Ice Chips 06'-07'

Ice Chips has moved. Bookmark it, baby.

Salutations, loyal readers of Ice Chips.

The address for this page has changed. Please bookmark the following page and use it in the future: http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/Section?Category=BLOGS11

I would appreciate it if you passed on the change to any interested parties now and in the future.

We'll see you at the new digs.

-- Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Changes on the horizon

Before we go any further, I must let you know that Ice Chips will be undergoing some exciting changes in the near future. On Wednesday, be sure you come to the web site (you should be several times daily, anyway), so you can see what we have in store for you.

Meanwhile, some of the Komets' most hated rivals will not be back in the International Hockey League next season. Robin Bouchard, the longtime over-hyped star of the Muskegon Fury, is going to play for the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League; and Tyler Willis, the great agitator from the Kalamazoo Wings, is going to Europe.

I should have linked to this earlier, but those of you wishing to catch up on the status of Jason Baird, the recently signed Muskegon player who was horrifically injured when the lawnmower he was riding exploded, his wife has a blog that is quite emotional: Click here.

And, I've had lot of people ask me, on this blog and elsewhere, how they can get their hockey fix in Fort Wayne this time of year. Well, the best bet is to go to McMillen Ice Arena to check out the league action Wednesdays. There are games at 5:30 and 7 p.m. (Yes, I'm playing. Go Blue!) The playoffs of that league, which features players of various skill levels, begins Aug. 13. There will be an off week and then the championships on Aug. 27.

There also is some good pickup hockey which you can see or participate in, Fridays, at 9:15 p.m.

Come the fall, there will be tons more you can partake in at McMillen. Check out their site by clicking here.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Scenes from a Game 6 for the ages

PORT HURON, Mich. -- The following are a series of vignettes from the Game 6 of the Turner Cup Finals.

• I arrive at the game and there's a definite buzz in the building. The largest crowd of the season, 3,129 fans at McMorran Arena. Not a sellout, according to the numbers, but they announce it as one anyway. Still, nothing compared to Memorial Coliseum on a good night.
• I'm thinking the Komets are going to win big in this one, until a source informs me David Hukalo, the Komets' best defensive player, is out with a hamstring injury for the rest of the series. Also, defenseman Kevin Bertram is said to be out with a rib injury. Suddenly, it seems grim for the Komets.
• Bertram is in the starting lineup. I'm reminded of the Komets' heart.
• Luciano Aquino takes a questionable penalty 1:10 in and I'm reminded the Komets can't get a call in McMorran Arena.
• Matt Reynolds strips the puck of Jamie Carroll and scores on a short-handed breakaway and I'm reminded the Komets have the veteran savvy Port Huron lacks.
• Terry Marchant makes it 2-0 with a shot from the right circle that skips between the legs of goaltender Larry Sterling. Marchant was benched in the first two games of the series; putting him back in was a brilliant decision. Sterling looks more nervous than in his Game 5 loss.
• Fort Wayne coach Al Sims had me confused with a timeout late in the second period. It was brilliant though. He rested his players before a key faceoff and it led to a 2-on-1 rush and an Aquino goal. The Fort Wayne fans, about 600 of them, are raucous. No other minor-league team has such a devoted fan base, at least not one that I've come across.
• Icehawks get a goal, then Colin Chaulk comes back with one. False hope, Port Huron, false hope.
• Sterling is yanked. Marty Magers comes in and stumps the Komets, but we've seen that before haven't we?
• Mitch Woods comes onto the ice with 15 stitches in his thigh, thanks to a skate grazing him in the second period. Ouch. That guy is tough.
• I can't believe how often Sergei Durdin gives the puck away and continues to get ice time.
• The Icehawks get two goals in the third and I'm starting to think I'll have to rewrite my story. Then, finally, the Komets play the physical game I've been calling for the entire series. Brent Henley was an animal out there. Even P.C. Drouin got chippy. The Icehawks couldn't deal with it.
• What would Larry Schmitt say here? "Komets win! Komets win! We'll see you Monday night for Game 7." Final score: 4-3 Fort Wayne in Game 6. Not bad for a team that was down 3-1 in this series days ago.
• Icehawks coach Stan Drulia is standing outside the officials' room, berating referee Ryan Carroll, who called a good game. Drulia was probably upset about a trip that wasn't called with less than two minutes left. I could go either way on making that call, but I'd rather see the boys play.
• Some Icehawks official, ticket-seller or something pretty much has to be restrained, he's so irate with either the loss or the officiating or both. All I can think is, what comes around, goes around. The officiating may have robbed Fort Wayne of a victory here in Game 2. But the Icehawks seem to have forgotten that.
• Komets president Michael Franke comes over to remind me that tickets go on sale at noon Sunday.
• Fort Wayne's locker room is jubilant. They're saying all the right things, but they also know they played all the regular season for home-ice advantage. Now they get it -- for Game 7 of the finals.
• I think to myself, there's no way they're going to lose this. Port Huron's too rattled. Memorial Coliseum is too hard a place to play. The comeback would make too good a story.
• I sit down to come up with my players of the game. For Fort Wayne, in order: Matt Reynolds, Brent Henley, Justin Hodgman, Colin Chaulk, Terry Marchant, Luciano Aquino, Nick Boucher. For Port Huron: Tab Lardner, Don Margettie, Marty Magers, Josh Aspenlind.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Woods injured, but coming back

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Mitch Woods missed much of the second period after taking a skate across his thigh. He took about 15 stitches, general manager David Franke said, and will be back for the third period.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets all over the crumbling Icehawks

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Think Al Sims can't coach? He just made one of the greatest time outs I've ever seen. Late in the second period, his team up by two goals, a faceoff in the Fort Wayne zone, and he calls timeout. I was scratching my head on that one.

But 11 seconds later, Luciano Aquino finishes off a 2-on-1 rush for a 3-0 Fort Wayne lead. The Icehawks did answer less than a minute later with a Tab Lardner goal, but Colin Chaulk came right back to make it 4-1 for the Komets and that's where we are with one minute remaining in the second period.

All night long, the Komets have been energetic. They've actually been hitting people, something we hadn't seen in the series. The Icehawks? Jittery. Very jittery.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Why we don't have 2 referees? Here's why.

PORT HURON, Mich. -- An Ice Chips reader asked the following question of me: "Why, if we have a backup referee in the building during the finals, doesn't the IHL go with two referees? Wouldn't another set of eyes help?"

So, I asked the IHL's vice-president of hockey operations, Brad Jones.

He said, first of all, any change like that would have to approved by the Board of Governors and that's a complicated process. Secondly, since everyone, players, coaches, officials, etc., got accustomed to having one referee in the regular season, it would be too drastic a change to suddenly have two referees out there.

Personally, I agree. It would change too much and be unfair all around to go with that change in the finals. I think the officiating in the finals has been pretty good, actually. So far, anyway.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets look good ... so far

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Late in the first period, the Komets lead the Port Huron Icehawks 1-0, on the strength of a Matt Reynolds short-handed breakaway goal.

The Komets are charged up. A legion of fans from Fort Wayne here doesn't hurt. The Icehawks look nervous; they're having trouble clearing their zone and are getting caught offsides.

Still, one goal for Port Huron can turn this all in the other direction.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Disinformation? Healing?

PORT HURON, Mich. -- So much for the word I received that Kevin Bertram would probably not play. He's in the starting lineup. We'll have to see how he holds up.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Big changes tonight

PORT HURON, Mich. -- It's been a long season and, yes, the Komets are a bit beat up. Forward David Hukalo, the International Hockey League's Best Defensive Forward, is out for the rest of the Turner Cup Finals with a back injury. Defenseman Kevin Bertram, I'm told, will dress but likely won't play at all because of a rib injury.

So, the Komets will insert defenseman Ken Dufresne, who has yet to play a game in the professional ranks.

It should be interesting.

By the way, the Komets, who trail the series 3-2, will go with goaltender Nick Boucher, as expected.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Check please

PORT HURON, Mich. -- The Komets were handled easily by the Port Huron Icehawks, who won 5-1 in Game 4 of the Turner Cup Finals.

That means by this time tomorrow, the Icehawks could be hoisting the Cup on Memorial Coliseum ice.  So will they? Well, this won't be popular, but I think they will.

Coming off the ice, sitting at the lockers, talking, the Komets didn't have the look or the sound of a team that had much belief it could come back. Sorry, but that's the way it seemed in there, which was quite different from the never-say-die attitude they fed me a couple days earlier.

However, I could just be giving you some reverse psychology here, and wouldn't that be wily of me to get your team going? After all, Journal Gazette columnist Ben Smith reminds me that in 2005, the Komets had the same postgame tone about them in the semifinals, and they came back to win three straight against Rockford. And the likes of Colin Chaulk, P.C. Drouin and David Hukalo, key figures in that 2005 comeback, are still on this team.

This is all about heart. Some guys, no doubt, may start thinking, "Hey, I don't really want to get on the bus for another road trip." Others know that being part of arguably the biggest disappointment in Fort Wayne sports history would be a dubious honor of which they want no part.

All I can tell you for sure is the Komets stunk up the joint tonight. They looked good very early but they coughed up the puck, missed defensive assignments, couldn't shoot into a wide-open net and I don't think I saw a decent hit all game. The third period should have been very telling; instead it coasted by with the Komets not sending much of a message by being physical. Were I a fan, I would find that particularly worrisome, especially from a team that claimed to have so much toughness.

To their credit, I heard Port Huron players not taking the Komets lightly going into Game 5. One said, "Let's get it done." Another, "They (the Komets) won't go down easy."

The Komets have been all about challenging themselves this season, even as they were dominating the regular-season standings. Now they have to meet their greatest challenge. But this dispiriting loss may have taken the life out of them. At least that's what their faces and their words said.

But actions speak louder than words. And only the Komets' actions will determine if this series goes more than one game.

• Speaking of Smith -- he keeps going on and on about the Komets. Do me a favor, bookmark the guy.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

What can you say? Komets are getting mastered.

PORT HURON, Mich. -- The Komets trail the Port Huron Icehawks 5-1 at the end of two periods. Fort Wayne is coughing up the puck left and right, not defending well and not getting great goaltending either.

They just don't look themselves. The rink has something to do with it, but more than anything the Icehawks are stifling them and the Komets aren't playing their game. And  where is the physical play? The Komets aren't hitting anything. At this point, they might as well get physical and try to get something going.

Meanwhile, the Komets have had a slew of chances at open nets and have done nothing with them. Brandon Warner, Mitch Woods and Terry Marchant all should have scored but were left shaking their heads.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Promising to unproductive

PORT HURON, Mich. -- A game that began with such promise has turned sour for the Fort Wayne Komets, who trail the Port Huron Icehawks 2-1 after one period in Game 4 of the Turner Cup Finals.

The Komets' Konstantin Shafranov opened the scoring with a wrist shot from 25 feet out and Kevin Reiter was gloving lots of close-range shots. But a power play resulted in a goal for Josh Aspenlind and four-on-four play brought a Jeff Zehr goal on a tricky wrist shot that seemed to catch Reiter by surprise.

That took some life out of the Komets, who trail the series 2-1.

During the intermission, there's a guy wearing a Komets jersey who's acting like he can't skate. First, I wonder if the Icehawks bought the jersey for the act. Second, I wonder if they'll try to return it.

Paul Costanzo of the Port Huron Times-Herald is doing a live blog from the game. And ubercolumnist Ben Smith of The Journal Gazette is here, too.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Reiter in net

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Just ran into Kevin Reiter. He will be in net for the Komets. So for those of you thinking Al Sims' breaking from his goalie rotation during the first round was a jinx, you can relax because he's not doing it again.

The Komets trail the best-of-seven Turner Cup Finals against the Port Huron Icehawks 2-1. The referee tonight will be John Searle, so I'm setting the over/under on power plays at 16.

By the way, I'm keeping on eye on defenseman Sergei Durdin in this game. I have a feeling he'll be a factor with either his offense or his giveaways. Should be fun.

Check out this drivel from the Port Huron Times-Herald. Seriously, Wikipedia as a source?

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Complain all you want, if you can't finish, you can't win

PORT HURON, Mich. -- At the end of this post, you can listen to my postgame interview with Komets coach Al Sims. He's obviously upset, after his team lost 3-2 in overtime to the Port Huron Icehawks, putting his team down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Sims was flummoxed that the Komets could control so much of the play -- almost all the third period and overtime was spent in the Port Huron zone -- yet Fort Wayne lost, courtesy of a Jamie Lovell goal.

He won it on a slapshot from 30 feet out, after winning a center-ice battle for the puck with Jake Pence. That set off a 2-on-1 rush and sent the Komets home flabbergasted.

Well, if you control all of that play and only score two goals, it's clear to me, it's about finishing. The Komets aren't the offensive team right now we're accustomed to seeing.

The Komets were upset about the officiating on many levels. The first of which was that referee Bob Langdon awarded only three power plays all night, even as players were getting mugged all over the ice. I'm backing up the league on this one. This is the best referee in the International Hockey League. We all like him because he lets the players decide the game. Deal with it. You can't complain about Jim Hawthorne and Kevin Graber calling 20 power plays, then complain again because the opposite happens. That being said, there was a lot of dirty stuff going on out there, particularly by the Icehawks. (That means you, Larry Sterling, Steve Hildenbrand and B.J. Adams.)

OK, then there were the two controversial goals or, depending on how you view them, non-goals. Jeff Zehr got one for Port Huron when the puck ricocheted off his glove and went in. It counted and it should have. He made no batting motion to put it in; it was unintentional. It doesn't matter if it goes off his nose and in; if it's not on purpose, it counts.

Then there was the Konstantin Shafranov supposed goal that didn't count. Shafranov believes it went in, just under the cross bar. I was the lone non-IHL person who watched the replay about 20 times, at various speeds, and it appeared to hit the cross bar. It was grainy and it was from high up, but I'm pretty confident. And I showed it to some other people I trust, who have played the game at a high level, and they agreed -- no goal. So correct call there, too, it seems.

In the end, the Komets aren't scoring. They've been taken out of their game. The superstars aren't discernible right now. And we're two losses away from the biggest collapse in Fort Wayne sports history, if you ask me.

Here's audio from Sims: Download sims_game_2_loss.WMA

Audio from Lovell after his game-winner: Download jamie_lovell_game_2.WMA

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The right call was made

PORT HURON, Mich. -- I watched replay of the controversial Konstantin Shafranov third-period shot about 20 times, at various speeds, with many people who know hockey. We all agreed, it hit the crossbar.

So, we have a 2-2 tie and overtime.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Tied at 2 and it's tense

PORT HURON, Mich. -- In a tense Game 2 of the Turner Cup Finals, it's tied at 2. The Icehawks just tied it up on a Jeff Zehr power-play goal. A Joe Markusen shot came his way and it redirected off Zehr's glove and in. I guess it should have counted because it didn't seem like he intended to redirect it and referee Bob Langdon, who I wish could call every game of the series, didn't hesitate in ruling it a goal, even as the Komets complained.

It's been pretty chippy. A lot of stuff going on after the whistle. That's why Langdon is great -- he lets them play the game.

By the way, Larry Sterling is such a hothead in goal. He's dirty and he never seems to stop yapping at the officials. Were I an Icehawks fan, I'd love it. I bet the Komets fans are sick of watching him, though.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

How you know it's small ice

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Yes, the McMorran Arena ice surface is 15 feet shorter than regulation. Every time I'm up here, I reminded of that so quickly.

You can tell because those races for iced pucks are so much shorter. Also, any time you play the puck, you pretty much have to be checked; it can't be avoided. Power plays seem longer because when the short-handed team clears the zone, it comes right back in. The neutral zone is tiny.

What do you have to do to win here? You can't make dumb passes because any mistake will be amplified. You have to be physical in the corners. And you absolutely have to keep traffic out from in front of your net because the goalie's going to be busy.

There are some empty seats here, but it's probably a sellout crowd. (Capacity is 3,262.)

• By the way, Ben Smith is blogging from the game.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Lots and lots of people ... for McMorran Arena

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Greetings and salutations from McMorran Arena. I will admit, I've been one of the harshest on the normally puny crowds for games up here. But this place is buzzing. There was a ton of people, from Fort Wayne and Port Huron, tailgating in the parking lot. And there was a line of Komets fans out the door. This will be exciting.

By the way, no surprise: Kevin Reiter is starting in net for the Komets and Bob Langdon is the referee.

• The Journal Gazette's coverage from the Komets' Game 1 stumble can be read here.
• Click here to read today's coverage from the Port Huron Times-Herald.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets dominate and oust Fury; bring on Icehawks in the finals

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- The Fort Wayne Komets took care of business early -- they scored three goals on the first six shots -- and they treated it like business as usual after winning 5-1 Saturday night.

In other words, it wasn't the most jubilant locker room I've ever been in, mostly because the Komets felt they could have been playing this way all along.

But they didn't and so we had a more tense series than anyone expected, at least until the Komets won 3-0 on Friday and then whooped up on Muskegon in this one. The Komets won the semifinals series 4-2 and will face the Port Huron Icehawks in the best-of-seven Turner Cup Finals.

That series will begin Friday at Memorial Coliseum, team president Michael Franke said, with the rest of the schedule to be finalized on Monday. You can count on another 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 format though, because of building availabilities.

I can tell you there is some disgruntlement from the Komets' organization that the Coliseum didn't set aside some Saturday night dates for them at this time of year. They've got a point, considering Fort Wayne has missed the postseason only once since 1996. The Komets, and by extension the fans, will pay for the lack of available dates. But I'm sure the Freedom football fans have been happy with the home games.

After dropping the first two road games against the Fury, the Komets dismantled Fury starting goalie Isaac Reichmuth on Saturday. They knew all season long he was weak glove-side and they exploited it, and he was yanked from a third straight start. I'm not sure what Fury coach Bruce Ramsay was thinking starting Reichmuth, after two strong outings by Clayton Pool. But Ramsay did a good job this season with limited talent.

As if Reichmuth doesn't have enough to worry about right now, the Fury's official scorers have him allowing three goals on three shots, even though the unreliable shot clock had six shots on the board when he was yanked. That won't look good on his record.

Speaking of surprise starters, Fort Wayne's Kevin Reiter was solid with 15 saves, one night after Nick Boucher had the 23-save shutout. I was flabbergasted that Boucher didn't start tonight and Fort Wayne coach Al Sims had a grin on his face about the decision before he hopped onto the bus.

By the way, I know some fans wanted to greet the team when it gets back into town. I'm estimating, it'll be back at the Coliseum at about 2 a.m., but, um, don't quote me on it.

Instead of players of the night, here are the players of the series. For Fort Wayne, in order: Mitch Woods, Matt Reynolds, Mathieu Curadeau, Guy Dupuis, Brent Henley, Kevin Bertram, Luciano Aquino. That's right, I think Woods was awesome in this series. For the Fury:  Dan Riedel, Jeff Nelson, Dave Van Drunen, Pool, David Herring, Kyle Kos.

The early feelings are that the series with Port Huron will be physical. And by the way, I thought John Searle called a solid game tonight. So that makes two well officiated games in a row.

And how about Sims? A year ago, he was out of a job. Now he's in the finals.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Complete and utter dominance ... so far

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Even in a season of much dominance, I haven't seen the Komets be this commanding too often.

They scored three goals on their first six shots and are up 3-0 late in the first period against the Muskegon Fury, which has been outshot 10-1. Goaltender Isaac Reichmuth, a surprise starter for the Fury, was yanked after those three goals.

The Komets are all over them in every respect. The Fury looked asleep early on; it was unable to even clear the puck from its own zone.

However, let's remember, the Komets have blown two-goal leads in their previous two trips up here, both losses.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Big brother is actually watching ... the bus break down

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- All through these playoffs, I've been wondering why no high-ranking members of the International Hockey League were at the games evaluating things like the officiating.

Well, tonight, vice-president of hockey operations Brad Jones is attendance for Game 6, with the Komets leading the Muskegon Fury 3-2. The referee, as many predicted, is John Searle. So, I'm setting the over/under on power plays at 16.

Meanwhile, as I was making my third drive up to Muskegon in a week, I was thinking, "Hmm, I haven't see the Komets' bus broken down yet and that always happens this time of year." Sure enough, then I pass the team bus on the side of the road. Apparently, a window blew out on the trip, giving coach Al Sims a windy ride. They're trying to fix it now.

By the way -- Kevin Reiter will be in net for the Komets, even though Nick Boucher had the shutout Friday.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets lose 6-5, semifinals series evened at 2 games apiece

MUSKEGON, Mich -- Well, that was a horrible game to watch, an interesting game to cover.

The Fort Wayne Komets lost 6-5 to the Muskegon Fury in front of 1,565 fans at mostly vacant L.C. Walker Arena on Wednesday. It evened their best-of-seven semifinals series at two games apiece.

Both teams were understandably frustrated with the officiating. (I want to emphasize these comments came from both locker rooms.) Both teams said they just don't know what constitutes a penalty anymore and that the International Hockey League must get its act together when it comes to putting together a good playoff hockey product.

There were 33 penalties called by referee Kevin Graber. Fort Wayne was 1 for 13 on the power play. Muskegon was 1 for 7. The fans were incensed.

Enough about that, though.

The Komets' top-rated defense turned in one of its worst efforts of the season. It hadn't allowed this many goals since 2007. They were turning the puck over and, even though he stopped only 12 of 18 shots, I don't know how much, if at all, goalie Kevin Reiter was to blame. The game-winning short-handed goal from Jeff Nelson, his third goal of the night, was a little suspect. But Mitch Woods, who was covering him, maybe should have pressured him a bit more before the shot from the right circle, but that's nitpicking one play on a night of many mistakes by almost everyone.

And the Komets must get a hold of their tempers, whether the refereeing stinks or not. Mathieu Curadeau got a spearing major and game misconduct, although he didn't think it was deserved, and that cost Fort Wayne its top two centers because Colin Chaulk was suspended from this game for leaving the bench during a Game 3 fight. With those two out, then David Hukalo took a 10-minute misconduct for complaining about a call. With Hukalo, the league's best defensive player, in the box, the Fury got the game-tying and game-winning goals.

But let's be fair, the Fury is being equally foolish in its actions.

It really all came down to the defense. Fort Wayne's wasn't as good as usual and it cost the Komets.

This is why home-ice advantage is crucial, even in a series with a 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 format. (By the way, have I thanked anyone lately for that jewel?) It's now best-of-three with two games at Memorial Coliseum, beginning Friday, then back here Saturday.

I have no idea which goalie the Komets will go with in Game 5. My gut tells me it'll be Reiter again, though.

The Komets' best player in this game: Brandon Warner, who filled in at forward. I also think Brent Henley has been really good. Other notables for Fort Wayne tonight include Woods, Kevin Bertram and Matt Reynolds. The Fury's best players tonight: Nelson; goalie Clayton Pool, who stopped all 27 shots after Isaac Reichmuth was pulled; Dan Riedel, who the Komets cannot solve; and David Herring.

Initially, I called Komets in five. Now I think this one is going all seven. Why do I think that? The Komets just don't look as composed as they did in the regular season and, truth be told, they haven't the entire playoffs.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Playoff hockey or poppycock?

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- The fans at L.C. Walker Arena, small in number they may be, are awfully restless. I don't blame them a bit.

Through one period of play, referee Kevin Graber has award eight power plays, six in favor of Fort Wayne. Whatever happened to letting the boys play in the postseason?

In a league that's begging for credibility, having both teams and all the fans flabergasted game after game by the officiating, it just doesn't bode well. It's not just the quantity of calls; it's that no one knows what constitutes a penalty anymore.

Rant over -- because the game has been even stranger. The Komets lead 4-3. It's been sloppy. Lots of turnovers by both teams. Some nice offense, I guess, and non-existent defense. At one point, there were four goals in the span of 44 seconds.

Fort Wayne has goals from Mathieu Curadeau, Luciano Aquino, Sergei Durdin and David Hukalo. Goalie Revin Reiter hasn't got much help and allowed the three goals on five shots.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Reiter in net -- for a 2nd straight game

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Greetings from L.C. Walker Arena, where it seems the Komets are straying from their much successful goaltender rotation to ride the hot hand in Game 4 of their semifinals series against the Muskegon Fury. In other words, Kevin Reiter is expected to start tonight. He is 2-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. Nick Boucher, who is 0-1, has a 4.07 GAA and a .778 save percentage.

So far, this place is empty. Speaking of empty, check out this picture from Flint, Mich., the other night.

• Because Fort Wayne center Colin Chaulk was suspended by the league one game for leaving the bench during an altercation Sunday, the Komets have to play one man short of a full 19-player lineup tonight.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

A second look

To see the mid-game fracas between Nick Boucher and Kevin Bertram, click here. It's tough to judge a lot since we can't hear what's being said, but I tell you: I'd sit Bertram for a night after this. It's just silly.

Fighting, a disputed goal and a whole lotta penalties lead to Game 2 loss

MUSKEGON Mich. -- So let's delve into the most important question first. If two teammates get into a fight, should they get penalties for, say, unsportsmanlike conduct?

Personally, I think so. But they didn't.

During the Komets' 4-3 loss to the Muskegon Fury in Game 2 of the International Hockey League semifinals Saturday, there was a little tiff between goaltender Nick Boucher and defenseman Kevin Bertram. It happened after Boucher allowed a goal on which he said he was screened by Bertram.

"On that play, I was screened by my own guy," Boucher said. "And I said, not very nicely, for him to stay out of my way. You saw the rest of it."

The rest included a couple of punches from Bertram, who couldn't be found for comment. Then the linesmen had to separate them.

Boucher said they'll put it behind them.

"When you're battling in the heat of the moment, things like that can happen and let's chalk it up to that."

But that wasn't the only strange occurrence. How about 20 power plays? Three goals on 5-on-3 power plays for the Fury? Typical Jim Hawthorne officiated game, eh?

Yup, the Komets were focusing on one thing after this game -- staying out of the penalty box come Game 3 on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum. (I hate to belabor the point, but is Hawthorne the best the IHL could come up with? There were two games tonight? In the semifinals?) Anyway, the Komets did dominate the even-strength play.

On the winning goal, which came from Rafal Martynowski, after the Fury recovered from a two-goal deficit, the Komets claim it shouldn't have counted. The puck slipped by Boucher and Matt Reynolds swept the puck away from the goal line, the Komets believe, before it crossed the goal line. I didn't get a good look myself, so I'll leave that to their vision.

All totaled, this has been one weird series. And it could get weirder: I don't think I've seen the Komets as tight as they were after this game. Somebody had better pull a prank or something to get them laughing again.

The players of the game for Fort Wayne, in order: David Hukalo, Guy Dupuis, P.C. Drouin, Justin Hodgman, Kevin Hansen, Terry Marchant. For Muskegon: Dan Reidel, Mark Cadotte, Bill Zalba, Jeff Nelson, Isaac Reichmuth.

For Sims' postgame interview: Download sims_after_game_2.WMA

For Boucher's postgame interview: Download boucher_after_game_2.WMA

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Now I've really seen it all

Thought coach Al Sims getting tossed from Game 1 was weird? How about this?

After Muskegon scored, to trim the Komets' lead to 3-2, Fort Wayne goaltender Nick Boucher and defenseman Kevin Bertram came to blows for a couple of seconds in the second peroid. I don't have the benefit of replay and don't know exactly what happened, but I'm guessing Boucher was peeved he was screened on the goal and it blossomed from there. Anyway, strange to see linesmen separating teammates.

Fort Wayne has goals from Mitch Woods and David Hukalo, who stole the puck from Jeff Nelson and scored on a breakaway, in this period.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets lead 1-0, as half-empty arena looks on

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- The Komets look good yet again and lead the Muskegon Fury 1-0, after Terry Marchant scored off a rebound late in the first period.

The Komets, who lead the series 1-0, still haven't allowed a goal to the Fury.

L.C. Walker Arena is pretty empty, I'm sad to say.

There have been a lot of penalties -- nine thru one period -- but Jim Hawthorne is the referee, so what would you expect? Although, I haven't disagreed with much that's he's called. But it is amazing that when he walks into the building, you can't go five minutes without a call.

• Click here to read as The Flint Journal continues to poke fun at the Komets, for some weird reason. While you're there, check out Jeff Zehr's dirty hit on Kris Mallette, which has made that Flint vs. Port Huron series, led 1-0 by Port Huron, awfully interesting.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Goalie swap: Let the drama begin

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Greetings from L.C. Walker Arena. And thanks to the Fury organization for putting up a makeshift press box for the visiting media. Nice to not be hitting my head on girders.

Remember before the playoffs, when I waxed poetically about how a goaltender rotation might not be such a smart idea, especially if Kevin Reiter played well in Game 1? Well, call me a prognosticator because Reiter had a shutout in Game 1 and word is Nick Boucher will go in Game 2 tonight.

I get it. I really do. Alternating has worked all season long. But this is playoff hockey. You don't mess with a winning streak. If the Komets lay an egg tonight, coach Al Sims will have to kick himself for making the move.

All that being said, Boucher is solid. I have no reason to think, if he does indeed play, that he won't be excellent.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Bookmark these things

Check out the redesigned Komets Korner page. Particularly cool are the archives on the left side of the page.

In other news, the Komets will receive the Huber Trophy as regular-season champions of the International Hockey League on April 13. And the Komets will play their first two home playoff games, against an opponent yet to be determined, on April 18 and 20 at Memorial Coliseum.

As for tonight's game at the Coliseum, when the Komets will go after their 23rd straight home victory, which would be a new IHL record, the Kalamazoo Wings will be without coach Brian Curran. He was injured this morning after colliding with a player in practice. The Wings will be coached by general manager Wade Welsh and injured center Glenn Detulleo. (No one in the press box seems to know if Welsh has any playing experience, by the way.)

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The comeback that ... wasn't to be

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Fort Wayne Komets played a scrappy game but came up just short, losing 5-4 to the Kalamazoo Wings in a shootout during the annual Green Ice Game in honor of St. Patrick's Day at Wings Stadium.

Why scrappy? They were without their top two centers, Colin Chaulk (flu) and Mathieu Curadeau (groin). The Wings got two goals when the puck deflected off Fort Wayne players in front, another when goalie Nick Boucher was screened by his own man and a fourth after defenseman Brent Henley tripped and coughed up the puck behind his net.

The Komets' bounces weren't nearly as lucky.

However, Fort Wayne scored twice late in the third period to force overtime -- that's three third-period comebacks in a row -- and those goals came from Luciano Aquino and Konstantin Shafranov. But the Komets couldn't get it done in the shootout this time. Ryan Markham had the only shootout goal, as Fort Wayne's winning streak was snapped at 10 games.

No big deal, really, considering the Komets had wrapped up the regular-season championship in their previous game. There was no letdown in their effort Monday, which was a good sign for their fans.

Here's a question: It's Game 7 of the Turner Cup Finals. Which Komets goaltender do you go with? I'm picking Nick Boucher instead of Kevin Reiter.

I'd like to thank those who got onto the chat session tonight. Too bad internet problems prevented me from being on it as much as I would have liked. On that note, though, I would like to thank the Wings Stadium staff that worked so hard to try and get it fixed. Hopefully next time I'm up here, we'll have high-speed again.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Technical difficulties

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- We are having some internet problems up here at Wings Stadium. Bear with us if you want to do the chat; I will be back when I can.

Komets lead 2-1 in the first period, thanks to goals from Evgeny Saidachev and P.C. Drouin.

Colin Chaulk isn't playing because of the flu.

Be back when I don't have to borrow Pam Shebest's computer. Thanks Kalamazoo Gazette!

And the lead gets bigger

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Komets got two power-play goals, and another just three seconds after a power play expired, and they came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Kalamazoo Wings 4-2 on Sunday.

It was the Komets' 10th victory in 12 games against the Wings.

And while the final moments were marked by some gritty play -- Fort Wayne's Kevin Bertram continually battled with Tyler Willis, and Brent Henley was ejected with less than a second left for cross-checking Willis -- the luster appears to be off this rivalry.

For a team that had such a grueling travel schedule, the Komets looked sharp and took five of a possible six points this weekend. Of course, the Wings were playing two men short due to injuries.

The Komets' lead over second-place Flint is a whopping 18 points.

• Komets coach Al Sims admitted to having to make sure his team is properly motivated every night. That's not necessarily easy when you have such a substantial lead in the standings. He said the Komets must make sure to measure themselves against their own standards, not by the rest of the league's.
• There was an interesting call in the third period; Fort Wayne's Sergei Durdin got a penalty for clipping Glenn Detulleo. That's an uncommon call, but I did think that Durdin caught him pretty low and it looked to be on the fringe of dangerous. I was in the minority in my area of the press box, though.
• Fort Wayne now has the top-rated power play in the league at 19.7 percent efficiency.
• Here's a question: If you had to pick, what's the Komets' weakness? I have a lot of trouble coming up with a single one. But if I had to choose, I guess I'd wonder if they're physical enough at the forward position. It couldn't hurt to have more battling in front of the net and grinding in the corners.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Tied at 2 after 2

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Playing their third game in as many days, in as many cities, the Komets had their work cut out for them trailing by two goals early in the second period. But the Komets' top-rated power-play unit struck back. Mathieu Curadeau and Luciano Aquino both scored with the man-advantage and it's tied at 2 after two periods at Wings Stadium.

I continue to be impressed with the Komets' energy, considering the recent schedule. And even though this is closer than the typical game with the Wings, the Kalamazoo goals came off a knuckling shot from Dan Carney, during which Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher was screened, and during a 5-on-3 power play that saw Kory Karlander score.

In other words, the Komets still look like the better team, and they've outshot the Wings 30-22 so far. It should be a good third period.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Back and forth

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- We're scoreless after one period here at Wings Stadium. Hard to believe, considering the way the Komets came out, outshooting Kalamazoo 10-1 in the first eight minutes.

It's been a back-and-forth game, with great goaltending at both ends. The shots are now 13-8, in favor of Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne's Kevin Hansen got a game misconduct for being the third man in a fight between David Hukalo and Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn. As I said recently after Mitch Woods took a similar penalty, I applaud the intent of sticking up for a teammate, but Hukalo helped initiate the fight and it wasn't worth Hansen getting tossed. That being said, it is hard to think about the implications of such a thing when you're in the heat of a game.

The Komets have a lot of energy so far, considering the brutal schedule this weekend. They'll have to keep it up.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Greetings from Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Salutations from Wings Stadium, perhaps the last bastion of free stadium parking in the world. And that is awesome.

Komets coach Al Sims said he's starting Nick Boucher in goal. Even though the Komets have lost three of their last four games, Sims said he's very pleased with the way the team has been playing. Why shouldn't he be? The Komets have taken three of a possible four points this weekend and are taking on a Kalamazoo Wings team today that they've dominated all season long.

I'll be doing color commentary for the Komet Hockey Game of the Week, which will be broadcast Wednesday at 7 p.m., plus Thursday at 4 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Comcast 55 and Verizon 55.

I will continue to blog throughout the game, too.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

What a game. What a loss.

FLINT, Mich. -- The last Komets lost 3-2 to the Flint Generals in overtime on Saturday night.

There are two ways to view this one.

In one sense, it was a bad loss for the Komets because they dominated in most respects, outshooting the Generals 44-31, only to get stoned by goaltender Matt Spezza and cough up the win on two late defensive breakdowns. The goal that forced overtime came on a 2-on-1 for the Generals. The overtime winner, from John DiPace, came after he was left all alone in front of the net to redirect the puck above goaltender Nick Boucher.

On the other hand, to get one point in the standings against the second best team in the International Hockey League, when the Generals had a packed house of 3,362 fans, isn't too shabby.

No matter how you view the loss, the thing that stood out was the last 15 minutes or so of the game, as furious as you'll ever see. It's sort of unbelievable that no one got hurt, what with all the slashing, cross-checking and, yes, head-locking going on out there.

Mathieu Curadeau, who was victimized by a vicious cross-check from Jaroslav Cesky, called it "old school." Brent Henley used the word "ridiculous." Of all referees I wouldn't have expected to let it go on, Jim Hawthorne would have been at the top of the list, but he was the one out there.

Don't get me wrong, I loved watching it. It was amazingly intense and I couldn't take my eyes off it; I was afraid I'd miss something critical. But I'm glad I wasn't playing in that. I'm sure my doctor would be, too.

Anyway, great goaltending duel. Great everything tonight. Can't wait for these teams to meet in the playoffs and somehow I have a feeling they will. And am I the only one who thinks Josef Fojtik deserves the Luch Nasato award for being an unnecessarily dirty Flint player? I can't believe he only has 25 penalty minutes.

By the way, Fort Wayne's Brandon Warner suffered a knee injury in the first period. He won't play Sunday at Bloomington, Ill., coach Al Sims said.

Thanks to everyone who got on for the the chat session during the game. Check out Komets Korner on Sunday for more coverage from this game.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Hello from Flint's pro, not 'Semi-Pro,' rink

FLINT, Mich. -- Greetings from Perani Arena in Flint, where, as usual, it's a bit chilly. It makes me think of the hilarious looking upcoming Will Ferrell movie "Semi-Pro," a spoof on ABA basketball in which he plays for the Flint Tropics. I gotta say, it doesn't feel tropical tonight as I'm wearing my thermals. But hey, it is hockey.

Nick Boucher will be in net for the Komets tonight. So we won't be able to see if Kevin Reiter can redeem himself for the last trip up here, when he was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots. Komets coach Al Sims seems to be just rotating his goalies. Why not.

By the way, the Generals have signed Justin Depretis, who had 58 goals and 93 points in 29 games for the Indiana Ice Miners of the recently defunct Mid-Atlantic Hockey League. The Komets may be sorry they didn't give the kid a look, after he played for Fort Wayne native Brian Gratz. I guess we'll see.

As I mentioned, if you want, I'll keep tabs on the comments section tonight and answer any questions. Fire away, if you're home on a Saturday night.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets, Wings tied at 2

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Late in the first period of an intense game, the Komets and Kalamazoo Wings are tied at 2.

The Wings got goals from Travis Granbois, on a redirection, and Nick Bootland, during a 5-on-3 power play with an open shot from the slot. Fort Wayne's goals came from Luciano Aquino, with a knuckling shot from 15 feet out, and Mathieu Curadeau on a penalty shot.

The penalty shot was well deserved -- although, it took referee Dean Sanborn what seemed like an eternity to call it -- after he was hauled down by Glenn Detulleo. Ironically, the Komets were short-handed at the time because Detulleo was high-sticked by Colin Chaulk.

Komets goalie Nick Boucher looks a bit shaky to me, but he's also not getting any help from his defensemen. And I hate to say it, but the Komets have to whine to the referees more than any team in the league. Seriously, during every stoppage they do it.

If you have any questions during the game, put them in the comments section.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Two in a row? Whoa.

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- The Komets have dropped back-to-back games in regulation for only the second time this season, after losing 5-4 to the Muskegon Fury at L.C. Walker Arena.

As goaltender Kevin Reiter said: "Anyone scores two short-handed goals and you know it's not going to go your way that night."

The Komets were up 3-1 late in the first period, before the Fury got its pair of short-handed goals in a span of 33 seconds. That was the end of Reiter's night -- he stopped 8 of 11 shots -- and that came after he was pulled with one save on three shots in Friday's 5-1 loss at Flint, Mich.

Let me compliment Reiter on his professionalism after a tough weekend -- he didn't decline an interview -- and he also said the right things. He said he didn't play well enough, that he felt badly for throwing backup Nick Boucher into the fire, that sometimes a goalie change is the spark a team needs, and that he'll be ready and better when the next game rolls around Wednesday at Bloomington, Ill.

He chose his words carefully when asked if he agreed with being pulled; but it was clear he would have preferred to stay in the game and battle tonight.

What did coach Al Sims say? "I didn't like the goals we were giving up, so I'm gonna make a change. That's my call."

Sims added, Boucher wasn't immune. The game-winning goal, scored from long range by Sheldon Wing, with Boucher way out of the net, was one Sims felt should have been stopped.

But let's not lay this all on the goalies. The Komets are supposedly the top-rated defensive team in the International Hockey League, or that's what the statistics read, yet they looked lost at times without David Hukalo and Mathieu Curadeau in the lineup. (Both should be back Wednesday.) And even though they claimed it was in the line of being aggressive, all the stick-handling in front of their own net should make any Fort Wayne fan very nervous.

So this should all be a lesson to the Komets that they have a long way to go. And I have to believe the Fury is the team they'd like least to see in the playoffs -- Fort Wayne is 1-3-1 at L.C. Walker Arena and just gets flummoxed by the Fury.

But when you think about it, aren't our standards high? Two losses and it seems like the world is caving in. Maybe not, but three in a row would be bad.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Not the Quiznos

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Greetings from snowy Muskegon, where the Komets will be trying to erase the bad memories of Friday's 5-1 loss at Flint, Mich. The Komets will go with goaltender Kevin Reiter, who was yanked after allowing two goals on three shots at Flint.

Make sure you check out Bob Chase's interview between the second and third periods on WOWO, 1190 AM, with forward Olivier Legault. Due to a case of mistaken identity, Legault was questioned by police before today's game, as he was walking back to the hotel from Quiznos Subs. Good thing he had his identification with him and, presumably, the police weren't Fury fans.

Meanwhile, the Komets will again be without forwards David Hukalo (flu) and Mathieu Curadeau, who was called up by Worcester of the American Hockey League.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Guess who didn't come to play

FLINT, Mich. -- Plain and simple, the Komets didn't come to play tonight. The Flint Generals did. The result: a lopsided 5-1 victory in favor of the Generals, who pulled to within seven points of the league-leading Komets.

Fort Wayne coach Al Sims, as you can hear if you listen to the audio at the end of this post, said he continually warned his team not to take the Generals lightly. The message apparently didn't sink in.

The Komets were out-hustled and out-mustled at the beginning of the game and were unable to recover. Though they improved after the first 10 minutes or so, wow, they gave up a ton of odd-man rushes and breakaways. The best player on the ice may have been Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher, who had missed the previous 14 games with a groin injury.

After he came in, the first shot he faced was a breakaway. The second was a penalty shot. He stopped them both, but then gave up a goal to Jarred Dumba. Boucher went on to stop 28 of 31 shots, after starter Kevin Reiter stopped 1 of 3.

The penalty shot still had people scratching their heads in the Fort Wayne locker room, especially because referee Bob Landon supposedly told the Komets it was because Sergei Durdin pulled Michel Beausoliel down at the blue line. Maybe so, but Beausoliel still got up, got almost in the clear again and got a clean shot on goal. How can that be cause for a penalty shot? Anyway, that part didn't matter in the end.

This game should serve as a reminder to the Komets, the Generals have plenty of time to overtake them in the standings. They can't have hiccups like tonight if they want to win a championship.

I wonder if not having David Hukalo and Mathieu Curadeau in the lineup rattled the Komets' confidence defensively? I also wonder if Reiter is a little less comfortable knowing he's got competition for playing time again. And did all the time off affect Brent Henley's right hook? I doubt all counts, but maybe we should watch these things Saturday at Muskegon, Mich.

To hear Sims' audio: Download sims_after_51_loss.WMA

To hear Boucher audio: Download boucher_postgame_interview.WMA

• Former Komets goalie Kevin St. Pierre suffered a season-ending wrist injury with Tulsa of the Central Hockey League.
• There were competing blogs at tonight's Komets game. Here's what The Flint Journal's Brendan Savage had to say.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Henley got away with one, or two

FLINT, Mich. -- Late in the second period, the Komets trail the Flint Generals 4-0.

The real excitement in this period came when John DiPace sent Fort Wayne's Brent Henley into the boards. Henley responded by cross-checking him from behind, into the ice, then sucker-punching him. Later, after DiPace said something to him, Henley threw more punches. Amazingly, Henley got two minor penalties for roughing -- about one misconduct and one minor less than he deserved -- and DiPace got a minor for boarding. I don't mean to discount the boarding, but Henley really got away with some stuff there.

On the ensuing power play, Jason Cirone scored.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Whoa, that was a bad start

FLINT, Mich. -- The Komets trail the Flint Generals 3-0 late in the first period and have been beaten about every which way. They gave up their goals in the first 3:25, saw starter Kevin Reiter get pulled and Brent Henley and Olivier Legault both got handled in their fights.

Reiter was yanked after giving up two goals on the first three shots and it looked like coach Al Sims was just going to give him a breather, but then Nick Boucher stopped a penalty shot from Michel Beausoliel and he's looked decent since. The Komets' defense? Not so much.

The penalty shot was a farce, I thought, because Beausoliel was never in the clear and still got a good attempt off. The referee is Bob Langdon, by the way.

Henley fought Kris Mallette and it looked more like a wrestling match than anything. Legault tussled with Ryan Jorde, who celebrated by throwing his arms in the air when he came off the ice. That was tacky when he played for the Komets and it still is.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Who are these guys?

FLINT, Mich. -- After missing 14 games with a groin injury, goaltender Nick Boucher is back in the lineup. After missing 10 games with head/neck/shoulder injuries, defenseman Kevin Hansen is also on the ice for the Komets, who take on the Flint Generals tonight. Forward Olivier Legault is also out there, after sitting three games.

That's the good news.

But the Komets are without forward David Hukalo, who has the flu and also won't play Saturday at Muskegon, Mich. Center Mathieu Curadeau remains on call-up with Worcester of the American Hockey League, though he should be back Monday.

To make room for Boucher, the Komets placed seldom-used goalie Corey Wogtech on injured reserve.

For the third time this season, Bloomington lost a star player to Europe. Jarrod Skalde, a former NHL player, will play in Austria. As an outsider looking in, one of two things has to be going on: Someone in the region is recruiting players away from the league, particularly Bloomington; or the players don't like the coach.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

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