Ice Chips 05'-06'

The best team won

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The best team won this game (2-1) and the series (4-1) and it was not the Fort Wayne Komets. The Rockford IceHogs played smarter and more together in this series and that's why they won.

More than anything, it came down to penalties. The Komets just couldn't stay out of the penalty box. They only gave up three power-play goals, plus a penalty shot goal, in the series but because they were killing penalties so much, their star players were exhausted and their offense never got a chance to jell on the ice. It was pretty laughable how the same mistakes were being made over and over again.

Tonight, the Komets gave up a power-play goal and a short-handed goal, but they still had a chance to win as goalie Kevin St. Pierre played his finest game of the season. He stopped three breakaways and at least five chances from point-blank range.

The biggest factor in this series that flew under the radar was faceoffs. The Komets couldn't win any, especially in key situations. Did they ever miss Colin Chaulk in that regard.

I don't think this season can be considered a success. The Komets were scrambling from the beginning of the season, when they underestimated their talent level. Sure, they scrambled well and overcame the defection of Mark Smith to Europe and several injuries. But you can't tell me the Komets couldn't have won this series. They were in every game. They just kept trying to make the fancy plays and not the smart plays and couldn't keep their emotions in check. I blame the players, the coach for not drilling these things into them and management for not putting a team together that had enough talent or chemistry. Everyone is to blame. So it wasn't a success.

Still, a lot of towns would love to have a season this exciting, so don't fret too much, Fort Wayne fans. If this is the worst it gets, you'll be OK in a hockey sense.

Here are some other thoughts and notes:

• Ed Campbell was brought in for his veteran savvy, but he couldn't stop taking high-sticking penalties and that really cost the Komets.
• The Komets' best player in the series: Kelly Miller. And it's not even close. Mike Dombkiewicz was second.
• I find it hard to root for the IceHogs now. They dive, celebrate like they've never scored a goal before and whine to the referees more than any team I've seen in years. That being said, I like the aggressive style of play and Steve Martinson is a great coach.
• The Komets have Pierre-Claude Drouin and Chaulk under contract for next season. St. Pierre and Lance Galbraith have player options.
• The Komets are going to make mass changes. Count on only about six players being brought back and, frankly, I can't guess who it will be yet.
• Both Rob Guinn and Miller said they want to play next season for the Komets.
• I still think Kalamazoo will win the Colonial Cup.
• I'd like to know what grades you would give players and/or just by position, for the entire season. Click comments below this post and fire away.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

So very close

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- It's tied 1-1 at the end of two periods. Fort Wayne goaltender Kevin St. Pierre has now stopped two breakaways and at least five shots from point-blank range. He really has the IceHogs frustrated.

Jonathan Goodwin scored for the Komets, on a power play in the first minute of the second period. Another stupid Fort Wayne penalty, this for having too many men on the ice, gave Corey Hessler a late goal to tie it.

This may be the best game I've seem Pierre-Claude Drouin play. He's everywhere on the ice and doing the little things away from the puck, mixing it up, covering his man and not being too fancy, that he needs to do more often.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The tension is agonizing

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Both teams came to play tonight, but we're scoreless after one period. Goaltender Kevin St. Pierre has come up big for the Komets with three saves from point-blank range, including a breakaway attempt by Billy Tibbets near the end of the period.

The Komets have had some chances, too. Left wing Lance Galbraith got a shot behind goalie Scott Dickie but the puck didn't quite trickle over the goal line. The Komets are being way too fancy, though, passing up open shots to make an extra pass.

The Komets still can't stay out of the penalty box. It's different this night, though, because the IceHogs can't either. Fort Wayne has 1:53 remaining on a power play heading into the second period.

By the way, rookie Jeremy Koning is looking better and better with increased ice time. He's working hard, that's for sure.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Chaulk honored/must win situation

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Komets center Colin Chaulk won the UHL’s Best Defensive Forward Award, as voted on by the coaches, general managers and reporters. He had 26 goals, 79 points and a plus-17 rating in 66 games during the regular season. He wasn’t put on the playoff roster because of a cut Achilles tendon. He also received the honor in 2003 and 2004, and he’s the first three-time winner of the award. A Fort Wayne player has won the award in four consecutive seasons. Sean Venedam got it in 2005.

As for the game tonight -- Fort Wayne trails Rockford 3-1 in their best-of-seven series -- I don't have a good guess as to who will win. I think some of the Komets still have some fight in them, I just don't know that enough do. I also sense overconfidence from the IceHogs, which should work in Fort Wayne's favor. And if the Komets win tonight, it's a whole new series. We'll have to see how hard the Komets come out.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Game 2 was ugly

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Komets lost 4-1 tonight and now trail their best-of-seven quarterfinals series with the Rockford IceHogs 2-0.

Games 3 and 4 will be at Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday and Thursday.

Frankly, tonight was about as poorly as I've seen the Komets play perhaps all season. The defense was out of tune and the offense was non-existent. Defensively, the Komets are still leaving people uncovered away from the puck, which resulted in two Rockford goals. Offensively, the Komets aren't making the simple plays when they need to. Just shoot the puck, especially when untested Scott Dickie comes into the game.

The spin out of the Fort Wayne locker room was this: Unlike Game 1, when their offense was great and their defense was poor, this time their offense was poor and their defense was great. They want to get everything on the same page.

Obviously, I saw things differently. I think not having Troy Neumeier there had an impact. Especially when they were short-handed -- and that was way too often -- the blue-liners seemed mixed up at times on where they should be, and that can't happen. And two one-timers in front of the net? The defense was better in Game 1, but it was far from good in this one.

For those of you out there blaming Kevin St. Pierre, the Komets' goalie, that's preposterous. He was one of two players -- the other being Mike Domkiewicz -- who did play well. He kept them in it early and was hung out to dry in the second period. So stop calling for Kevin Kurk.

Here are a couple interesting statistics from this game: Pierre-Claude Drouin, the Komets' No. 1 center, had one shot on goal. Jonathan Goodwin, the sniper of a right wing, had two. Can't win when that happens.

Here are some things that need to change: 1) Get Jamie Milam off the point. He's not experienced enough back there and it's too much pressure from someone just out of college. It's just not working. 2) Start getting the IceHogs out from in front of the net. Some of the Fort Wayne defensemen, the physical ones, aren't moving bodies and that's causing St. Pierre problems. 3) The third line as been invisible. 4) Get Josh Tataryn into the lineup. He was good enough to skate in warm-ups, hopefully he can get out there in Game 3 because the Komets need his energy.

OK, I know a lot of you are down, but don't throw in the towel. All the Komets have to do is steal a game at Rockford; it doesn't have to be in Games 1 or 2, it just would have been nice for them. There are some players in that locker room who have a ton of heart who aren't giving up. It's just a matter of them all going out and playing smart. They did it last year at this time; maybe they can do it again. The Komets are a much better team at home and could use the fan support. So none of these "I can't go because it's weekday" excuses. Show up, if you really want this team to win. The MetroCentre was loud and the Komets could use even better energy from their own fans at home.

The IceHogs expect to be without goalie Michel Robinson, who came out during the second period. They say it's an ankle sprain. He recently returned from a knee injury, though. Also, Ron Vogel, who will probably be Dickie's backup, has a stomach problem he's dealing with. So the Komets had better come firing.

To expand on the IceHogs' celebrations comment I made earlier tonight: Just act like you've been there before and are going to be there again. Bruce Watson pulled off his jersey and showboated after he fought Ryan Jorde very late in the game. Watson got a misconduct and perhaps he'll get payback from the Komets.

By the way, Billy Tibbetts will be back in Game 3 for Rockford. He had been in the AHL and then had to serve a suspension. So, they're adding their best player, another bruising, goal-scoring guy. So that's bad news for Fort Wayne.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Porous defense

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The IceHogs lead it 3-0 after two periods of play and the Komets have their play in the defensive zone to thank for it. A Rob Guinn turnover led to the first goal and men left unattended scored twice on one-timers in front of the net.

Chaz Johnson has two goals and Robin Big Snake has the other. These are decent players, yes, but not world-beaters by any stretch of the imagination. The Komets are making them look great though because they don't cover them or fight them off from the territory in front of the net.

Rockford goalie Michel Robinson took himself out of the game early in the second period. He recently came back from a knee injury, though I don't know if that's the reason this time. He was replaced by Scott Dickie, who had a couple nice saves.

Meanwhile, the IceHogs are a bit obnoxious when they score goals. They practically do a victory lap, like they've just scored the overtime Game 7 winner in the Stanley Cup Finals. It's a bit much.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

A change of pace

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Komets were looking for a more defensive game. They've got one -- so far.

It's 0-0 late after the first period of Game 2 of the first-round series. (Rockford won Game 1, 7-5).

The teams combined for only one shot on goal in the first 11:00 tonight; now Rockford is outshooting Fort Wayne 10-9.

The Komets came out, I think, looking a little nervous on defense, perhaps because they're without Troy Neumeier (broken cheekbone). When they did have the puck, the Komets were too fancy with it. But they've settled down a bit and have withstood some good power-play pressure from Fort Wayne.

Speaking of the penalty kill, the Komets' defensemen didn't seem to know where to position themselves in front of the net. With Chaz Johnson and Robin Big Snake camped out there for Rockford, the Komets had better figure that part out soon.

Fort Wayne goalie Kevin St. Pierre looks really intense and into this game, which is a good sign. He may face a lot of shots.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Neumeier out with broken jaw

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Komets defenseman Troy Neuemeier has a broken jaw, general manager David Franke said, and he won't be available Sunday for Game 2 of Fort Wayne's first-round series against the Rockford IceHogs.

The chances of Neumeier, 35, returning in the playoffs appear very slim.

"It's broken in a couple places. He went back to Fort Wayne," Franke said. "He'll have a doctor's appointment on Monday. I don't know what they'll do or if they'll do (anything) right away. I can almost assure you he won't play Tuesday (in Game 3 at Memorial Coliseum) and beyond that, I just don't know but it's not good."

Neumeier, a player/assistant coach who won the UHL's Best Defenseman Award in 2005, was hurt when a shot from the blue line hit him in the face as he was just in front of the goal crease during Rockford's 7-5 victory Friday night.

"If he could get it fixed, knowing Troy, he'll be back out there," Franke said. "But this is unfortunate. We'll just have to move forward."

Rookie Andrew Bozoian will take Neumeier's spot in the lineup Sunday at the MetroCentre.

• Because of limited ice in town, both the Komets and IceHogs were planning evening skates today, instead of their normal morning skates. They can't do it at the MetroCentre because there's a United Indoor Football game there.
• A short story in the Rockford Register Star yesterday referred to the Komets mistakenly as the Fury. People here didn't get why it was so funny, since they think only of the Muskegon Fury hockey team. Of course, Fort Wayne's old Continental Basketball Association team was nicknamed the Fury and it used to take on the Rockford Lightning.
• The Register Star's coverage today focused on the performances of the IceHogs' rookies, like Chaz Johnson, Robin Big Snake and Steve Yetman. They all played pretty well, namely Johnson with two goals. They were opportunistic, capitalizing on some defensive breakdowns by the Komets.
• Right about now, the Komets could really use defenseman Ed Campbell, who didn't report after being picked up in the waiver draft from Danbury. But there's little sense worrying about that. I think Bozoian really could help matters; he just needs to make sure he doesn't get overly aggressive and let down in his own zone.
• A few Fort Wayne players who were a bit quiet in Game 1 and need to be bigger factors: Jamie Milam, Ryan Jorde and David Hukalo.
• A few players who were great in Game 1 and need to continue to be: Jonathan Goodwin, Andrew Luciuk, Mike Dombkiewicz.
• A few Rockford players who need to be controlled: Yetman, Yannick Tifu and Johnson.
• A few Rockford players the Komets need to continue to exploit: Big Snake, Jason Notermann and, namely, goalie Michel Robinson.
• Look for me to contribute to WANE's sports coverage, if my time will allow it, after Game 2 and before Game 3.

So, they're down one game

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Fort Wayne Komets lost 7-5 to the Rockford IceHogs in the opener of their best-of-seven first-round series Friday night. But don't panic, Komets fans, because I assure you the players are not. Fort Wayne came back from a 3-1 deficit against the IceHogs last season and that's being talked about. And the IceHogs remember it, too, so they're taking nothing for granted.

From the Fort Wayne perspective, we learned a lot tonight. The Komets can scores -- a lot -- against the IceHogs; they lit up goalie Michel Robinson in this one. The Komets can match the IceHogs' physicality; Fort Wayne checked, fought and was tougher than I've seen them this season, and the Komets egged the IceHogs into some dumb penalties.

We also learned the Komets must improve their defense away from the puck. IceHogs were left open time and time again. That's why there were so many odd-man rushes.

As for Fort Wayne goalie Kevin St. Pierre, I don't blame him for most of the goals. He gave up a few rebounds in this game but mostly, he was victimized by the defense in front of him. So, I wouldn't be worried on that front.

The news on defenseman Troy Neumeier is this: He was taken to a local hospital to have his cheek and his head looked at after he took a puck to the face. The big fear is that his cheekbone may be broken. There's no word on what his status is because, as of midnight Fort Wayne time, he hadn't been seen by a doctor yet. The Komets are planning on him being out, though, which means Andrew Bozoian will get the call. There's a loss in savvy there, but there are some good things. Bozoian has some grit and, if this continues to be an offensive series, his great shot should be a factor.

How about Mike Domkiewicz in this one? He had one goal and three assists and looked up to the task with the increased ice time.

I really thought Fort Wayne's best player was Rob Guinn, though. He was intense all night, pummeling Chaz Johnson early. (In all fairness, though, Johnson was trying to get at Pierre-Claude Drouin and was blind-sided by Guinn). Guinn is a rock back there. Weren't there a lot of people down on him early in the season? Hmmm.

As for some IceHogs thoughts. I don't think they can continue to win with Robinson playing like he did. He was rusty after missing a month with a knee injury. That much was clear. Also, man, there was a lot of diving by the IceHogs out there. I'm glad referee John Searle called Robin Big Snake for a blatant one. The IceHogs are deep, though. It got late in the third period and people like Rob Voltera had fresh legs and it paid off. They are scary on the offensive end, but they need to play a more controlled game to be successful. Anyone notice that Jason Notermann was invisible, though?

This is going to be a great series. It was just what I thought it would be: Physical and high scoring. We'll have to see if it keeps up. If it does, I may pass out from exhaustion.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Tense

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Komets trail Rockford 4-3 at the end of two periods. Fort Wayne just can't catch a break. Steve Yetman got a short-handed breakaway goal, to put the IceHogs up, after a clearing shot fought its way to him at center ice late in the period.

Fort Wayne defenseman Troy Neumeier, who took a shot to the face in the first period, was taken to a local hospital to get testing for head and cheek injuries. The fears at this point are broken cheek bone and concussions. He was conscious and walking under his own power, though, which is good news.

Especially with Neumeier out, Mike Dombkiewicz is looking like a great pickup for Fort Wayne. He has a couple of assists tonight and is really involved in the scoring action. He now must be great in his own end, too, since his ice time will be big now.

Lots of physical play still in the game. Lance Galbraith and Matt Gens had a great, long fight.

Not a ton of fans here, but the ones who are are raucous.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette