard? Hire him.... :-)
I wonder how many GMs, coaches, players, and fans asked the same question about The Great One? Not that Bouchard can be directly compared to him but in this league he is close. What I find amazing is he can be so good in this league and not in any higher league. That leads me to believe he can be stopped, it's just that no one in the IHL has found the key.
Try playing him hard with a Woods or Mac and they'll counter the same way they did when that was tried on Gretzky, that's how Warren Rychel made it to the NHL, Wayne liked the way he protected him. I sure would love to see it though. Watching Bouchard getting bounced off the boards for a bit would be fun to watch.
I just checked the Komets' WEB site, where are those seats at Hit? Kids tickets in the Pepsi Zone upper arena for this season is $250.00 unless they didn't change the year yet.
Maybe she was full of crap then, and it seems she was. The Kids tickets are the same it seems. We will get our ticket pack on Monday I bet. Maybe they stayed the same. I hope so. Especially if the other things we are hearing are changing.
What league too? No one can answer that for sure. Lots of factors this summer.
You know what though, they may have gone up overall, I need to look at what I paid last season. These prices on the K's website are higher than waht we pay during the earlybird period. If you pay your balance off before a certain time and with deposits made, you get a price break. I think it is possible tickets did go up.
News flash: Hawethorne has always stunk.....
I have more of a problem with how many times the ref and linesman got into the way of plays..... Muskegon's second goal was a direct result of the linesman not getting out of the way and the puck richoceting off his skate on a breakout pass intended for Schrock, staying in the K's D zone and the Jacks capitalized.... Seems like I remember about 4-6 times that Hawethorne himself got in the way of a developing play...
Why is Warner and Woods on this team?
JR, I agree with both your "news flash", and your complaint about the ref and linesmen getting in the way. I see it from time to time, but boy, did I notice it last night. I know it would be hard to always be out of the way, bot it sure seemed deliberate on occasion....maybe it's my orange-colored, "homer" glasses that I was viewing from, I don't know....LOL...
And Steve, we had the "hire Bouchard" discussion at breakfast here in my house this morning. I promptly lost my breakfast, and my husband and I are no longer speaking....my son and I are on the same page (no freakin' way we'd ever want Bouchard back in orange and black)... LOL...(I'm kidding, the hubby and I are fine)
Blueline, agreed... You expect some interference from the officials from time to time, its inevitable... Just not a seasons worth in one game!!!!! LOL
Also, I used to say the same things about Scott Gruhl before he came to the Komets after playing for the Lumberjacks in the old IHL. Gruhl was FILTHY; but its amazing how that all gets glossed over when they start wearing a K's jersey....
Yes the ref got in the way many times last night as Randy and I made comments about it. This isnt to crack on Haun but on two of muskys goals one of which was Robins from about 45 feet out as he turned and shot a not so hard shot found nothing but open net as it appeared Timmy just was not ready. When a goalie is not focused 100 percent that type of stuff happens. Then of the 4th goal it was a straight shot at him on the ice all the way and it never touched him. We noticed that most of our shots were 2 feet up in the air and all Centomo had to do was let it hit him. We needed to put more shots on the ice so he has to move and make a play on them. Way to many non calls by Hawthorne. Offside calls were bad also. If any players come to us from Musky I hope its Robinson and NOT Robin. Todd has my respect as a good player and not a primadonna. Bouchard is a huge primadonna! All in all without the two soft goals they get we win. Having played goal a lot back in the day there were nights when my focus was off and it cost me.....again Timmy just had a somewhat off night....it happens.
Tim I agree with you about Robin being a prima dona. However if he scores 40 goals for the team in orange and black and helps hang another banner in the rafters I think fans will be quick to forget his past.