Because the Komets had an optional practice today, they goofed around quite a bit, including goaltender Kevin Reiter playing wing and defenseman Kevin Bertram playing goal. Both did pretty well.
``He did well for being a big, over-muscled goalie,'' Komets coach Al Sims said of Bertram. ``He made some great saves on me.''
Bertram said he puts the equipment on about once a year, usually over Christmas break when they need a goaltender. He got dinged on the inside of his right knee, but for the most part held his own.
``The only problem was no one was playing defense so it was breakaway after breakaway out there,'' he said. ``If I can just play shots, that's a little easier than having to move from side-to-side.''
Reiter said if Bertram can get his feet set and his body squared away, then the shooter is in trouble because of Bertram's size.
On the other hand, Reiter looked like a natural, though he's a bit smaller than the rest of the Komets skaters. He can flat out fly on skates and was pretty good at handling the puck, too. He was the last player off the ice.
``It's nice to get a little bit different perspective and have some fun,'' he said. ``It was a tough game on Sunday so it was nice to have fun and then we'll make sure we get back to work tomorrow.''
Reiter said he plays out two or three times a year, and started out as a skater before going to the nets around age 10.
``My dad wanted to make sure I had all the skating skills down before I went into the nets. I think that's the best thing to do. Now you have to be one of the better skaters on the team because it's a big part of the game with all the smaller equipment.''
In other news, defenseman Brandon Warner tried to go on his sore knee but had to pull himself off the ice. He's day-to-day, but coach Al Sims said it's possible Warner could go on the seven-day IR. If that happens, he'd definitely miss Friday's game but might be eligible to come off Saturday or Sunday.
