He's not playing tonight, Bryan Hogan is and early on the Komets are tattooing him. He's held up so far.
Why isn't Larry starting? Probably because Fort Wayne-native and Dayton coach Brian Gratz is well aware of Larry's history in Fort Wayne.
Sterling is 3-6 all-time in the regular season at Fort Wayne with an .853 save percentage. He's 3-7-2 on his own home ice with a .908 save percentage. Combined he's 6-13-2 in the regular season with a .883 save percentage.
In the playoffs, he's been nothing short of remarkable against the Komets. No, really. He's 5-5 in 12 playoff games, but he's got a save percentage of .924 which is amazing. That shows just how far he pushed the Komets to their best during those two series.
Comments
Why exactly does Fort Wayne not like Larry?
Blake, is Starenky hurt? Haven't seen him tonight.
Vanessa, it goes back to the Turner Cup finals 2008. Port Huron (with Larry in net) pushed the K's to the brink of elimination in the finals, down 3 games to 1. When the Icehawks embarrassed the K's at the coliseum in game 1, the visiting fans loudly chanted Larry's name at the end. So when the Komets turned the tables in game 2 (also in Fort Wayne), K's fans derisively returned the favor. People have told me, "I was chanting his name all season long, so I started it." Maybe they were, but it only caught on in the playoffs because of what the Port Huron fans had done. People will cite one reason or another for not liking Larry -- and he certainly has done some questionable things -- but it all goes back to that fear when he almost stole OUR Turner Kup.
Thanks for the information, Wendy. I greatly appreciate it.