After Saturday's game, Komets coach Greg Puhalski expressed his frustration with the number of "cheap'' penalties his team was taking. The Komets are averaging one fewer power play per game than their opponents, which is often crucial considering the Komets have been skating short-handed and often with four defensemen. They're wearing out on the penalty kill. ``We're taking too many penalties,'' Puhalski said. ``We've got to be a little smarter. We're taking a lot of cheap penalties by not moving our feet. Fatigue can be a little bit of a factor in that regard being our third game in three nights. ``I think it's a mental thing. It's just preparation and being aware of what you need to do. We're just taking cheap little hooks and grabs.'' I have an observation and a question: I've noticed the Komets are getting creamed by hooking and high sticking calls immediately after they've had a two-man advantage. I have no problems with the calls themselves because they were obvious penalties, but the players have to be smarter than that. They have to realize the referee is looking to even things up so they need to be more careful. The other thing I wonder, is it easier for the younger players to adjust to the stricter enforcement than the more experienced players? After all, college hockey definitely calls a tighter game than the pros do. Another thing is that, like every year, there's a new crop of officials, and it takes time to get to know what kind of game they like to call. ``In defense of the players, it's frustrating on their part because sometimes it's being called and sometimes it's not,'' Puhalski said. ``At times it's tough to make adjustments to that. ``Each official is kind of different on that. You have to see them five or six times, and then you get a feel for what he's going to do.'' But that doesn't explain why the Komets seem to have the same problem every night even if it's a UHL veteran ref such as John Searle or Jim Hawthorne. They certainly ought to know how refs like that call a game.
