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

Reiter comments on move to England

Kevin Reiter said the decision to leave the Komets to play for the Basingstoke Bison of the Elite League was a difficult one but he's looking forward to the excitement of the move.

"I've never been to Europe and it's something I've wanted to do," he said. "I wanted to parlay my success into an opportunity. It wasn't for the money or because I wanted more playing time. It's just something different and something new."

While playing, he will take classes toward a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Winchester.

"I've had friends that played (in Europe) and old coaches who have said, 'Oh, you've got to get over there and try it if you can,'" Reiter said, adding he turned down a couple of offers, including one from a team in France.

Reiter liked that the adjustment wouldn't be too drastic, going to an English-speaking country, close enough for his family to visit.

So what does this mean for the Komets? Expect Nick Boucher, who was the goalie when the Komets captured the Turner Cup, to get the bulk of the playing time, even though the team hasn't ruled out finding a goalie to alternate with him. Boucher, by the way, played a season with Basingstoke.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Reiter not returning to K's

Kevin Reiter, who was selected as the International Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year, will not return for a second season with the Fort Wayne Komets.

He has opted to play in England, according to general manager David Franke.

"We're disappointed," Franke said. "We kept in contact with Kevin, and he had a very good offer in front of him from us. But playing overseas is something Kevin has wanted to do for the last two or three years, and with the season he had with us last year, his value was at the highest point it could be and he wanted to parlay that into a job in Europe."

Reiter couldn't be reached for comment.

Despite his impressive regular-season numbers -- he was 32-10-4 with a 2.34 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and eight shutouts -- Reiter was not in net when the Komets won the Turner Cup. Nick Boucher, who split time with Reiter during the regular season, won the final three games of the playoffs, as Fort Wayne recovered from a 3-1 series deficit to Port Huron.

Boucher has already re-signed with Fort Wayne for the coming season and will, probably, get the bulk of the work.

"We'll find someone we have a lot of faith in. They'll be the backup and this elevates Nick into the No. 1 position, and I doubt we'll be in a rotation system," Franke said. "But it does depend on what we find and there may be an alternating system again."

Meanwhile, defenseman Kevin Hansen has signed a two-year contract to play for Tulsa of the Central Hockey League, Franke confirmed.

Ex-Komets are everywhere

Former Komets player Mike Butters, who played for the team from 1989 to 1991, was named general manager of the American Hockey League's Norfolk Admirals. The selection was made by the Admirals' parent club, the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

• Former Komets forward Blake Stewart, the journeyman of the International Hockey League, has re-signed with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder.
• Aaron Wilson, a short-timer with the Komets, has signed with Muskegon.
• Chris Busby, who spent time with the Komets, has retired.
• Sean Venedam, the popular former Komets forward, is in the blogosphere. Click here to read an entry about recently deceased ex-Komet Rob Guinn.
• For those wanting an update on Jason Baird, the recently signed Muskegon player who was burned over 60 percent of his body when a lawnmower he was riding exploded, click here. To read the news account of what happened, click here.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Hukalo re-signs with Komets

David Hukalo pondered retirement -- no, he doesn't know what he'll do post-hockey -- but a return to the Fort Wayne Komets for at least one more year was too good to pass up.

Winning a championship last season was too much fun. Having a pain-free body was too delightful.

Why not give it one more go-around?

"Yeah, let's do it one more year and see what happens," Hukalo said, after re-signing with the Komets on his 30th birthday, Monday. "If I go beyond this season will depend on how my body holds up. But last year, I didn't have any major injuries, which was quite a change from the few years before that.  ... If I played, I didn't want to go anywhere else but here. This is home."

Hukalo was selected as the International Hockey League's Best Defensive Forward last season, a year after winning the same honor with the Komets in the United Hockey League. His offensive production en route to regular-season and playoff championships made Hukalo even more valuable to the Komets, who brought him back for his sixth season with the team.

"We expect him to move up and play on the second line," general manager David Franke said. "Due to his breakout season, we know he can do it offensively and defensively. He's an important part of the hockey club, a key to us winning championships."

Hukalo had career highs in goals (20), assists (24) and points (44) in 70 games last season.

His return gives the Komets nine players, including seven from last season -- forwards Hukalo, Colin Chaulk, P.C. Drouin and Konstantin Shafranov, defensemen Guy Dupuis and Kevin Bertram, plus goaltender Nick Boucher.

"That's a bunch of older, veteran guys," Hukalo said, "and to have them back with their winning traits, it's good. They know how to play, how to win, and it's good to have that group back."

The Komets also determined their three-game exhibition schedule: They will play host to the Bloomington PrairieThunder on Oct. 8 at Memorial Coliseum, play at Kalamazoo, Mich., on Oct. 10, then finish a home-and-home series against the Wings on Oct. 11.

Fort Wayne's regular season begins Oct. 17 at Port Huron, Mich.

• Franke said Luciano Aquino, who played last season with the Komets, will attended a prospect camp with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. ... Franke is also still hopeful goalie Kevin Reiter will re-sign with the Komets.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

More shocking news from the IHL; update on Reiter

It's uncanny how bad news always comes in threes. Recently signed Muskegon forward Jason Baird was critically injured in a landscaping accident near Youngstown, Ohio, the Fury said in a statement.

Click here for the team's release. Here's more from Greg Rajan.

This comes less than a week after ex-Komets defenseman Rob Guinn died at 32 in a car accident and former Komets player Hartley McLeod died at 81.

For more uplifting news: I ran into goaltender Kevin Reiter, and he said it's still possible he will return to the Komets to split time with goalie Nick Boucher. Reiter is very interested in playing in Europe, though, but intimated that if he plays in North America, it will be in Fort Wayne.

I'd put the chances of his return at 50 percent.

As for those who keep saying there's some sort of rift between Reiter and Boucher -- no way. When Boucher re-signed with Fort Wayne, one of his first calls was to Reiter, and he hopes the championship pair is reunited.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Updates, we've got updates

I have some more updates on the Komets' front.

• The Komets are still hopeful they can sign goaltender Kevin Reiter, who couldn't be reached for comment, but general manager David Franke said he's also getting interest from Europe.
• Forward Mitch Woods has signed with Cincinnati of the ECHL, Franke said.
• Playoff MVP Justin Hodgman has been invited to a second rookie camp by the Minnesota Wild, Franke said, and the Wild now has his NHL rights. If he doesn't stick, he'll probably go back to juniors.
• Right wing Luciano Aquino is trying to get a two-way contract with an NHL team or an AHL contract; in other words, he's trying to play at a higher level than the International Hockey League. "We want him back," Franke said, "but on a scale of 1 to 10, it's probably only a 4 or 5 that it happens."
• The Komets would very much like to get center Mathieu Curadeau back but they haven't had much discussion with his agent. Curadeau, too, would like to play at a higher level.
• The Komets are hopeful to have forward Olivier Legault back, too, but that has stalled somewhat.
• Right wing Evgeny Saidachev has an offer from the Komets, but he's also receiving interest from the Central Hockey League.
• The team has a meeting set up with defenseman Brandon Warner, a Fort Wayne native, and the Komets hope they can sign him soon.
• Defenseman Kevin Hansen is has a meeting set up with the Komets, but I'm hearing he could be CHL bound.
• Defenseman Brent Henley is a question mark; he wants to get a tryout with an NHL team or could wind up in Europe.
• Forward Terry Marchant is unlikely to receive an offer from the Komets.
• Defenseman Ken Dufresne is expected to go to Canadian University.
• THIS ADDED LATE: The Komets are close with David Hukalo, so I expect him to be back.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

K's sign 4, including Dupuis, Boucher

The captain is coming back. The Cup-winning goaltender is, too.

Among the Fort Wayne Komets' four signings Tuesday were longtime defenseman Guy Dupuis, who captained the team to their Turner Cup playoff championship last season, and Nick Boucher, who was the netminder in the last three games as the Komets recovered from a 3-1 series deficit against the Port Huron IceHawks.

The team also signed physical right wing Brad MacMillan and rookie defenseman Danko Mironovic.

For the 38-year-old Dupuis, it will be his 19th season in the professional ranks, his 12th with the Komets. Last season, he tallied 15 goals and 58 points in 69 games and was selected as the International Hockey League's Defenseman of the Year. He took the same honor with the Komets the previous season in the United Hockey League.

Boucher, 27, was 24-2-4 with a 2.32 goals-against average in the regular season, while splitting time with Kevin Reiter, who won the IHL's Goaltender of the Year award. In the playoffs, Boucher went 5-2 with a 2.09 GAA.

"My wife's going to be attending law school in Chicago, so it made sense for both of us to stay in the Midwest," said Boucher, who turned down offers to play in Europe. "It's pretty well known in minor-pro hockey that they treat their players well in Fort Wayne. It was a no brainer and wasn't a hard decision on my part to want to come back."

The Komets are still talking with Reiter about a return, an idea Boucher supports.

"I would love to play with him again," Boucher said. "We both enjoyed having each other as partners. Whether it's Kevin or another guy, with the way the (76-game) schedule is, it's not a bad thing to have two guys who can play. Look at last season, I was out for a month with an injury, so it's good to have another guy you can look to."

Neither Reiter nor general manager David Franke couldn't be reached for comment.

MacMillan, 25, played five games last season with Trois of the semi-pro Ligue Nord Americaine de Hockey, tallying two goals and three points. In 52 games with Missouri of the UHL in 2005-06, he had seven goals, 12 points and 230 penalty minutes in 52 games.

Mironovic, 21, who is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, had seven goals, 22 points and 80 penalty minutes with Vaughan, a junior team, last season.

The Komets have eight players under contract, including forwards Konstantin Shafranov, P.C. Drouin and Colin Chaulk, plus defenseman Kevin Bertram, all of whom were on last season's team.

"As many guys as we can sign from last season's team, the better," Dupuis said. "We had good chemistry in the dressing room and obviously a lot of talent, with good character. To me, the more we can sign from last year, the better. So far so good. I've seen teams that had lots of talent and didn't mesh o the ice, but we had a lot of talent and we meshed. Don't break a good thing.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Durdin leaving

Click here to read Mike Rothstein's story on Sergei Durdin's departure.

Drouin's back in Fort Wayne -- for good

P.C. Drouin has had a home in Fort Wayne for years, so I figured his re-signing with the Komets was because of comfort and convenience.

It turns out it's more than that -- he's linking the future of his hockey career to this town, to the Fort Wayne Komets.

He just likes the place so darn much.

"It was a very easy decision," Drouin said, after re-signing with the Komets on Thursday. "I wanted to come back and that was my plan the whole way. I had such a great year and want a chance to repeat that. I want to finish my career here. I knew that a long time ago. But now it's definitely more certain. You won't see me going anywhere (else)."

Asked how long he'll continue to play, Drouin plans to take it "year to year."

A former NHL player with the Boston Bruins, this will be his fourth season with the Komets since 2004. After starting the season in Europe, he joined the Komets last November and was a key component in sparking them to regular-season and playoff championships. He had 23 goals and 74 points in 62 regular-season games, then three goals and seven points in 13 playoff games.

Drouin, 34, recently became an agent with Three Rivers Insurance Group.

He and center/assistant coach Colin Chaulk are the only players signed for next season, though head coach Al Sims will be back, too.

• The Flint Generals have given their head-coaching job to Peter South, who was one of the three assistants that ran the team after Kevin Kerr was fired last season. South is a former scout with the Komets, who coached them in one game and then raided their roster with big contract offers. He did decent job with the Generals, who made the playoffs and lost in the first round, but I'm surprised the team didn't go for someone with a more proven track record. But maybe that team can improve with some stability behind the bench.
• Still no progress on Youngstown's possible entrance to the IHL. Click here to read more. Despite some reports to the contrary, adding the SteelHounds to the IHL's ranks would be great. I would add a new partner that fits well geographically, has a good arena and decent ownership group. And we don't really want to go another season with just six teams, two of them likely bad, do we? I'm not reading to much into the SteelHounds' rift with the Central Hockey League. What kind of morons really thought that travel and possible subsidization of it by the league would work? Youngstown and the IHL makes sense and will work. But someone need to let owner Herb Washington in on the skill of the IHL.
• Welcome back to one of my favorite bloggers -- Greg Rajan -- who was without a team to cover in Corpus Christi, Tex., for what? Ten minutes. He used to be one of those guys who bashed the IHL with no credible evidence, but we here at Ice Chips have whipped him into shape.
• The Chicago Wolves won the American Hockey League's Calder Cup. If Wolves coach John Anderson, the former Komets player who has been the most overlooked coaching prospect in, perhaps, all of sports, doesn't get an NHL job, there is no justice in the sports world. Oh, wait, we already know there isn't.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Drouin back

P.C. Drouin has re-signed with the Komets. I will have more later today.

Seems like Drouin's coming back

I ran into Colin Chaulk and P.C. Drouin at the Mad Anthonys Charity Classic for Children on Monday. They looked like twins, with their matching black-and-orange golf shirts -- not the best choice for the 90-degree weather, I'd say.

Anyway, I told Drouin fans were abuzz with talk about if and when he would be re-signing with the Turner Cup champion Komets. (For the record, Chaulk is the only player already under contract.)

Drouin said the answers were: "If is probably. When is soon."

I wouldn't buy your jerseys until it's official, but as I've said all along, I'd expect him back.

Meanwhile, I've knocked the International Hockey League and, more critically, it's predecessor, the United Hockey League, countless times in the past. But a couple weeks of covering the Fort Wayne Freedom of the Continental Indoor Football League has taught me the IHL is a more well-oiled machine than I thought.

The Freedom, in case you didn't know, has had ownership changes, coaching changes, payroll issues, and has missed the playoffs. But check this out: The league's best team quit just before the playoffs began, all because Flint, which has an IHL team, didn't show up for a game.

So, knock the Franke family and this league all you want, they do things pretty well and we sometimes forget that.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

More stories, more pictures, more fun

Click here to read a column by yours truly. And click here for coverage of the end-of-season party, with pictures galore.

Look out when the Devils come calling

As Justin Hodgman signed all sorts of autographs at the Komets' annual end-of-season party, he divulged he's already received interest from an NHL team: The New Jersey Devils, who would like to see him at a pre-draft combine.

I'm sure he'll get a few more calls before all is said and done.

About 1,200 fans showed up for the annual party and several Ice Chips readers relinquished the cloak of anonymity their screen names provide, so thank you for that.

Hodgman was still glowing from his triple-overtime Turner Cup-clinching goal.

"The celebration in the dressing room was something, but I can't let you in on most of the antics," he said. "But it was amazing. You see that stuff on TV and to be a part of it in person, it was unbelievable."

Asked what players would be back next season, general manager David Franke said: "Colin Chaulk is is under contract and that's all I can tell you about right now."

So, he's intimating others have already agreed.

I've heard Cup-winning goalie Nick Boucher is interested in coming back and, no, that doesn't mean Kevin Reiter couldn't come back, too. Guy Dupuis, David Hukalo and P.C. Drouin are, in my opinion, likely to return. And Olivier Legault, Mitch Woods and Brandon Warner are also strong possibilities, I think.

This doesn't mean these guys are for sure and it doesn't mean some of your other favorites won't be back. We've seen too much happen in recent summers to get caught up in predicting rosters.

Hope you had fun at the party and that you didn't drain your bank account in merchandise.

-- 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

Chaulk suspended 1 game

The International Hockey League has suspended Komets center Colin Chaulk for one game for leaving the bench during an altercation in Sunday's 7-3 victory over the Muskegon Fury.

Chaulk will miss Wednesday's game at Muskegon, Mich., so I would expect Evgeny Saidachev to enter the lineup. The Komets lead the semifinals series 2-1.

Chaulk left the bench to discuss a negated goal with referee Brett Klosowski, not to join the melee behind the Muskegon net, which is why he didn't get the 10-game suspension required by the rule book for leaving the bench to join an altercation.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

That looked more familiar: K's win 7-3

In a game that looked more like a Fort Wayne Komets game of the regular season, they defeated the Muskegon Fury 7-3 on Sunday night, giving them a 2-1 series lead in the playoff semifinals.

It basically was decided in three areas: The power play was solid, going 3 for 8; the Komets got lots of traffic in front of the net; and they were relentless at both ends of the ice, outshooting the Fury 54-22, including 41-8 through two periods.

Game 4 will be Wednesday at L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Mich.

The Komets believe that, after throwing so much on net through the first three games, that Muskegon goaltender Isaac Reichmuth finally got fatigued and flustered. He was yanked after two periods.

• Komets coach Al Sims is confident Colin Chaulk will get only a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during a 10-player melee. I think he's being a bit presumptuous, though. Chaulk, who wasn't available for comment, was apparently wanting to ask referee Brett Klosowski why a goal had been negated earlier. If you see my previous post, however, the rule book states a 10-game suspension is mandatory. Sure, there's always interpretation and there is precedent: Bloomington's Don Parsons got one game for something similar this season. But you never know how the league is going to react to something like this. I expect one game, too, though two wouldn't surprise me. Neither would no suspension, I guess.
• I asked Sims if he's thought about straying from his goalie rotation so he could go with 2-0 Kevin Reiter on Wednesday and he said he hasn't thought about it yet. I would go with Reiter at least until he loses.
• Anyone else surprised, during that second-period scrum, that Kevin Hansen didn't drop the gloves and fight Justin Rohr? It would have been long-awaited payback for Rohr's hit-from-behind that knocked Hansen out for a month early in the season.
• Chaulk's point-scoring streak ended at 11 games.
• What a weird series, eh? Sims getting ejected. A weird OT goal. A fight between teammates. A game-winning goal that may never have gone in. A player getting booted for leaving the bench, when he didn't even want to fight. Fans getting into it, with players and themselves, behind the bench at both arenas. What could happen next?

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

No changes to roster

As expected, the Komets didn't pick up anyone in the International Hockey League waiver draft on Tuesday. The two players Fort Wayne exposed, defenseman Maxsim Shirokov and goaltender Shawn Degagne, weren't picked up and thus become free agents. The only two moves: Flint grabbed former Muskegon player Chris Kovalcik and Muskegon picked up former Port Huron player Mike Olynyk. In other news, Fort Wayne's Kevin Reiter won IHL Goaltender of the Month and Luciano Aquino took Rookie of the Month.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Shirokov, Legault off the playoff roster

As I predicted, the Komets have left defenseman Maxsim Shirokov and forward Olivier Legault off their playoff roster. Shirokov will be available to other teams in a Tuesday waiver draft. Because Legault was placed on a non-roster spot, the Komets will retain his rights.

For most of this season, Shawn Degagne occupied the Komets' non-roster spot. He was the goalie who injured his shoulder before the season began and was ultimately replaced by Nick Boucher. Degagne will also be available to other teams.

The Komets can carry 19 players, plus two amateurs, during the playoffs. The amateurs will be Justin Hodgman and a new addition, defenseman Ken Dufresne, who had three goals and 32 points with Terrebonne in juniors.

The Komets will be unable to add any players in the playoffs, even if they lose, say, 10 players to injury. There is one exception: if they lose two goaltenders to injury, they can add an emergency goalie at that time. That goalie would have to be an amateur, so coach Al Sims' son, Tyler, is not an option.

Meanwhile, the playoff schedule has been finalized:

Game 1, Friday, at Memorial Coliseum, 8 p.m.

Game 2, Saturday, at Muskegon, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3, Sunday, at the Coliseum, 6 p.m.

Game 4, April 23, at Muskegon, 7:30 p.m.

Game 5, April 25, at the Coliseum, 8 p.m. *

Game 6, April 26, at Muskegon, 7:30 p.m. *

Game 7, April 29, at the Coliseum, 7:30 p.m. *

* if necessary

Now, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for the negotiations about this 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 schedule. The Komets could have fought for a 2-3-2 format, but that would have left Muskegon with fewer weekend dates and that's where the money really is. So, and those who say Fort Wayne is bad for the league should take note, it seems the Komets bit the bullet for the financial good of another team. The downside is home-ice advantage is barely discernible here.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Henley called up

Komets defenseman Brent Henley has been called up to Springfield of the American Hockey League. He's expected to play three games before returning to Fort Wayne on Monday.

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

Komets and Hodgman make it official

The Komets have signed forward Justin Hodgman, a 19-year-old forward, who had 37 goals and 80 points in 64 games this season with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.

He is expected to be in the lineup tonight, when the Komets play at Port Huron, Mich.

• Remember when Fort Wayne fans were clamoring for the team to sign Michel Robinson? Well, he quit on his team in Bakersfield -- in the middle of a game. Click here.
• It's just not as much fun writing about a hockey team from Danbury, Conn., if I can't mention ties to organized crime and wire-tapping of phones. But hockey is back in Danbury, where the United Hockey League used to have a team named the Trashers that played against the Komets and was alleged to have coerced an official with the help of UHL commissioner Richard Brosal. As for the new team, it will play in the new Eastern Professional Hockey League. And get this: The general manager is none other than Brendan Tedstone, the 6-foot-5, roughly 375-pound ex-UHL goon.
• The Flint Generals could soon get a boost from the return of goaltender Chad Alban.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Warner back out there

Komets defenseman Brandon Warner returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a knee injury. The Komets played without defenseman Sergei Durdin (neck) and center Mathieu Curadeau (groin).

Defenseman Brent Henley also didn't play due to illness.

• Justin Hodgman, a rookie from Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, skated with the Komets and should sign a contract in the coming days.
• Tyler Sims, the son of Komets coach Al Sims, signed with Reading of the ECHL. He just finished his season at Providence, where he was 13-15-4 with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
• The auction of the Komets' camouflage jerseys, worn March 8, raised $10,304 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
• Oops.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Lots of coverage and cool stuff

Click here to read the front page story.

The game story can be read by clicking here. (Have you noticed the audio and video that now accompanies stories? It's still available at Komets Korner, by the way.)

And perhaps best of all, check out the photo/audio show by Samuel Hoffman and Janelle Sou Roberts by clicking here.

K's make it 19* in a row at home

OK, I'll be the party pooper and ask: Does this record deserve an asterisk?

The Komets won their 19th consecutive home game, 3-2 over the Kalamazoo Wings, eclipsing a franchise record that had stood since 1963-64. But they needed an overtime shootout to do it. There were no shootouts back in 1964 -- just the good old fashioned ties -- and these Komets needed two shootouts during this streak.

I'm not saying I think there should be an asterisk. Depending on how you view the era and the skill, you could argue this modern feat is way more impressive than the one from 1963-64, but it's a fun question.

That being said, whoa, that was a heckuva finish at Memorial Coliseum.

I knew all those early misses by P.C. Drouin were going to be relevant. He had three breakaways early in the game, lost control of the puck on one and got mauled from behind on the others. Sure enough, with the Komets trailing by one late, he netted a goal on a 5-on-3 power play to force overtime. (Stupid penalties by the Wings, by the way, and I had no problem with either being called at that juncture.)

Although, congratulations should go to Terry Marchant, who preserved the tied score by stopping the puck from going across the Fort Wayne goal line in the waning minutes. Drouin scored in the shootout and so did Konstantin Shafranov and the Komets keep on winning.

Next up: The Huber Trophy as regular-season champions. A victory over the Flint Generals at the Coliseum on Saturday, and the Komets will clinch it. And they still have 14 games on their schedule. Yikes.

Also on the horizon: The IHL record for most consecutive home victories, which is 22, set by the Muskegon Mohawks in 1965-66.

• The Komets played without Mathieu Curadeau, who has an injured groin. Also out was Brandon Warner, who has a knee injury.
• Flint's 0-2 since firing Kevin Kerr. Shocker there.
• There was much snickering going on in the press box about this awards thing. Seriously, who are we left with as the top defensive forwards and defensemen if we can't vote for the Komets? This may draw some ire, but I went with Kory Karlander as forward and Nick Tuzzolino as defenseman and I'm not remotely comfortable with either. Most sportsmanlike: Jamie Carroll. The really deserving players: David Hukalo as forward, Guy Dupuis as defenseman and Shafranov as sportsmanlike. Hopefully the people outside of Fort Wayne will catch on.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Hodgman could be coming

The Fort Wayne Komets have been speaking with 19-year-old center Justin Hodgman about signing with the team, but despite a report out of the Erie Times-News, general manager David Franke said nothing's official yet.

"He is a kid that we're looking at, but he still needs to take a physical and no paperwork has been sent into the league," Franke said.

Hodgman, who has 34 goals and 76 points in 71 games with the Erie Otters, could join the Komets next week, Franke said. The Komets are permitted to sign two amateur players who don't count against their 19-man roster limit.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Komets put on a show, grab 18th in a row at home

Aha, I knew it. Despite the statements by some over the last couple of weeks that the record was meaningless, the Komets showed their true colors Saturday night.

After the Komets defeated the Port Huron Icehawks 5-2 for their 18th consecutive home victory, tying a franchise mark set in 1963-64, center Mathieu Curadeau said: "When you get a chance to beat a record like this, for sure the guys were talking about it. Now we're tied with it and so, yeah, we can talk a little bit more openly about it."

The Memorial Coliseum locker room was celebratory Saturday night.

After Sunday's game at Port Huron, Mich., the Komets will have a chance to get sole possession of the record Friday against the visiting Kalamazoo Wings.

Four more home victories would equal the International Hockey League record set by the Muskegon Mohawks in 1964-65.

While it may seem a little pompous of the Komets to be boasting about this mark, bear in mind, they have a 27-point lead in the standings and the way this team stays motivated is by focusing in on milestones and trying to attain them. I don't begrudge them that at all.

• A sellout crowd of 10,462 attended the game. All three sellouts this season have been for games against Port Huron, which led its broadcaster, Dennis Stuckey, to jokingly quip, "It just goes to show you, Port Huron's the biggest draw in the league."
• The referee was Scott Bokal.
• If Fort Wayne defenseman Sergei Durdin doesn't get suspended, I'll be surprised. He deserves one after kneeing right wing Brent Hughes in the second period. Durdin got a major penalty and game misconduct, and he had to fight Jeremy Tucker. Amazingly, the officiating crew didn't know which player had doled out the hit, Komets coach Al Sims said.
• Defenseman Brent Henley returned to the Fort Wayne lineup after serving his five-game suspension for cross-checking Kalamazoo's Tyler Willis. As part of that punishment, the Komets had to play one man short of a 19-player lineup, yet they didn't lose a game. On Saturday, they played with the full 19. Henley came out of the game in the second period with an apparent knee injury but returned.
• Center Terry Marchant was out with an ankle injury and defenseman Brandon Warner was out with a knee injury.
• Forty-five people took the U.S. Army's Oath of Enlistment during the first intermission on U.S. Army night. The Komets wore camouflage jerseys that were sold in a silent auction benefiting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
• P.C. Drouin's goal-scoring streak ended at five games.
• Drouin's jersey went for the most at auction with $963. Mathieu Curadeau's was second at $848. About 10,000 was raised, Komets vice-president Scott Sproat said.
• The Komets are already talking a bit with defenseman Kevin Bertram about returning next season, even though he would qualify as a veteran under IHL rules. Bertram came out of a two-season retirement last summer and remains on active duty with the Fort Wayne Fire Department. Bertram hasn't decided yet if he wants to play next season.
• Anybody looking for a Luciano Aquino Brampton Battalion jersey? Click here.
• Kalamazoo beat up on Muskegon, 8-1. And it looks like things got nasty. Check out the penalties.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Another night, another home win

The Fort Wayne Komets look and feel almost infallible at home these days. A 4-2 victory over the Bloomington PrairieThunder on Friday night was the Komets' 16th straight victory at Memorial Coliseum, two shy of the franchise record set in 1963-64 and six short of the league record set in 1965-66 by the Muskegon Mohawks.

Yeah, it was a two-goal margin in this one, but it wasn't even that close. Both of the PrairieThunder's goals came off deflections, when the Komets let down their guard for a 23-second span. Other than that, the Komets dominated from end-to-end, start to finish.

Brent Henley was out, serving the first game of his five-game suspension for high-sticking Tyler Willis. No problem. The Komets were still plenty physical with three fights, including a Mitch Woods vs. Neil Clark bout after the final buzzer because Clark slashed P.C. Drouin.

The Komets had to play one man short of a 19-player lineup, as part of the Henley suspension. No problem. The Komets still didn't look to have a weak link, or a fatigued one, on the ice. Their power play was 2 for 7.

About the only bad news is that Luciano Aquino, the Komets' leading scorer, who had a goal, could face a suspension. He was booted from the game for attempting to injure a Bloomington player with a high-stick. I doubt he'll get further punishment -- I heard there isn't a good replay of it -- but it could happen.

Fort Wayne plays at Bloomington, Ill., on Saturday.

• The Komets played without Konstantin Shafranov, who has foot and wrist injuries. Also, Brandon Warner remained out with a knee injury.
• PrairieThunder owner Tony Lisman is attempting to transfer ownership of his franchise to Bloomington-based owners, The Pantagraph reported. I've heard that that even if that happens, the PrairieThunder will remain in the IHL. Lisman also owns the Muskegon Fury.
• The IHL's trade deadline passed Friday afternoon with no deals around the league. Shocker.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

All's quiet on the trading front

With the International Hockey League's trading deadline approaching -- it is Friday at 3 p.m. -- the Komets have neither fielded inquiries nor made any.

"There's really no legitimate reason to tinker with the success we've had," general manager David Franke said.

His team leading the IHL with a 36-12-6 record, coach Al Sims agreed.

"It would be hard for us to shop anybody around and say they're not doing their job here," Sims said. "Everybody's pitched in and done what we've expected them to."

The Komets play host to the Bloomington Prairie Thunder on Friday at Memorial Coliseum.

• There has been one trade this week in the IHL: Bloomington sent Donnie Margettie -- yes, the same Margettie who recently got dismantled by Mitch Woods at the Coliseum -- to Port Huron for Neil Clark. Check out this story from the Bloomington Pantagraph. Margettie hasn't played since being concussed by Woods.
• The Komets are now unsure if defenseman Brandon Warner will return from his knee injury for Friday's game.
• Don't forget the Komets' Game of the Week will air tonight at 7, plus Thursday at 4 a.m. and 11 a.m., with yours truly providing color commentary. It will be on Comcast 55 and Verizon 25. It was a different experience for me. As you'll find out, I believe a color guy should let the play-by-play man do his thing, then chime in with important analysis when need be.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

What Jones had to say

Brad Jones, the International Hockey League's vice-president of hockey operations, had this to say about the Henley incident:

“I saw the video and I saw the intent,” said Jones, noting Tyler Willis was hit in the face. “It wasn’t just one cross-check, it was two. And I didn’t see anything going on in the corner to precipitate it.”

It was Jones who gave Henley a five-game suspension.

Henley dsiagrees with five-game suspension

Fort Wayne Komets defenseman Brent Henley admitted to cross-checking Tyler Willis. And Henley expected a suspension. The five-game punishment handed down by the International Hockey League on Tuesday, however, he didn't feel was just.

"I did cross-check him and I did so high. I admit that," Henley said of an incident late in Sunday's 4-2 road victory over the Kalamazoo Wings. "But I didn't hit him in the face. If I had, I would be OK with this. And he's not injured. ... (The suspension) is definitely too many games."

The ruling was made by Brad Jones, the International Hockey League's vice-president of hockey operations, after reviewing videotape that showed Henley delivering a few cross-checks to Willis, a notorious agitator, with less than one second on the clock at Wings Stadium.

"Throughout the game, he had his regular act," Henley said. "When we went into the corner, I got slashed in the groin area, and I have a bruise to prove it."

Komets coach Al Sims, however, didn't have a major gripe with the length of the suspension.

"Everything considered, he's close to being right on the amount of games," said Sims, whose Komets lead the IHL by 18 points. "I'm not up in arms about it."

The Komets will have to skate one man short of a full 19-player lineup in the next five games, Sims said, though defenseman Brandon Warner should be back in the lineup from his knee injury beginning Friday against Bloomington, Ill.

Check Wednesday's editions of The Journal Gazette for more on the Henley suspension.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

I'm back and the MAHL is out

Thanks to Ben Smith for doing his best Dick Grayson impression while I was out of town for a funeral.  By the way, it was interesting to be in the Ft. Lauderdale area in the wake of Richard Zednik's injury, him playing for the Florida Panthers and all. No matter how many times I saw that replay -- and it was many -- it never looked any less gruesome. Frankly, it's hard to believe that stuff doesn't happen more often than it does.

Speaking of funerals, there was one today for the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League, which suspended operations midway through its inaugural season. The Indiana (Penn.) Ice Miners, coached by Fort Wayne native and former Komets goaltender Brian Gratz, were declared league champion with their sick 31-1-0 record.

I asked Gratz a couple weeks ago how they ever lost one game and his answer was: "We hit a lot of posts." Classic.

Anyway, I wonder if the Komets will take a look at any of the players dispersed by that Single-A league.

Heading into tonight's Komets game against Bloomington, the Prairie Thunder has signed for Komets forward Blake Stewart. This is Stewart's fifth team since the Komets controversially cut him in 2005's training camp.

By the way, since I know a couple of you are sadly baffled, Dick Grayson is Robin. That makes me Batman.

-- 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

Curadeau called up

Here's an example of why the Komets' players are enjoying coach Al Sims.

He spent some time the past couple of weeks phoning teams in the higher-level American Hockey League to let them know how his players are doing, to suggest they take a look at some of them.

"I wanted to get their names out," Sims said.

On Tuesday it paid off as the Worcester Sharks of the AHL called up center Mathieu Curadeau, who has 19 goals and 29 points in 40 games with the Komets. Curadeau is a rookie, who is capable at both ends of the ice.

"It's a good opportunity for Mathieu," said Sims, who drove Curadeau to the airport to wish him well.

Curadeau will be in the lineup Wednesday against the Manchester Monarchs, after which Worcester will make a determination on whether it will keep him.

The Komets' next game is Friday at Flint, Mich.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Heroes for Euros

Twice is coincidence. This sure seems like a trend.

Two of the Kalamazoo Wings' top players, Florian Iberer and Dan Tessier, have bolted for Europe. Iberer led all International Hockey League defensemen in scoring with 30 points in 33 games.

This comes after the Bloomington Prairie Thunder lost Sam Ftorek and Cory Laylin to Europe.

So what gives?

It's nothing new for European teams to give lucrative contract offers to players from North America -- although, many end up coming back after their paychecks bounce or don't even arrive -- but maybe the recent departures are just magnified because the IHL has only six teams.

Or, one could argue not everyone is sold on the caliber of play or their safety in a league that's promoting toughness and not appropriately punishing dirty hits like the one Justin Rohr dished out to Kevin Hansen a couple weeks back.

Or, maybe these have been cases of players not happy on league's two worst teams. After all, players aren't jumping ship in Fort Wayne or Flint.

Only time will tell, but it's certainly a situation to be monitored.

• Can't say I'm disappointed the IHL didn't have an All-Star Game this year. Nothing like seeing tight defensive hockey like this gem from the Central Hockey League.
• I hope Kalamazoo is going to sue for pink-eye infringement.
• I wonder what this guy would have thought about the United Hockey League's old month-to-month jersey switcheroos. Great line from writer Greg Wyshynski: "... it flies in the face of the most basic tenets of classic drama: The good guys wear white, the villains wear the dark colors. Well, that was until 'Return of the Jedi' ..."
• As a Red Wings fan, all hail writer George James Malik. See the last line: "If suffocating trap hockey and organizational arrogance equal the formula to capture 'Hockeytown's' title, the boring Wild can keep it. The Wings just keep on winning instead."
• Finally, I need your help. Who do you feel the best fighters in the IHL are and I don't mean guys who have only fought once this season, although you can include Brent Henley. E-mail me at [email protected] or put it in the comments section.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

More changes on Henley front

Defenseman Brent Henley's knee, which has held him out of all but one game this season, is feeling better, Komets general manager David Franke said.

So, arthroscopic surgery has been taken off the docket, for the time being.

Henley could be back in the lineup Friday, against the visiting Muskegon Fury, if his improvement continues.

• Komets defenseman Kevin Hansen was in the press box tonight and said he's feeling sore but relieved to be OK after taking that brutal hit Wednesday from Justin Rohr. He hopes to be back in the lineup next weekend. I've had several people tell me that hit wasn't that bad, which is silly. There is something that youtube.com doesn't show -- Hansen's neck crunching at an awkward angle in the wrong direction. I initially said Rohr should get 15 games. Maybe that was overshooting it a bit, but the one-game suspension doled out by the league was at least five too few. The decision was based partly on Hansen's health, which is a dangerous precedent to set.
• As the Port Huron Icehawks try to guarantee some sort of future -- they average a league-worst 1,241 fans per game -- they had a meeting with some knowledgeable fans.
• Former Komets coach Greg Puhalski lost his debut as Wheeling's coach, in overtime.
• Pay attention here, readers: I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but I have begun banning some people who have been leaving inappropriate, profane comments. The next step will be turning off the comments function altogether, so please keep things in good taste on the blog. My thanks to those of you who policed the blog in my absence and even let an editor know things were going awry without my knowledge. One of you said it best when pointing out, there are many kids who read this, too.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Hansen doing well

All tests were negative and Komets defenseman Kevin Hansen was discharged from Parkview Hospital at about 4 a.m. Thursday.

According to general manager David Franke, Hansen is experiencing soreness in his head, neck and shoulder, and he will not play this weekend.

Hansen could return to the lineup Wednesday at Bloomington, Ill., but that depends on how he feels.

Hansen was injured when he was checked from behind and driven headfirst into the boards by Muskegon's Justin Rohr in a 4-1 Komets victory.

The Komets play at Muskegon, Mich., on Friday night. They may activate defenseman Brandon Warner, who separated his shoulder Dec. 28, to take Hansen's spot in the lineup.

-- 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

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

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

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

Wow, it's cold up here

Sorry for the delay, folks, but it took awhile to get the Florida sand and sunscreen out of my keyboard. (Sorry, I had to rub it in.) Sheesh, though, it's cold up here in Fort Wayne.

First off, thanks to columnist Ben Smith for filling in on the blog and in the newspaper while I was gone. Ben's got his own blog, titled And Another thing ..., if you liked what you read from him.

Of course, it figures, Ben gets to cover all the fun stuff while I'm gone -- the return of Pierre-Claude Drouin, a Komets team that went from mediocre to top of the league, Colin Chaulk giving the beatdown to Mike Bickley. Did we forget to mention Chaulk isn't just skilled, he's also one tough cookie?

Went out to practice today and Luciano Aquino rocketed a slapshot at me -- I'll try not to take it personally -- and it was so hard, the boards fell into the stands. Later on, he had his teammates fire slapshots from 180 feet away, and he tipped them out of the air and into the net. Yeah, he's pretty skilled, which explains the team-leading 10 goals and 16 points in 14 games.

Here's the injury update: Konstantin Shafranov is on injured reserve with an upper-respiratory infection and may play Friday when the Komets play host to Port Huron; Bobby Kukulka (shoulder contusion), Guy Dupuis (dislocated rib) and Brent Henley (knee) are all at least 10 days away from playing.

Soon, when the health returns, the Komets will have some tough decisions to make. They have 23 players, two more than they'd normally carry, and eight veterans, one more than they're allowed to use in games.

They're loving Bruce Boudreau, the former Komets coach, so far in Washington, D.C. He has the Capitals off to a 2-0-0 start since taking over for Glen Hanlon. Check this out.

Spotted this in Greg Rajan's blog from at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

"(A.J.) Bozoian's turnover that led to New Mexico's last goal did one thing: It had everyone in the rink thinking, WTF? If anyone could figure out what he was trying to do with the puck facing his own goalie, let us know. He rode pine the rest of the night and got multiple chewings-out from McRae on the bench."

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Sessa back, Marchant not

Right wing Jason Sessa, who missed the last five games because of an illness in the family, will be back in the lineup when the Komets play at Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday. Sessa has one goal in three games.

Center Terry Marchant will not be available this weekend, general manager David Franke said, because of a lower back strain.

"He definitely will not play this weekend," Franke said. "It's muscular in substance, though, and has nothing to do with his spine or a disc or anything."

Marchant has one goal in six games.

Meanwhile, in regards to my last blog entry about team nicknames, which sparked lots of debate, I have been given further history you might be interested in: Part of the origin of the Flint Generals' name coincides with the history of General Motors in the area, a reader informed me; and the Kalamazoo Wings were a second-tier farm team of the Detroit Red Wings at one point, according to Pam Shebest of The Kalamazoo Gazette, explaining their name. 

This from reader Shaun Bill, who admitted his mistake in claiming my history of the Prairie Thunder was wrong. Click here. I would like some train in their logo, but the buffalo is cool, especially when he's trampling away on their scoreboard.

I will check back with you soon.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Finally, Henley's in the mix

Sorry I'm a bit late posting this, but I was out of town for my birthday. Finally, the Komets announced their signing of Brent Henley. I don't know if this makes them the toughest team in the league, but it does make them pretty darn tough.

Wow, if coach Al Sims ever gets mad and sends out Henley, Olivier Legault, Mitch Woods, Kevin Bertram and Kevin Hansen, I wouldn't want to be the other team. Not that I ever think that would happen. I don't think.

But let's not assume Henley is just a brute. He happens to be a really solid defenseman, which is the most important thing.

As for the signing of goaltender Nick Boucher, as with all goalies, I'll reserve judgment until I see him in game action. I hope Adam Hanna finds greener pastures; it must have been horrible to hear all the talk about when, not if, he was going to be replaced.

Meanwhile, Brendan Savage of The Flint Journal decided to take some jabs at yours truly on his blog. I have a lot of respect for Savage. He's been doing this for a long time and typically knows his stuff. But I'm a little tired of his blathering that it's horrible for other writers to comment about his blog. It's in cyberspace. It's there for discussion. No one is supposed to disagree? Can't we foster some discussion without the insults?

Moving on, according to The Port Huron Times Herald, the Icehawks traded Mark Cadotte to Muskegon for Mark Nebus.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

You've gotta love this guy

It took all of one night for Mitch Woods to become a fan-favorite. He was given a standing ovation at the end of the game, a 3-1 Komets victory over the Bloomington Prairie Thunder.

And with comments like the following, he'll continue to be one: "If the fans like my style, then of course I'm going to take that," Woods said. "I'm public enemy in every single rink in the league except for my own."

Woods was in the middle of an 11-player fracas -- he's lucky he didn't get thrown out for being an aggressor -- and he got a three-minute power play for his team by dogging Jamison Orr into dropping his gloves, and Woods scored a goal.

Not bad for a rookie, who came to the Komets on the recommendation of former Fort Wayne coach Pat Bingham, who watched him in training camp with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. The comparison was to Pascal Morency.

In regards to the fracas -- you can see video in the post previous to this one -- I don't know why Bloomington goalie Loic Lacasse didn't get a penalty for leaving the crease or for being the third man in a fight. He did throw a couple punches at Woods.

For the most part, the game was a good one for Fort Wayne -- it outshot Bloomington 42-26 -- but aside from the fights, the first period was a snoozer.

Are you a believer in Kevin Reiter yet? I am. He had 25 saves.

The Komets should be getting back Bobby Kukulka, Travis Granbois and Maxsim Shirokov from injuries next weekend. However, they are losing top-line right wing Jason Sessa, who is taking a leave of absence for about two weeks to tend to an illness in the family. He wanted to thank the Komets and the fans for being so understanding about him needing to leave for a while.

By the way, the International Hockey League's vice-president of hockey operations, Brad Jones, was at the game.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette