During the offseason, some of the beat writers expressed concerns to the International Hockey League's commissioner, Paul Pickard, about the voting process for league-wide awards. Of particular issue was the inability to vote for players from the team you cover.
If I'm not professional enough to make an objective decision, why let me vote at all?
Well, the first round of ballots went out today and, of course, we cannot vote for teams we cover. Normally, I don't make a big deal out of it. It's the league's rules and if they want to run it that quizzically, that's their fault.
But this season, I have to bring up the stupidity of this. Fort Wayne is dominating almost every statistical category and is owning the standings. Yet I cannot give Guy Dupuis the nod for Defenseman of the Year? I can't vote for David Hukalo, Mathieu Curadeau or Colin Chaulk for Outstanding Defensive Forward?
So the IHL wants me to intentionally vote for people I don't think are deserving for various awards?
Some members of the media are talking about abstaining from voting for the awards because of this. I don't blame them at all. I will probably vote just because I fear they would give my ballot to someone less informed. But this thing is silly and I wish Pickard would have heeded the advice of the IHL media.
-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette
Seems like a pretty softly played game so far?!?!?!
Posted by: Jerad Shaw | March 14, 2008 at 08:51 PM
Yup.
Posted by: Justin Cohn | March 14, 2008 at 09:37 PM
Overtime action. We win, all is good on here tonight. We lose, hell freezes over and its a wild night on Ice Chips.
Posted by: Jerad Shaw | March 14, 2008 at 10:26 PM
KOMETS WINNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Posted by: wingmnn | March 14, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Man was the goal horn loud and long!!!! And it sounded great!!! Way to go komets!
They came out slow and looked like they were nervous for the first time at home this season, but with the monkey off our backs with the win streak, let's see how long this ride lasts....
WAY TO GO KOMETS!!!!!
Posted by: Hoss | March 14, 2008 at 10:56 PM
Komets Win! Komets Win! Komets Win!
Posted by: Henley67250 | March 14, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Yes they got the win tonight, but they were lucky. The 2 late penalties that gave us a 2 man advantage were very suspect. WE let a team that has no physical toughness skate with us tonight. WE absolute had no fire in their guts tonight. When a team senses that they are lacking that emotion why doesn't a player like Woods, Bertram, or Henley get something going. Woods ecspecailly. He has gone from an agitator and a thron in the side of defensemen to someone who just exist on the ice. He has not really fought anyone other than Margettie and that was not a fight to ignite a fire in his team mates. What gives, we have 8,000 plus tonight, Kzoo in the house, and there was nothing!! Saidcheve (sp) was the only one who was throwing his body tonight.
Posted by: Toeblake | March 14, 2008 at 11:49 PM
So, since we won and Flint lost (Wednesday night and tonight), doesn't that make our magic number for clinching the regular season 3 points? If so, we could clinch tomorrow night, since we are playing Flint. Could someone please confirm this?
Posted by: Kris | March 14, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Yes, a win and they clinch.
Posted by: Justin Cohn | March 15, 2008 at 12:09 AM
After looking at it Kris,
Flint has 60 games played and has 65 pts. Fort Wayne has 62 games played for 94 pts.
Tomorrow would be Flints 61st game, so if the Komets beat Flint tomorrow they would have a 31 pt lead and Flint would only have 15 games left..so I do believe that a Komet win tomorrow in regulation clinches the Huber Trophy
Posted by: Mark | March 15, 2008 at 12:14 AM
ToeBlake, seemed like there was plenty of emotion from the K's side. Kzoo dumped and chased the entire game. Dropping everyone in the defensive zone. The 2 penalities that were called looked solid to me on the b2. I called out the first and said that the high stick was a call that could be made, or let go. We won. Tomorrow we win the Huber. What more do you want?
Posted by: Jerad Shaw | March 15, 2008 at 12:24 AM
Winning is fine. Being entertained by a fun effort is more important. This game had a bit of a UHL feel to it, and the Komets won plenty in that league and it didn't matter as the games were terrible. Winning isn't everything in lower minor hockey...we need good games too. I'm with Toeblake on this one.
Posted by: Bruiser | March 15, 2008 at 07:00 AM
Even little willis didn't have much of a edge-maybe scared?
Posted by: mightbite | March 15, 2008 at 07:15 AM
I didn't think the first period was too bad. Kalamazoo is a defensive minded team so the game wasn't too big of a suprise. They are set up to play a boring defense game and put the rest on the shoulders of Bootland and Karlander. They don't have room to play a physical game. (Didn't K-zoo pick up Curran for his 'physical' team? I guess they didn't learn by watching QC of the last few years.) That being said Komets should have knocked the crap out of the Wings. I'm not complaining, the chance to break a record like this comes with alot of pressure. There wasn't room for dumb penalties. I'm so impressed with this year's team. Remember how exciting it was to get last season's team? This team is double that. Hopefully now that the record is broke, the Komets rest some players and increase their hitting to set a standard for other teams once playoffs start.
Also props to (I believe) Karlander for applauding the Komets after the game.
Posted by: dnl | March 15, 2008 at 09:00 AM
I think Karlander was "applauding" the officals for giving the game to the Komets. I am sure many people think the ref game the game to us with the two calls at the end of the third. I think they were well deserved calls, but he also let a lot go the rest of the game.
Posted by: Hoss | March 15, 2008 at 09:37 AM
Jared there was little to no emotion from the K's until they were down 2-1 late. Even Nick mention that fact in his on ice interview after the game. All I am saying is the last couple of home games I have heard mention by this club they did not have their "A" game or lack fire from the start...Hey there is 8,000 fans here and even more will be in the stands tonight if you are lacking in that department it is up to Woods, Bertram, Henley to do something to provide that Spark!!! IMO that is what Woods role on this club is to be as it was early in the year. He really has not done anything that resembles what he was doing earlier in the year!!!!
Posted by: ToeBlake | March 15, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Hoss-after the shoot out? I thought he was applauding the Komets. Perhaps you're right. That puts a totally different spin on things...Oh well, we still won, either way.
Posted by: dnl | March 15, 2008 at 12:13 PM
Also I agree that the calls were good calls. Little couldn't keep out of the box and the tripping was obvious. I esecially don't know why the Wings were complaining after Jamie Vanderveeken broke a Komet player's (forget who) stick with a slash. It's not ideal for a team up by just a goal to go 5-3 at the end of the game, but it was their fault not the refs.
Posted by: dnl | March 15, 2008 at 12:18 PM
dnl, I am 99% sure Cory "Crylander" was just being the punk that he is. He is always crying to the ref about every call or offsides or icying or goal or you get the idea...
Posted by: Hoss | March 15, 2008 at 12:47 PM
I thought last nights game was about one of the best I had ever seen. Granted, this is only my second full year of Komets games, so to many that may not entitle me to be a "true fan" yet, but so be it.
I also wanted to say that I was pleased to see Karlander (I thought it was Bootland, but couldn't remember that well) applaud the Komets after our win last night. I thought that was a very sportsman-like thing to do. (I hesitate to use 'classy' because that phrase is verrrrrry overused on the blogs. I have noticed that other people took it the wrong way, but again...we all have our own opinions. GO KOMETS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: dropthepuckalready | March 15, 2008 at 03:24 PM
You're right Hoss, I checked around and I guess Karlander was just crying. To think I complimented him to begin with.... The Wings beat themselves last night. Must be stressful for a team who is barely hanging onto a playoff spot in a 6 team league.
Posted by: dnl | March 15, 2008 at 03:28 PM
Hoss, Cory "Crylander", just wet myself. LOL
Posted by: St.Christopher | March 15, 2008 at 03:39 PM
T.M.I.
Posted by: Justin Cohn | March 15, 2008 at 08:13 PM