Ice Chips 06'-07'

Komets defeat Bloomington

Defenseman Kevin Bertram’s impact this season had been mostly through guarding the Fort Wayne Komets’ zone and swinging his fists, as his league-leading 144 penalty minutes demonstrate.

Offense? That was a bit frustrating. He kept making bets with other scoreless players, banking that he’d net a goal first, and he kept losing.

“I was running out of guys to bet with,” Bertram said. “In fact, I did when Jake Pence scored the first goal (Monday).”

Shortly after Pence finally got to celebrate, it was Bertram’s turn. Plus, Bertram had an assist, as the Komets defeated the Bloomington Prairie Thunder 4-1 in front of 9,944 fans at Memorial Coliseum.

“The last few weeks, (scoring) has been on my mind. I was definitely struggling early on, just to get my legs back under me,” said Bertram, who came out of a two-year retirement last summer but remains a member of the Fort Wayne Fire Department. “The last thing on my mind was to be offensive. I just didn’t want to be liability out there. But as the weeks have gone by … and I feel better out there, skating better, (offense) became something I was thinking about.”

The Komets’ victory, over the International Hockey League’s worst team, brought Fort Wayne’s all-time New Year’s Eve record to 34-13-4.

It also gave the IHL-leading Komets (18-7-4) a three-point cushion over the second-place Flint Generals, who lost to Port Huron 3-2 in overtime.

Pence, who has split time this season between defense and forward, doing most of his work as the former, opened the scoring 11:25 into the first period. His shot from the top of the left circle made its way through plenty of traffic before besting goaltender Loic Lacasse.

“I think he’s been great all the way through,” Komets coach Al Sims said of Pence. “He’s played wherever I’ve asked him to play. … With the injury to (defenseman Brandon) Warner, he’s really stepped up and done everything we’ve asked.”

Center Mathieu Curadeau made it 2-0 at :56 of the second period.

Bloomington’s Don Parsons trimmed that lead to one goal by breaking in on net, drawing goaltending Kevin Reiter to the ice and then easily slipping a shot between the pipes at 11:23 of the second period.

But defenseman Guy Dupuis scored during a 5-on-3 power play at 12:51 and put the Komets up 3-1 at 17:22 of the second period, and that was followed by Bertram’s tally.

Reiter stopped 14 of 15 shots. Lacasse stopped 27 of 31, as Bloomington fell to 10-17-3.

The Komets, who have won five of their last six games, play host to the Muskegon Fury on Wednesday at the Coliseum.

Notes: The referee was Joe Sullivan. … Fort Wayne general manager David Franke said defenseman Brent Henley will likely undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in the coming days. Henley had his anterior cruciate ligament repaired in the offseason and, in his only game this season, came up lame after getting tangled up with an opposing player. While the ACL is supposedly fine, MRIs have been inconclusive. Henley could miss days or weeks, depending on whether any damage is found in his knee. … Forward Evgeny Saidachev (knee) could return this weekend. Warner (shoulder) will be out at least two more weeks. Goaltender Nick Boucher (groin) will be out at least three weeks.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Quit asking about Henley. ... Kidding, I'm kidding

Before I forget, Happy New Year everyone. Eleven times I've covered these Dec. 31 games. Where has the time gone? While I'm at it, where has Kevin Schmidt gone?

I know this is foremost on your minds these days, so I'll get it out of the way: According to general manager David Franke, defenseman Brent Henley is likely to have arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee in the coming days.

How long that keeps him out will  be dependent on what they find; it could be days or, more likely, several weeks. Henley had his anterior cruciate ligament repaired in the offseason and, in his only game this season, got tangled up with another player and came up lame. His ACL is believed to be fine, but MRIs have been inconclusive.

Evgeny Saidachev (knee) could play this weekend, but it's unlikely. Brandon Warner (shoulder) is two weeks away. Nick Boucher (groin) is at least three weeks away from returning.

• I had to share this with you: I was joking around today with a friend of mine who's in the hockey industry about different incidents I've seen with Zambonis. He knows a narcoleptic Zamboni driver who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the boards. Can you imagine? A narcoleptic Zamboni driver?
• Check out this story on Dennis Desrosiers, the longtime IHL coach who had a brain aneurysm. I hope he continues to improve. What a nice and colorful guy.
• Former Red Wings star Darren McCarty has introduced himself to the Flint fans, though he's yet to skate with the Flint Generals. No truth to the rumors the Komets will be signing Claude Lemieux.
• Don't ask me how I stumbled upon this, but doesn't it remind you of when finesse players get in a fight? No, I'm not referring to Luciano Aquino, as far as you know.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Looking forward to New Year's Eve?

After their 9-1 victory over the Flint Generals on Saturday night, a victory that propelled the Komets back to the top of the International Hockey League standings, I asked coach Al Sims if he was concerned about his team keeping up that intensity for Monday's game against the visiting Bloomington Prairie Thunder.

He answered that it would, indeed, be a challenge, especially when you're playing the league's worst team.

But once the players get sight of the huge crowd -- there should be at least 9,500 fans -- I doubt that will be much of an issue.

The Komets are 33-13-4 all-time on New Year's Eve.

In other news, click here to read Flint Journal writer Brendan Savage's response to Sims' remarks that he used a Flint Journal story as bulletin-board material. This is fun back-and-forth between the two, I guess, but I think Savage took it a little too seriously. Sims, who is the former Flint general manager, seemed to be talking light-heartedly about it. Listen to the audio.

Anyway, both guys did their job. Sims' job is to motivate his team by any means possible; if a newspaper clipping helped in any little bit, good for him. Savage's job is to write something that is factual and interesting to readers; if it gets noticed by an opposing team, you're probably doing your job.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen an article of mine end up in an opposing team's locker room. Speaking of which, it's funny sometimes how fans think beat writers are beholden to teams for what they write. Last season, after I referred to the Chicago Hounds as a cupcake playoff opponent, the Komets got a letter from a fan that the Franke family should instruct me to no longer write any bulletin-board material because it could haunt the Komets.

By the way, there is a perception out there that because I refer to his writing a lot, there is some sort of rivalry between Savage and me. I can't speak for Brendan, but there isn't from this end. Let's not forget, there are only six other beat writers in the league, and his is the only other hockey-specific blog, so I'm just giving you the IHL coverage that's readily accessible and Savage does a lot of work that I find interesting and I like sharing with you all.

Apparently, Sims does too.

• Here's the story off of Saturday's game.
• Don't forget about The Journal Gazette's section with Komet photos.
• Want to see a good fight? Check this out.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

And the new best team in the IHL is ...

... clearly the Fort Wayne Komets. Again, we can say that just for this night.

The Komets humbled the Flint Generals 9-1 on Saturday night, in much the same way the Generals creamed the Komets 9-3 the night before in Michigan.

I had a feeling the Komets would win this game -- they have too much talent and solid leadership not to have put up a good showing -- but I never expected this. While the goal-scoring was what had the fans in a frenzy, it really was the defense that shined.

Flint was outshot 11-4 in the first period, 8-2 in the second and 14-10 in the third period.

There's not much you can say about this game that the statistics don't show: Colin Chaulk had three goals, Matt Reynolds and Mathieu Curadeau two apiece, Luciano Aquino had four points. The power-play unit scored on 4 of 10 opportunities. And even when the Generals got chippy, going after the likes of Aquino and David Hukalo, the Komets showed some toughness. Check out the box score.

Although, I still say the Komets aren't checking enough.

I think Al Sims' press conference was fun, so here's the audio if you're interested: Download al_sims_after_91_victory.WMA

If you want more postgame audio, here's Colin Chaulk: Download colin_chaulk_audio.WMA

Here are some other notes:

• Sims said he didn't want to run up the score, so he started sending his lesser-used guys out in the game. But Matt Reynolds scored twice, too.
• The Komets used this story out of The Flint Journal as bulletin board material. (Before you ask, no, I had nothing to do with it. Sims apparently had read it and told us about it after the game.) "I want to see what Brendan writes tomorrow about them crushing the Komets," Sims said. "I put the article on the board today about them having (43) hits, most in team history and all this stuff, just to fire our guys up. He made them sound like world beaters and I'm just interested to see what he writes tomorrow."
• The Komets talked about not letting down, after such an emotional high, with the annual New Year's Eve game coming Monday against Bloomington. Team president Michael Franke expects at least 9,500 fans to be in attendance.
• Sims said P.C. Drouin's goal was one of the best shots he's seen at this level, an NHL shot. Drouin did play in the NHL for the Boston Bruins.

Well, this was about the strangest home-and-home series I've ever covered.  This rivalry should be fun the rest of the way.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

McCarty to IHL

According to Brendan Savage's blog at The Flint Journal, former Detroit Red Wings star Darren McCarty will join the Flint Generals sometime soon. Click here to see the story.

And with that, I'm sure young enforcers around the league will begin salivating at a chance to prove their toughness. But let's not forget, McCarty was a very skilled forward in the NHL, too,  and I could see him putting up some monster points at this level.

Either way, this will be cool.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

And the best team in the IHL is ...

... clearly not the Fort Wayne Komets. At least not on this night.

The Komets were trounced 9-3 by the Flint Generals, in the first game of a home-and-home series. The teams meet again Saturday at Memorial Coliseum.

Flint got two goals and six points from Mike Kinnie, as eight different Generals scored goals. Fort Wayne got another two-goal night from Konstantin Shafranov and pretty much their worst regular-season defeat in years.

Fort Wayne's starting goalie, Kevin Reiter, was yanked after allowing five goals on 21 shots. Then the Komets looked to Corey Wogtech, who was signed earlier in the day to replace the injured Nick Boucher, and Wogtech allowed four goals on 17 shots.

Fort Wayne and Flint are now tied for the International Hockey League lead with 36 points.

What else can you really say about this game?

"Everybody has to be accountable, from the goaltender all the way to the last man on the bench," general manager David Franke said. "We didn't play disciplined or smart. I expect a much better effort (Saturday)."

Franke said Boucher, who strained his groin in Thursday's 6-3 victory over Bloomington, will be out two-to-four weeks, more likely four. Meanwhile, defenseman Brandon Warner, a Fort Wayne native, separated his shoulder Friday and will be out a couple of weeks, Franke said.

Saturday's game ought to be interesting. After giving up six power-play goals and getting shredded defensively, the Komets have to tighten up while also setting the tone with some hitting.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The new goalie: Wogtech

The Komets have signed goaltender Corey Wogtech and he will be in the lineup tonight at Flint, Mich. He takes the place of Nick Boucher, who suffered a strained groin in Thursday's 6-3 victory over Bloomington.

-- By Justin A. Cohn

Boucher out; Shafranov looks great

Let's answer the big question first: Komets goaltender Nick Boucher strained his groin in the third period of the 6-4 victory over the Bloomington Prairie Thunder on Thursday.

The team doesn't know the extent of the injury yet, but this is a big injury since he's 9-1-1 and has arguably been the best goalie in the International Hockey League, even though Kevin Reiter has been No. 1 on the Fort Wayne depth chart.

And it came with a home-and-home series against the second-place Flint Generals beginning Friday at Flint, Mich. 

The league-leading Komets said they will probably place a call to Parris Duffus, the former Komets goalie who has NHL experience. He lives in town and is a member of the Fort Wayne Fire Department. No idea if he's interested, but consider this: Duffus qualifies as an IHL veteran and the Komets can play only seven of those in games.

That wouldn't be a problem Friday, most likely, since P.C. Drouin missed Thursday's game because his wife, Michelle, was in labor, according to general manager David Franke. But I doubt Duffus would be a long-term solution.

The Komets also mentioned Brian Gratz, but he's coaching in the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League.

Here's an idea: Call Gratz and get a goalie from his 16-1-0 team, like this guy. Come to think of it, they gave Nick Niedert a tryout once before.

As for the game against Bloomington, Konstantin Shafranov looked splendid with two goals and one assist. It's taken him some time to get back into game shape -- he is 39 -- and after seven seasons in Russia, he had developed some habits, like hanging onto the puck too long and turning it over. Sims gave him little ice time last week to send him a message and it stuck.

Said Shafranov: "This was a home game and you need to be ready." (Check out tomorrow's newspaper for more from Shafranov, who's sometimes reluctant to give interviews.)

On not being able to put the league-worst Prairie Thunder away until late in the game, Sims said: "They're a team that's heading south right now and any excitement you give them is going to give them adrenaline to play you and want to beat you."

The Komets' porous defense didn't help that cause. But they won and, thanks to six fights in the game, the 7,188 fans had plenty to cheer about.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Happy Holidays.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Here's a story you may not have known about, regarding one of the most popular Komets.

These guys again?

Talk about poor planning. Here we are about one-third of the way through the season, in the six-team International Hockey League, and the Komets have played the Flint Generals only once.

Yup, that means by the end of today, the Komets will have played 24 of their 25 games against the same four teams.

I know, I know, this is all supposed to be creating these wonderfully heated rivalries. There have been some nice games against Muskegon and Kalamazoo, but I sure don't feel like this is the old Norris Division or anything. Instead, I'm just sick of seeing Port Huron all the time and wondering when Fort Wayne and Flint,  the two best teams in the league, will meet. (That will be Friday and Saturday, by the way.)

Actually, I'm not even sure I can assuredly say those are the two best teams. They haven't exactly proved it because they haven't played each other more than once, with Fort Wayne winning that game.

Down the stretch, I'm sure I'll be completely sick of seeing Flint -- they play the Komets 10 times over the last 33 games, including back-to-back-to-back nights to finish the regular season.

Yeah, great planning.

• Meanwhile, I was skimming the blog of old buddy Michael Sharp, who covers the American Hockey League's Binghamton Senators, and happened upon a story about Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jay Rosehill. Allegedly, while in Binghamton for a game, he stole a car to go to a "gentleman's club." I'm trying to imagine the thought process here: "Whew, I'm glad I got out of Norfolk for a day, so I can check out all Binghamton has to offer." Let's just say, I don't miss those trips up to Broome County, and leave it at that.
• Former Komets defenseman Jamie Milam made it to the ECHL's All-Star Game.
• I wonder how former Komets center Bruce Richardson is feeling these days. He's leading his new team in scoring with 20 points in 21 games, but Wichita is 6-16-1. Remember, all Richardson said he wanted was a championship. He won't get it this season, it seems.
• Also in the Central Hockey League, former Komets goalie Kevin St. Pierre is 4-12-2 with Tulsa. His save percentage is .896. On the same team, former Komet Arthur Kiyaga is minus-12, while Andrew Lackner has five points and a minis-4 rating.
• From the realm of way too much information, check out the bottom paragraph here.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

What to make of these K's?

It seems nothing's assured when it comes to the Komets. Their penalty-killing unit had been pretty sound this season, best in the league with an efficiency of 85 percent, and then it gives up four power-play goals to the Kalamazoo Wings in a 6-4 loss at Memorial Coliseum.

In the locker room, the Komets said two things about that: Fort Wayne didn't come to play from the start and the better team won. Sorry, I'm not buying the latter. The Wings came in as a .500 team with a decent power play, and the Komets made them look grand.

The Komets' got a great effort from Olivier Legault, who had a goal and an assist, doubling his point total. He's been a project, yes, but Al Sims is a good teaching coach and I really see him molding Legault into more than just a tough guy. This could be the first sign of some good things to come from the 6-foot-5 Legault.

Also, during the last 10 minutes of the game, Komets center Colin Chaulk really seemed to be taking over. I'm surprised he didn't get a goal out of it.

But the Komets can't show up, play about 40 minutes of hockey and expect to win. They still haven't gotten that message and now Flint has pulled into a tie with them atop the standings.

• Here's the skinny on Brent Henley, who re-injured his knee/leg in his season debut Dec., 14. He had an MRI and it was inconclusive. So Henley, who is in pain, doesn't know if the injury is just limited to his iliotibial band in his upper leg or if his ACL or meniscus has suffered any damage. (It was his ACL that was repaired last summer.) He is going to start skating Wednesday and see how it goes. If it doesn't go well, arthroscopic surgery is in his future. It's really tough to tell; he could be out a week or months.
• Among those in the press box Friday: IHL vice-president of hockey operations Brad Jones and Richard Brosal, the former commissioner of the former United Hockey League. He now works for the B2 Notworks, I mean, the B2 Networks, which broadcasts IHL games on the internet.
• I won't name names, but there are some people up in the press box who are really starting to wonder what all the fuss was regarding Sergei Durdin. He does cough the puck up a lot, but amazingly, he's still plus-6 and scoring a point every other game, so I'm still in his corner, though it hasn't looked pretty.
• For more on former Komets player and coach Bruce Boudreau, now with the NHL's Washington Capitals. Click here.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The Woods vs. Verteeg-Lytwyn fight

Courtesy of the Komets vice-president Scott Sproat, here's video of the second-period fight between Fort Wayne's Mitch Woods and Kalamazoo's Mark Vertseeg-Lytwyn: Download woods_vs. Veersteeg Lytwyn.AVI

Sessa leaves K's for NYPD

Fort Wayne Komets right wing Jason Sessa has retired to become a member of the New York Police Department.

"Of course, it was a difficult decision," Sessa said. "I didn't want to leave the guys, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime."

Sessa, 29, who had two goals and five points in 11 games, had been wanting to get into the NYPD for years. The Komets were aware, before they signed him last summer, of that desire. Through the help of friends and colleagues, Sessa was able to land a spot in a six-month training program that begins in January.

He lives in Bethpage, N.Y.

"We hate to see him leave," general manager David Franke said. "But we understand it's a career move and he has to strike."

The departure of Sessa will save the Komets a difficult decision -- they had players of veteran status, one more than they're allowed to play. However, if defenseman Brent Henley's knee injury, suffered Friday, turns out to be serious, they will be down to six veterans.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The update on Henley

Defenseman Brent Henley, who suffered a knee injury Friday, will undergo an MRI this week, after which the Fort Wayne Komets will determine how much time he'll miss.

"They're checking for some possible cartilage damage or meniscus damage," general manager David Franke said. "They want to see what's going on and how bad it is."

Franke had no idea whether the injury would keep Henley out days or weeks.

Friday was Henley's first game of the season, after offseason knee surgery. His anterior cruciate ligament, which was repaired, was not re-injured this time.

Franke didn't expect to have results of the tests until this weekend.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

An update on Gabby

You may be interested in today's story on Bruce Boudreau, the former Komets player and coach, now coach of the NHL's Washington Capitals.

It wasn't exciting, but it was a victory

Well, I don't know if it's because the arena was empty -- I'd say about 2,800 were in the house -- but this game lacked excitement.

The last five minutes weren't bad, I guess.

The Komets gave up a late game-tying goal to Don Parsons, after some horrendous defense with Fort Wayne on a 5-on-3 disadvantage. But David Hukalo, who's got more offensive talent than he gets credit for, faked his way past a player along the boards, then dizzied another in the right circle and sent a blistering wrist shot past goalie Loic Lacasse with 12 seconds left in the Komets' 3-2 victory over the Bloomington Prairie Thunder on Sunday.

The Komets regained first place in the International Hockey League standings and they've won four of their last five games.

The defense was much better than it was Saturday, when the Komets gave up the first four goals in a 5-4 overtime loss to Muskegon.

Speaking of that game, I'm still getting differing analysis of the disputed goal that was ultimately awarded to Mathieu Curadeau. Several people, including those who do the video in the press box, said there's no question it was in. But I heard from a person with the Fury who has reviewed the same tape and he said, "No way." I wish I'd seen the replay. However, I had a great look at it live and I thought it was over the goal line. Maybe I'll never know.

One thing I did forget to mention about referee Ken Gallagher's abysmal performance in that game is: He robbed the Fury of a power play. The Fury had one second remaining in a 5-on-3 power play when it got a goal from Dan Reidel, yet Gallagher let both players out of the box. That was bad. And with that, here's hoping we never mention Gallagher's name again. (Are you paying attention Brad Jones?)

The Komets will be off the ice the next two days, although they're going to play some basketball on Tuesday. Were I selected as an honorary captain -- hint, hint -- I'd be drafting Brent Henley, all 6-foot-7 of him, with the first pick. Kevin Reiter, Mr. 5-foot-10, sorry bub.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

They are playing tonight

Not that there was any doubt.

Wow, what a wild night

Holy cow, that was a wild game.

The Komets went from absolutely dreadful to seemingly unstoppable and then lost a heartbreaker in overtime, 5-4 to the Muskegon Fury on Saturday night.

Fort Wayne gave up the first four goals, then got a natural hat trick from Mathieu Curadeau, plus one goal from Colin Chaulk. The Komets easily could have mailed it in, but they showed a lot of heart in coming back and salvaging a point in the standings.

Too bad, once again, they looked sloppy in 4-on-4 overtime, where they've yet to win a game but have lost three.

I felt sorry for the Fury's new radio broadcaster -- how did he do, by the way? -- as this was his introduction to International Hockey League play. Too bad he got referee Ken Gallagher. For a change, Gallagher lost complete control of this game, as evidenced by all the jawing he got from both benches.

As for the biggest call of the night, the third Curadeau goal, which wasn't immediately signaled -- according to several people, it was indeed correct. I didn't see the replay myself, but I'm told it hit the back of the net clearly and came back out, but the goal judge hit the incorrect button and it takes a while to reset after that happens. That's what I was told anyway.

The Komets, to their credit, weren't happy after this game. They felt they never should have been so poor early on and never should have lost this game.

This does seem to be a developing rivalry.

• Komets goalie Kevin Reiter got into a minor car accident before the game, coach Al Sims said, and went on to stop 19 of 24 shots. Sims felt that played a part in his looking shaky early. I asked Sims why he didn't start Nick Boucher and was told he didn't think it was fair to start Boucher for three games in three nights. I asked why, then, he couldn't just start Reiter on Sunday, and I was told it's because he has a particular plan in place. I guess that means Sims wants Boucher in net against Bloomington for some reason.
• Here's the deal on defenseman Brent Henley. He did not re-injure his surgically repaired anterior cruciate ligament. He strained the iliotibial band in the same right leg, and that's between the hip and the knee. He doesn't think it's serious and should be back in a week or two.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets stay atop IHL; Henley injured again

There had been much hype surrounding the return of Brent Henley to the Fort Wayne lineup. He was on the ice at McMorran Arena on Friday -- the visiting Komets defeated the Port Huron Icehawks 4-3 -- but Henley won't be on Memorial Coliseum ice tonight.

Henley, who made his season debut after knee surgery, assisted on a goal and went plus-1. But according to coach Al Sims, Henley got tangled up with a player and suffered another injury.

Sims didn't know the severity of the injury but said it was not to Henley's knee, which is "solid," and Henley won't play against the Muskegon Fury tonight.

As for the game, the Komets had a 3-0 lead and almost coughed up the match, but David Hukalo's goal was the difference.

Henley didn't fight, but Mitch Woods and Olivier Legault did.

• Can you believe it's been five years since Joe Franke played his historic game? In case you missed it, here's today's column on that. It was good to talk to him. That night was one of the more fantastic of my career.
• Speaking of assists, I've rarely hard radio broadcaster Bob Chase as irate as he was over none being doled out on two of the Komets' goals; the scorers must have been distracted by all the commotion a crowd of 949 can create. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the Icehawks won't make it past this season.
• Meanwhile, the Muskegon Fury got trounced 7-0 by Kalamazoo. This is either really good news or really bad news for the Komets, who play host to the Fury on Saturday. I guess we're going to find out what Bruce Ramsay is made of as a coach.
• Did you see this highlight? Bloomington should look into signing him. The Prairie Thunder did pick up Bobby Kukulka, who was waived by Fort Wayne on Thursday.
• I never would have pegged him as a coach, but former Komets sparkplug Rob Weingartner is coaching the Central Hockey League's Wichita Thunder.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Henley back in; Kukulka gone

Defenseman Brent Henley, who has not played since last season's playoffs because of a knee injury, should be back in the Fort Wayne Komets' lineup Friday when they play at Port Huron, Mich. Henley, 27, appeared in 36 regular-season games with the Komets last season, tallying three assists and 174 penalty minutes.

To make room on the roster, the Komets waived forward Bobby Kukulka, who had four goals and seven points in 12 games this season.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Temper your enthusiasm, if you want my advice

If Brent Henley returns to the lineup this weekend -- sort of like Marvin Harrison, I will believe nothing in this regard until he actually suits up -- I wonder if he'll ever be able to live up to the high expectations.

Seriously, in my 11 seasons covering the Komets, I've never seen a player's appearance more eagerly anticipated or fantasized about.

I believe Henley is a very good player. Let me reiterate this, because I know it will be misinterpreted: Henley is a very good player. But he played 43 games last season, including seven playoff games, and in that time he tallied no goals, four assists, 204 penalty minutes and an even plus-minus rating (minus-5 in the regular season).

That he is hyped by some as the second coming of Scott Stevens is a bit perplexing to me, just because we don't have enough evidence to support it. I'm a bit amused by the suggestion that he is the toughest player in the International Hockey League, given that he's never played a game in it.

I say all this to suggest you temper your enthusiasm. First of all, he's coming off a very bad knee injury. He hasn't played in eight months. There's simply no way he's going to live up to the lofty expectations, at least not right away.

He will improve the toughness of the Komets, and they certainly need some hitting out there. His solid play in the defensive zone will also improve on an already good defense. He will take the pressure off of Kevin Bertram, in particular, as a policeman. And, perhaps most importantly, his return will probably signal to some other under-performing veterans that they need to kick it in gear.

Let's leave it at that -- this will be the addition of a good player. He may end up being the guy some are hoping he'll be, but we need more than 43 games to determine that.

• The Muskegon Fury has its replacement for broadcaster Terry Ficorelli, and he's never called a hockey game.
• Click here to read a positive story on from The Port Huron Times-Herald regarding the state of things McMorran Arena. Too bad I've been hearing nothing but dreadful things about the state of hockey up there, where the attendance is worst in the league at 1,305 per game. There are many who don't think that team will make it beyond this season.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets win more awards

Fort Wayne's Guy Dupuis was selected as the International Hockey League's Defenseman of the Week, after tallying three points and a plus-4 rating in three games. Forward Luciano Aquino, who scored one goal and five points in three games, won Rookie of the Week.

Komets win 3-1

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- I still say they're not hitting nearly enough, but overall the Komets looked very good in a 3-1 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday.

They blocked shots, won most of the battles and were relentless at both ends of the ice.

They got an uncharacteristic two goals on power plays. And congratulations to Maxsim Shirokov on his first goal in North America. He was ecstatic, saying how strange it felt not to have scored at all this season. He's begun to adjust to the North American style and is receiving some rave reviews in the locker room.

Speaking of rave reviews, I don't understand all the negativity out there about Brandon Warner. I thought he was awesome in Friday's 3-1 loss at Muskegon, Mich., and today. Heck, he even injured the Wings' backup goalie, which I've never seen happen. Brad Smith was sitting on the bench without a helmet, of course, and Warner was checked into him. Warner's stick smacked Smith upside the head, and the goalie started calling for a towel, presumably for the blood.

Bobby Kukulka and David Hukalo both left the game with injuries but returned, so there shouldn't be any major worries there. And Nick Boucher was great in net for the Komets, who clearly have two top-notch netminders.

Strange to see the Komets get the same referee, Derek Berkebile, two nights in a row. But even though everyone in the building kept complaining about him, I thought he did a pretty solid job both nights. The officiating in this league still stinks, but it's better than last year in the United Hockey League, so far.

By the way, memo to whomever runs Wings Stadium these days: There's this new invention, salt, and it melts ice in parking lots. Just food for thought there. That was a treacherous walk into the building, which had a whole lot of Fort Wayne fans tonight.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Still rollin'

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- My eyes must be deceiving me. The Komets' league-worst power-play unit has three goals over two games? Wow.

P.C. Drouin netted the second power-play goal of the night, from the point, giving the Komets a 3-1 lead over the Kalamazoo Wings in the second period.

Bobby Kukulka left the game after he was high-sticked by Nathan Oke, but that's what set up the power play and Drouin's goal. Still no word on Kukulka.

It looks as if coach Al Sims' threatening of jobs is paying off because this has been one of the Komets' best games of the season, so far anyway.

Still I wonder, where has the hitting gone?

By the way, Nick Boucher looks solid in net for the Komets. He gave up a long-range shot to Kory Karlander, but it seems like the Komets truly do have two No. 1 goalies.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Nothing cuddly about these K's

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- It's teddy bear toss night, but it hasn't gone according to script for the Kalamazoo Wings. Fans were supposed to toss stuffed animals onto the ice, to be donated to charity, after the first Wings goal.

Problem was, the Komets got the first goal, from Maxsim Shirokov. About 100 stuffed animals went onto the ice. Impressive to think that many Fort Wayne fans made the trip, found out about another team's promotion and brought stuffed animals.

Anyway, it's 2-0 Komets late in the first period, as Luciano Aquino also scored on the power play, after a beautiful fake shot and set-up from Guy Dupuis.

Fort Wayne looks great, so far.

By the way, the Wings are 11-1-0 on teddy bear toss nights, 7-0-0 at Wings Stadium.

If the Wings score a goal, probably about 1,000 more stuffed animals will make their way to the ice.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Hit something ... please

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- You can blame this game on the officiating -- Fort Wayne had to kill off 11 power plays, though there were successful on all counts -- or on an uncharacteristic mistake. But these just don't look like the same Komets we saw at the beginning of the season.

Fort Wayne lost 3-1 at L.C. Walker Arena to the league-worst Muskegon Fury.

The Komets had the early lead thanks to a P.C. Drouin power-play goal, but then they started coughing up the puck. Mathieu Curadeau's turnover, and he hasn't had many this season, led to Mark Cadotte's game-winning goal.

Coach Al Sims said he feels like his team has regressed and it's like the start of the season again. With 23 players on the roster and only 19 spots for healthy guys, the Komets are playing for jobs but they're not showing the urgency they should in such a situation.

If the Komets' woes continue through the weekend -- they play at Kalamazoo, Mich., Saturday and Port Huron, Mich., Sunday -- I expect there will be changes.

The thing I notice most is the hitting has just disappeared. Early in the season, the Komets were intimating people through checks and fights. Now they're just kind of, I hate to say it, boring.

The good news is that the Komets could have and probably should have won this game. Isaac Reichmuth was great in net for the Fury.

Here are some other notes:

• Brent Henley should return to the lineup from his knee injury next weekend, general manager David Franke said. Defenseman Sergei Durdin was out with a back injury. Right wing Jason Sessa had a hand injury. Evgeny Saidachev had a knee injury.
• Longtime Fury broadcaster Terry Ficorelli got a deserved standing ovation. Love him or hate him, he's one of the most colorful broadcasters in creation. I must admit, I'll miss his "crankin' and swankin'" calls. He's moving to Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League.
• Former Komets defenseman Rob Guinn was signed by Bloomington.
• There will be a sled hockey demonstration Sunday at McMillen Arena at 4:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to get involved or learn more about it can e-mail [email protected].

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The Twister, it wasn't

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- A woman in section 109 at L.C. Walker Arena, at the public address announcer's behest, just did the "Macarena." Why someone would put them through that sort of public humiliation I'll never understand.

But it wasn't slightly as gruesome as the nosedive the Komets took just afterward. They gave up goals on back-to-back shots, to Shea Hamilton and Mark Cadotte, and the Fury leads 2-1.

Early on, it was a game of special teams. Muskegon had the first three power plays, in the first seven minutes, and failed to score on any. Then the Komets got a 2:00 5-on-3 advantage and on the first shot, Pierre-Claude Drouin scored from the point. And just days ago, coach Al Sims was saying he needed to pass more. Shucks no.

Anyway, the Komets' defense got shoddy late in the period, hence the deficit.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Greetings from a Henley-less Muskegon

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Greetings from Muskegon, Mich., from where I bring you disappointing news: I see no gargantuan 6-foot-7 defensemen. Sorry folks, it looks as if Brent Henley's return to the lineup will have to wait at least one more night.

Actually, from what I hear, about 14 more nights. What's the rush, I say. Let the knee heal.

Guy Dupuis is back, though, from his dislocated rib and Bobby Kukulka is warming up after sitting out with a shoulder contusion. Jason Sessa is out with a hand injury, coach Al Sims said, so the Komets don't have to rid themselves of a veteran just yet.

I will update you during the game, assuming this beam 6 inches above my head in the obstructed-view press box doesn't knock me unconscious.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The good, the bad and the many Thunders

In a recent blog entry, I stated my displeasure with some of the nicknames in the International Hockey League, and that stirred some spirited debate. I was asked about nicknames in other professional leagues, so I'll chime in on those.

THE GOOD

Odessa Jackalopes (CHL): It's original and makes for a cool logo, with the fictitious antlered bunny.

Toronto Marlies (AHL): An homage to the Malrboroughs and the storied history of hockey in Toronto, with ties to the NHL.

Bakersfield Condors (ECHL): Simple. Regal.

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL): Why not follow one of the most complicated city names with one of the silliest nicknames?

Texas Brahmas (CHL): Google tells me a Brahma is one of three principle Hindu gods, playing a role in the development of the universe. Alas, the team is a reference to a Brahma bull. Either way, it's cool.

Albany River Rats (AHL): Unique and unsettling name. Makes me think they're spreading the plague. As an aside, the logo reminds me of Templeton from "Charlotte's Web."

Phoenix Roadrunners (ECHL): I pity the beat writer who has to use this nickname so often, but I'm sure Wile E. Coyote deserved the punishment anyway.

Notable mentions: Elmira Jackals (ECHL), Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Houston Aeros (AHL), Manitoba Moose (AHL) -- yeah, it's singular and that stinks, but it's so darn cool.

THE UNDENIABLE BEST

Florida Everblades (ECHL): Awesome play on names, has great mascot and logo potential.

Augusta Lynx (ECHL): It's a unique name and cool species. But the best part is playing off The Masters golf tournament. You know, like links.

THE BAD

The following teams have names I can't stand because they felt the need to inject the word "Ice" into them, as if we didn't know we were attending a hockey game: Austin Ice Bats (CHL), Pensacola Ice Pilots (ECHL), Rockford IceHogs (AHL), Indiana Ice Miners (MAHL), Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL). Seriously, what would have been wrong with the Indiana Miners?

Almost all singular names or names with Z must die: Rocky Mountain Rage (CHL), Wichita Thunder (CHL), Stockton Thunder (ECHL), Mon Valley Thunder (MAHL), San Antonio Rampage (AHL), Syracuse Crunch (AHL), Fayetteville FireAntz (SPHL), Huntsville Havoc (SPHL)

Boy, these haven't been done before: Tulsa Oilers (CHL), Laredo Bucks (CHL), Fresno Falcons (ECHL), Idaho Steelheads (ECHL), Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), Norfolk Admirals (also in AHL), Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Wooster Warriors (MAHL), Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL), who would have been fine if they had at least stuck with the "Slapshot" theme.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets get honors ... in Bakersfield

The Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL recently held a fan vote to pick their 10th Anniversary Team.

Longtime Komets goaltender Kevin St. Pierre, who played for Bakersfield in 2002-03, was selected to the first team. Former Komets forward Paul Willett, who was a Condor 1999 to 2004, was also picked for the first team.

Former Komets center Sean Venedam, a current Bakersfield player, is on the second team.

Current Komets captain Guy Dupuis, a defenseman who played for the Condors in 2002-03 and 2004-05, made the third team.

Click here to check it out.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

A look at some moves, and and old friend

There were some big moves around the International Hockey League today:

• Bloomington's captain and notorious motormouth, Jason Ralph, has retired. He had five goals and 10 points in 17 games this season.
• Kalamazoo signed forward Dan Tessier, who had nearly a point-per-game player throughout his career. It also got rid of goaltender Tony Quesada, who was a bust with a 1-6-1 record, 3.71 goals-against average and .889 save percentage.

This is a bit old, but I just came across it and thought you'd enjoy. A feature from the St. Petersburg Times on former Komets tough guy Andre Roy.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets take honors

Fort Wayne's Nick Boucher was selected as the International Hockey League's Goaltender of the Month, after going 3-0-1 with a 1.92 goals-against average. His only loss came in a shootout. Right wing Luciano Aquino won the Rookie of the Month award, after tallying nine goals and 15 points in 12 games.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Sims gives honest answers

You can tell a lot about a coach by how he behaves in a postgame news conference. On this night, I'm impressed with Al Sims -- at least he has the guts to call out some players and not make a single excuse.

I don't mean to besmirch any former coaches, but anyone who's read this blog for any length of time knows there were too many times last season when the officiating, the league office and even the local media were blamed on a night when the Komets played poorly.

Tonight, the Komets were fairly dreadful in a 4-3 loss to the Bloomington Prairie Thunder. It was the second straight night in which the Komets looked out of sync at home -- they lost 2-1 in overtime to Port Huron on Friday -- and it's cost Fort Wayne its hold on first place in the International Hockey League.

Sims lambasted his team's defensive play, promised an unrelenting week of practice and even called out some of his stars: Luciano Aquino was targeted for defense on a particular goal, Pierre-Claude Drouin for not passing enough on the power play, Jason Sessa could be off the top line if he doesn't start finding the net and Sergei Durdin's production was critiqued.

Now, I'm not saying every loss deserves a lambasting. But it was refreshing to hear honest answers about indisputably bad play. And here's the part fans will love: Sims just about guaranteed a better effort come Friday at Muskegon, Mich.

He still believes in this team, just that this weekend was a bad hiccup.

• The Komets' league-worst power play looked like it was improving with two early goals, but mustered only two shots during 1:54 of 5-on-3, even after the Komets had the second intermission to set things up.
• Evgeny Saidachev, who injured his knee Friday, will be out at least two weeks, general manager David Franke said.
• Defenseman Guy Dupuis will be back in the lineup next weekend, after missing seven games with a dislocated rib.
• An hour after the game between Flint and Port Huron had ended, the International Hockey League's Web site was still without a final score. According to The Flint Journal, it was 5-4 in favor of Port Huron, giving the Icehawks first place in the IHL, one point ahead of Fort Wayne.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette