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Tailing the Komets

Komets are failing Boucher and themselves

Comments

Burgee60
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 12:28am

After looking at the remaining games, i am predicting a 4 way tie for first in the Turner Conference with each team having 84 points.

If Rapid City doesn't beat Arizona twice they need to club themselves in the head.

Missouri has owned Tulsa all year and their other game is Bloomy.  If they don't sweep the next 3 then they need to club themselves in the head.

Evil hasn't won a game in regulation since they beat us at the end of Feburary, they are due and should get 4 of 6 points easily, if not they need to club themselves in the head.

we should squeek out 3 of 6 points against dayton, 2 home overtime points and a win on the road,  if not they need to club themselves in the head.

If Quad City makes the playoffs, I will club myself in the head.

That would give RC, Miss and Evil 39 wins and us 38, i don't remember the rest of the tie breaker stuff.

I would at least like to leave the CHL as outright Conference Champions since their ref's were so kind to us all year.

And further affiant sayeth naught.

Wendy
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 1:30am

I just cringe these days when I see the practice interviews on the news. They always talk so tough and look so confident, but then more often than not their next game is like this one. "We're ready! We know what we have to do!" Sure you do.

KometsfanX
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 6:36am

I will give that last night our defense had hung Nick out to dry, but here's my problem with Boucher now. The defense has been failing him all year and he's still tremendously helped us to the top of the CHL standings. Now, it's like the NBA stars from Space Jam! It's like someone with less talent has taken over Nick's body. Tough shots can't get past him, but he can't stop the ones coming right at him (slight exaggeration, but you get my point). Boucher is a great goaltender and one that has set a bar for how high he can play, even when his team does not show the same. As of late, since his suspension, he is playing well below that bar.

hockeypalooza
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 8:35am

Thanks. That was a great article.

Alan
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 1:05pm

All one has to do is to browse through the comments of the last few threads to get an idea of the state of disarray the Fort Wayne Komets find themselves in, and the disappointment and frustration of the fans.  And why shouldn't they feel this way?  There is too much talent, too much experience, and too much past success that these players have had to understand all of this.

Maybe a history lesson would help. 

If someone would've told me on October 21st that the Komets would find themselves in 1st place, one point ahead of two different teams, with three games remaining and two of those at home, I would've been tickled.  Yet here we are, with that exact scenario, and I feel as pessimistic as I can possibly feel about their chances.

This team had a 20-7-1 record on January 1st.  That record included a very slow 5-5 start.

  What did they do after the first ten games to change things?  Al, Gary, Franke brothers, anybody got an idea?  Some will say Boucher was magic.  Everyone seems to be in love with Nick right now and ever ready to offer up reasons, excusues, or whatever you want to call them , to quickly explain why this isn't a goaltender problem.  And you know what?  For the most part they are correct.  This team ( including both the defensemen and the forwards) have been one of the worst I can remember in terms of protecting the puck, in terms of making smart passes, and in terms of turning the puck over resulting in breakaways and odd man rushes.  It has been this way all year.  Early on you blame the players.  But as it happens consistently over the year, you must blame the coaching staff and the front office.

Scoring has always been a problem.  Since January 1st the Komets record is 17-12-6.  During the last 10 games the Komets have scored 36 goals. ( Included are a game with 7 goals, a game with 5 goals, and two games with 4 goals).  That means that six of the last ten games the K's have scored 3 goals or less.  ( 16 goals in the other six games= 2.66 goals a game).  Wonder why they don't have the division clinched?

Hindsight is always 20-20.  I, myself , applauded the trade that sent Cescon away for Bennefield.  Looking back, it was a mistake.  I've often wondered what the outcome would've been if Bennefield (35 goals the year before) hadn't started the season hurt, and if Simon Mangos would have reported to camp instead of retiring. No one will ever know, but the trade and the retirement happened about exactly the same time, and it left the defense much weaker.  We see that today, don't we? Henley came in and he has helped. But until Vaskivou was claimed, not one bit of help was brought in to help the offense.  Podshendyalov left ( and I'll leave it up to you whether that was a plus or minus).  The point is that scoring has always been weak and nothing was addressed by the front office. 

It's up to the players now.  They all seem to say the right things but they all seem to be just mouthing the words.  I must conclude that there is real trouble in the locker room.  What a shame.

If someone would've told me October 21st that we needed to win our last three games of the season, two at home, against the next to last team in the division, I'd would've been  tickled.

Well that's how it is laid out.  I'm not all that tickled or confident, are you?

 

 

hursttech
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:11pm

What's wrong?
Identity (Who are we?)
We are an orange collar, hungry, hard-hitting playoff team that has to skate every shift as if it's an elimination game. Garbage goals win playoff games not the pretty ones for the sell-out home crowd.

Play the system. Trap on defense. Skate and carry the punk through the neutral zone. On offense, dump and chase with a hard, 2-1-2 forecheck, cycle the puck, shoot, and crash the net. NOTE: Do this every shift!

Playing our system with an attitude along with solid goaltending will win the CUP!

I would change up the lines and play the kids Friday night.

Here is your high energy, hungry team:

Friday night lines

Vaskivuo,,Smith,,Chaumont
Mele,,Chaulk,,Auger
Thorne,,Rizk,,Schrock

Henley,,Milam
Lovell,,DeAngelis
Miller,,Starenky

Festa

Who/SuZ
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 3:28pm

First, great article....hit it correctly....no passion, no hitting and no real drive.  Fans we were sitting around were booing Boucher and asking for Festa....silly....watch the game and learn all were not his fault and Festa would have had more problems....also, booing the team at the end of the second period...uncalled for....and I told several people they needed to accept things that were going on and cheer on the team......again, there seems to be disharmony on that team, as you identified with Bouch calling out those that needed it....maybe they should get used to it, especially it they have made a mistake....would love to see Smith come back as Captain next year....great hustle, drive and leading by showing....

Seems Leo has slowed down.... and speaking of slow, please suggest to someone they replace Bennefield with Mele...at least Tom can hit, not get knocked off of the puck so easily and has a passion for the game that Bennefield does not....please lets get real

Also, sit Lovell and play Starenky (I realize his hand is healing...talked with him last night and he wants to get in)....Lovell hurts us and needs to sit.

 

 

KometsfanX
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 6:39pm

Who/SuZ, go look at the stats since Boucher was suspended. Festa's stats are much better. Does the defense only let Boucher down? I've said it nice, I'll say it again, at some point, the goaltender has to tend goal. It's something that Bouche has been doing very well all season, when his defense lets him down, he makes grat saves. Lately, he is not playing like that.

Hawk Fan
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 8:18pm

I would have withheld their pay for playing so poorly Wednesday night. Where is Apod?

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