The Komets have certainly been making bad teams look good lately. Hopefully the K's will get back to playing good, solid, consistent hockey.
A question. Al Sims certainly hasn't been able to turn the Evansville Icemen around. How much longer does he have as a coach? His professional coaching future would appear to be bleak at the present time.
RG2
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 10:23am
Alan, Who Suz, Muel etc,. please chime in. Did it not seem that last year we would have a two or three goal lead and then lose it or lose in a shoot-out ? This year seems to be the exact opposite. We get down early and come back and win. I really belive that the first game of the year against Indy when down 3-0 was a barometer. I think for some reason we get off the bus late, even at home. But the team has shown great character thruout the year. You can tell some coaching goes on in the dressing room betwen periods. Its seems to me that as long as the komets move their legs, they are strong. When they stop skating, they suffer.
As to coach Sims, Im guessing Sims contract with Geary had an exemption of some sort for this season. Im sure his real contract starts after this season is over with HIS players coming on next season. Based on the talent and below average climate of winning down there, I would not have expected any miracles to happen this season. Nor would I expect Sims to take the job under any other circumstance.
BNYS79
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 10:50am
RG2 I have noticed that also. It is never fun to be down 2 or 3 goals, but it sure is fun to watch them comeback and win. This team has beat good teams and bad teams the same way. They never give up and I think that is what we were missing last year. Look at the injuries and callups we are dealing with right now, and this team continues to pull off wins. If we could get a few guys back I think we have a very solid team. What a different year this has been from last year!
Alan
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 11:35am
RG2, last season was very frustrating in the fact that they "blew" so many three goal leads.
This season they never quit and, regardless of the challenge, they seem to rise up and meet the obstacle head-on.
The latter gives a better outcome than the former, but both are frustrating.
"We maybe thought it was going to be an easy game..." - Christian Ouellet
"...We can't keep doing this." - Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock
Gary Graham likes to praise his teams' locker room "leadership". I have no doubt that it is true. But somewhere along the way, the leadership needs to be shown when the game begins, not when the game starts to become in doubt...and I'd like to think that "leadership" begins, first within each player, then maybe, from the veteran players if the need persists.
The last three games, ALL ONE GOAL WINS, came against two last place teams (and at home). OK, now here comes Indy. A very hot team, contending for a playoff spot, itching for a chance to beat the Komets. Do you have to be a "leader" to recognize that this isn't going to be a team that will "roll over"? Now's the time, get your attitude ready for a team that will require a 60 minute effort!
I know the team is missing a lot of pieces. Important pieces. But it is what it is. Every team would like to be at full strength. But every player has contributed in some manner, and while not everyone may a star, everyone can give a full effort. If they do, and then lose, there is nothing to complain or lament about later and both quotes above would become moot.
RG2, about Al Sims: I think he knows he will be back next season and is analyzing who he wants to invite back.
RG2
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 12:35pm
you guys are awesome. great feedback
chuckitt
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 1:13pm
you know sims wouldnt have jumped back in unless he was given a guarantee to build his own team and that has to start next year. there arent exactly a lot of quality players out there looking for a job. as far as our leadership in the locker room is concerned, how do you know whats going on in there>? i think our leaders are doing a great job motivating our team right now that included only one colorado guy. we are basicly playing with a few single"a " guys and some others who wouldnt even be playing if some of the guys came back. its so easy to abuse shrock but hes the hardest working guy on the ice and im sure his locker room talk is just as intense. im more disapointed in our d men other than krug that refuse to hit anybody and im not sure whats going on with a couple of our core guys who just seem to skate in circles and are pulling up instead of hitting the corners hard. we have been lucky the last two weeks and hopefully this experience will give everybody confidense cause we are gonna need that extra ommph when we start playing good teams again. good test will come this weekend agaisnt an improved and hot hockey team in the fuel.
Who/SuZ
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 1:46pm
RG2.....last year, we would go near an exit, watch the shootout and mostly know we might as well be close to an exit, because they were going to lose....this year, they make it entertaining, make you want to stay and see the results, which are almost always what you have hoped for
We have some theories in my area, that the K's always come out slow when it is the first game of a 3 game or more set at home....never fails....although they mostly win, it is the same every Wednesday or Friday series starter...hard to fathom why....to much rest
I am impressed with the play of Thomas, Higgs and Quayle....may be tough to release these players, if and when some of the others return....sure would like to see Harrison play though....do not understand why he skated like two 30 second shifts?
We talked with Crowder...says he came back to early....may be ready for playoffs...Tam said in a week or so when we talked with him yesterday as well.
Not really sure of what your comments on Schrock mean Chuckitt, nor those about "couple of core guys" skating in circles....whom are you referring to?
Blake Sebring
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 2:08pm
I'd say Chuckitt has it nailed pretty good. First two periods, Evansville was attacking the net and the Komets were skating to the side and behind it. They do that a lot early in games. In the third they were going right at it. Like I said a few weeks ago, watch individual players on their shifts and not the puck. You'll see a whole new world out there.
That said, there are 10 guys from this team in the AHL right now, and your best center, best defensive forward and possibly top defenseman are also sitting out with injuries. Yeah, it's nice to always wish for better and more, but sometimes you have to be realistic. That's two-thirds of the lineup who are not out there. I'd say they are getting just about everything they can from the lineup. Other than Embach and Pistilli, is there another 20-goal scorer in the lineup? And don't forget, Roman Will is 22 years old even though he's been magnificent.
There were about 15 of the 46 saves last night that Komm, well, I'm not sure how he made them because I didn't think he could see them. I turned to the guy in front of me when I was taking pictures and said, "It's just his night and they happen to be playing against him." He was on fire, particularly in the last half of the second and early in the third.
You also have to wonder what Embach has to do to get a call-up. My word is he tenacious. It's like you better skate with him or get the heck out of his way. I think FW fans would love him even if he wasn't a scorer just because of the way he throws his body around. He's freaking fearless.
who/suz
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 2:27pm
Sorry..one other thing. .seems like Szyd..since returning from the A..has a different bearing about him..an I'm better now than u r..not quite as aggressive. .IMO
Anne Argast
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 2:41pm
Sorry Blake, but that was not a goalie on fire. That was a goalie playing a competent game, with good position, dealing with a large number of very routine shots.....what I'd call 95 percenters. A goalie doesn't need to do a lot with a shot from outside directed at the center-of-mass that doesn't get deflected. When Krom faced shots that came from player movement inside (or simply a puck that was well placed and moved, like Sol's which was probably rising as it reached the net) he got beat.
The flip side is when a goalie gets blamed for a lousy game when his stats are bad, but he's been forced to deal with break-aways, back-doors, shots from the slot.....the 70 percenters. Goalies get a lot of credit as well as blame for what others are doing in front of them.
RG2
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 2:48pm
Picture the Geico commercial with Pinnochio only its Al Sims. " I see alot of potential in this locker room. .. You have potential.. You....have ...poten...tial....oh boy...."
RG2
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 3:52pm
AHL transaction sheet show Syd amd Martin released fro PTO. Great news I expect for Koment fans
Alan
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 4:06pm
Chuckitt, maybe my comment was not as clear as it should have been.
I am NOT criticizing Schrock (or any other player in the locker room). My comment was solely to coincide with the quotes from Ouellet and Schrock. They ARE in the locker room.
I would submit to you that leadership also takes place pregame, too. And it's then that I would like to see a "fire" lit underneath the team ( not necessarily after they have fallen behind). It's becoming a trend against inferior teams.
I love the fact that Graham has continually supported his team. He always has something positive to point out after most games. I'm not sure that was the case last season. I am thinking that he knows he has good, hardworking players. He knows his "team" is being spread out over the AHL and he wants to keep things from becoming fragile.
He has been a stable influence during a time of "roster" instability.
And Michael Franke is being proved correct when, last season, he called Graham "the right man at the right time" for the job.
chuckitt
Thu, 02/26/2015 - 6:16pm
you are correct alan! and i would never call out a player by name unless he was constantly being bad. i just think some of our core guys are coasting alittle bit and not hitting. like blake said watch a guy for a shift or two when he doesnt have the puck and you might pick up the stuff i see. course i have a backround as a coach and have always looked at players that way. now with sid and martin back we should be tuffer! sorry couldnt spell that!
Anonymous
Fri, 02/27/2015 - 12:14am
Not sure why Al Sims career would look bleak. To expect a turn around in that team when he took over early January is a little far fetched. He has gotten rid of some dead weight, brought in some younger
younger, hungrier guys and while the team still is not winning, they are improving in several aspects. That was the hope for this season. The group he has playing for him are fully cooperating, several have announcef they want to be part of his team next season. Sims will bring a better team to Evansville next year. He had a rough season the last year in Ft. Wayne. No reason his future looks bleak...but he does have tons of work ahead of him. Wish him the best of luck. His team almost had a win against the number one team last night...and dominated Kalamazoo the game before that.
RG2
Fri, 02/27/2015 - 11:39am
Who Suz- Great point! do you remember when Fleming came back last year? His game was gone after coming back. He was one of my favorites to keep an eye on prior to him going up. When he came back his game left him. Always wondered if it was attitude, injury or apathy.
I know Im getting in this thread late
Muel
Fri, 02/27/2015 - 12:39pm
RG2 you are correct. Last years team just did not have it in them. I think it was a combination of the make up of the players and maybe the fact that Gary saw this and did not know exactly how to motivate them. This year is completely different. The Komets have IMO done a great job recruiting the right type of players with the right attitudes. These guys can reach down for more when need be. With that ssaid, I think the y need to get out of the gate quicker come playoffs as they will not be playing Evansville, K-Zoo and Indy. If they dont, their post season could be short.
Who/SuZ
Fri, 02/27/2015 - 1:17pm
Lets do as Blake has suggested in tonights game, watch Szyd and Martin for a while.....c if there is a change in play?
RG2
Fri, 02/27/2015 - 4:05pm
I think Martin is a gamer no matter what league he is in. He will get another shot someday soon. If not LE then another AHL team. He has size , is young and is a smart/skilled player. I dont want to eat my words here.
I think you have to slot Rizk between Mikey and Syd. Could be potent.
Go with Ouellett and Lowry with Schrok and Thomas alternating.
Comments
The Komets have certainly been making bad teams look good lately. Hopefully the K's will get back to playing good, solid, consistent hockey.
A question. Al Sims certainly hasn't been able to turn the Evansville Icemen around. How much longer does he have as a coach? His professional coaching future would appear to be bleak at the present time.
Alan, Who Suz, Muel etc,. please chime in. Did it not seem that last year we would have a two or three goal lead and then lose it or lose in a shoot-out ? This year seems to be the exact opposite. We get down early and come back and win. I really belive that the first game of the year against Indy when down 3-0 was a barometer. I think for some reason we get off the bus late, even at home. But the team has shown great character thruout the year. You can tell some coaching goes on in the dressing room betwen periods. Its seems to me that as long as the komets move their legs, they are strong. When they stop skating, they suffer.
As to coach Sims, Im guessing Sims contract with Geary had an exemption of some sort for this season. Im sure his real contract starts after this season is over with HIS players coming on next season. Based on the talent and below average climate of winning down there, I would not have expected any miracles to happen this season. Nor would I expect Sims to take the job under any other circumstance.
RG2 I have noticed that also. It is never fun to be down 2 or 3 goals, but it sure is fun to watch them comeback and win. This team has beat good teams and bad teams the same way. They never give up and I think that is what we were missing last year. Look at the injuries and callups we are dealing with right now, and this team continues to pull off wins. If we could get a few guys back I think we have a very solid team. What a different year this has been from last year!
RG2, last season was very frustrating in the fact that they "blew" so many three goal leads.
This season they never quit and, regardless of the challenge, they seem to rise up and meet the obstacle head-on.
The latter gives a better outcome than the former, but both are frustrating.
"We maybe thought it was going to be an easy game..." - Christian Ouellet
"...We can't keep doing this." - Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock
Gary Graham likes to praise his teams' locker room "leadership". I have no doubt that it is true. But somewhere along the way, the leadership needs to be shown when the game begins, not when the game starts to become in doubt...and I'd like to think that "leadership" begins, first within each player, then maybe, from the veteran players if the need persists.
The last three games, ALL ONE GOAL WINS, came against two last place teams (and at home). OK, now here comes Indy. A very hot team, contending for a playoff spot, itching for a chance to beat the Komets. Do you have to be a "leader" to recognize that this isn't going to be a team that will "roll over"? Now's the time, get your attitude ready for a team that will require a 60 minute effort!
I know the team is missing a lot of pieces. Important pieces. But it is what it is. Every team would like to be at full strength. But every player has contributed in some manner, and while not everyone may a star, everyone can give a full effort. If they do, and then lose, there is nothing to complain or lament about later and both quotes above would become moot.
RG2, about Al Sims: I think he knows he will be back next season and is analyzing who he wants to invite back.
you guys are awesome. great feedback
you know sims wouldnt have jumped back in unless he was given a guarantee to build his own team and that has to start next year. there arent exactly a lot of quality players out there looking for a job. as far as our leadership in the locker room is concerned, how do you know whats going on in there>? i think our leaders are doing a great job motivating our team right now that included only one colorado guy. we are basicly playing with a few single"a " guys and some others who wouldnt even be playing if some of the guys came back. its so easy to abuse shrock but hes the hardest working guy on the ice and im sure his locker room talk is just as intense. im more disapointed in our d men other than krug that refuse to hit anybody and im not sure whats going on with a couple of our core guys who just seem to skate in circles and are pulling up instead of hitting the corners hard. we have been lucky the last two weeks and hopefully this experience will give everybody confidense cause we are gonna need that extra ommph when we start playing good teams again. good test will come this weekend agaisnt an improved and hot hockey team in the fuel.
RG2.....last year, we would go near an exit, watch the shootout and mostly know we might as well be close to an exit, because they were going to lose....this year, they make it entertaining, make you want to stay and see the results, which are almost always what you have hoped for
We have some theories in my area, that the K's always come out slow when it is the first game of a 3 game or more set at home....never fails....although they mostly win, it is the same every Wednesday or Friday series starter...hard to fathom why....to much rest
I am impressed with the play of Thomas, Higgs and Quayle....may be tough to release these players, if and when some of the others return....sure would like to see Harrison play though....do not understand why he skated like two 30 second shifts?
We talked with Crowder...says he came back to early....may be ready for playoffs...Tam said in a week or so when we talked with him yesterday as well.
Not really sure of what your comments on Schrock mean Chuckitt, nor those about "couple of core guys" skating in circles....whom are you referring to?
I'd say Chuckitt has it nailed pretty good. First two periods, Evansville was attacking the net and the Komets were skating to the side and behind it. They do that a lot early in games. In the third they were going right at it. Like I said a few weeks ago, watch individual players on their shifts and not the puck. You'll see a whole new world out there.
That said, there are 10 guys from this team in the AHL right now, and your best center, best defensive forward and possibly top defenseman are also sitting out with injuries. Yeah, it's nice to always wish for better and more, but sometimes you have to be realistic. That's two-thirds of the lineup who are not out there. I'd say they are getting just about everything they can from the lineup. Other than Embach and Pistilli, is there another 20-goal scorer in the lineup? And don't forget, Roman Will is 22 years old even though he's been magnificent.
There were about 15 of the 46 saves last night that Komm, well, I'm not sure how he made them because I didn't think he could see them. I turned to the guy in front of me when I was taking pictures and said, "It's just his night and they happen to be playing against him." He was on fire, particularly in the last half of the second and early in the third.
You also have to wonder what Embach has to do to get a call-up. My word is he tenacious. It's like you better skate with him or get the heck out of his way. I think FW fans would love him even if he wasn't a scorer just because of the way he throws his body around. He's freaking fearless.
Sorry..one other thing. .seems like Szyd..since returning from the A..has a different bearing about him..an I'm better now than u r..not quite as aggressive. .IMO
Sorry Blake, but that was not a goalie on fire. That was a goalie playing a competent game, with good position, dealing with a large number of very routine shots.....what I'd call 95 percenters. A goalie doesn't need to do a lot with a shot from outside directed at the center-of-mass that doesn't get deflected. When Krom faced shots that came from player movement inside (or simply a puck that was well placed and moved, like Sol's which was probably rising as it reached the net) he got beat.
The flip side is when a goalie gets blamed for a lousy game when his stats are bad, but he's been forced to deal with break-aways, back-doors, shots from the slot.....the 70 percenters. Goalies get a lot of credit as well as blame for what others are doing in front of them.
Picture the Geico commercial with Pinnochio only its Al Sims. " I see alot of potential in this locker room. .. You have potential.. You....have ...poten...tial....oh boy...."
AHL transaction sheet show Syd amd Martin released fro PTO. Great news I expect for Koment fans
Chuckitt, maybe my comment was not as clear as it should have been.
I am NOT criticizing Schrock (or any other player in the locker room). My comment was solely to coincide with the quotes from Ouellet and Schrock. They ARE in the locker room.
I would submit to you that leadership also takes place pregame, too. And it's then that I would like to see a "fire" lit underneath the team ( not necessarily after they have fallen behind). It's becoming a trend against inferior teams.
I love the fact that Graham has continually supported his team. He always has something positive to point out after most games. I'm not sure that was the case last season. I am thinking that he knows he has good, hardworking players. He knows his "team" is being spread out over the AHL and he wants to keep things from becoming fragile.
He has been a stable influence during a time of "roster" instability.
And Michael Franke is being proved correct when, last season, he called Graham "the right man at the right time" for the job.
you are correct alan! and i would never call out a player by name unless he was constantly being bad. i just think some of our core guys are coasting alittle bit and not hitting. like blake said watch a guy for a shift or two when he doesnt have the puck and you might pick up the stuff i see. course i have a backround as a coach and have always looked at players that way. now with sid and martin back we should be tuffer! sorry couldnt spell that!
Not sure why Al Sims career would look bleak. To expect a turn around in that team when he took over early January is a little far fetched. He has gotten rid of some dead weight, brought in some younger
younger, hungrier guys and while the team still is not winning, they are improving in several aspects. That was the hope for this season. The group he has playing for him are fully cooperating, several have announcef they want to be part of his team next season. Sims will bring a better team to Evansville next year. He had a rough season the last year in Ft. Wayne. No reason his future looks bleak...but he does have tons of work ahead of him. Wish him the best of luck. His team almost had a win against the number one team last night...and dominated Kalamazoo the game before that.
Who Suz- Great point! do you remember when Fleming came back last year? His game was gone after coming back. He was one of my favorites to keep an eye on prior to him going up. When he came back his game left him. Always wondered if it was attitude, injury or apathy.
I know Im getting in this thread late
RG2 you are correct. Last years team just did not have it in them. I think it was a combination of the make up of the players and maybe the fact that Gary saw this and did not know exactly how to motivate them. This year is completely different. The Komets have IMO done a great job recruiting the right type of players with the right attitudes. These guys can reach down for more when need be. With that ssaid, I think the y need to get out of the gate quicker come playoffs as they will not be playing Evansville, K-Zoo and Indy. If they dont, their post season could be short.
Lets do as Blake has suggested in tonights game, watch Szyd and Martin for a while.....c if there is a change in play?
I think Martin is a gamer no matter what league he is in. He will get another shot someday soon. If not LE then another AHL team. He has size , is young and is a smart/skilled player. I dont want to eat my words here.
I think you have to slot Rizk between Mikey and Syd. Could be potent.
Go with Ouellett and Lowry with Schrok and Thomas alternating.