Good afternoon my fellow Canucks, I know we’re all still in a bit of mourning as we pray for the immediate and full recovery of the golden god, Elias Pettersson….since none of us are miracle workers however, lets instead look to the future, as we dive into today’s Farmies where the brightest stars of tomorrow refine their game so that they too may one day play in the NHL, get hauled down behind the play and get nothing called! Since there hasn’t been too much groundbreaking news on the AHL front I’m gonna just cut to the chase and get right into it!

 

Starting Lineup

 

LW	C	RW
Gaunce	Kero	Boucher
Dahlen	Gaudette	Pyatt
Bancks	Hamilton	MacEwen
Arseneau	Darcy	Lind

LD	RD
Brisebois	Sifers
McEneny	Graham
Wyszomirski	Saucerman

G
Ivan Kulbakov

 

Benched	—	—	—
Dirk	Gadjovich	Jasek	MacMaster

 

RE: Benching’s

Like Palmu before them, I’m legitimately not sure what Gadjovich, Dirk OR Jasek for that matter are NOT doing to deserve being sat on the bench…all 3 have been VERY effective in their past games for the team… I truly don’t know what message the team is trying to send… “work really hard, out possess the shit out of your opponents, generate chances…. But since you’re young that means you’re not ready by virtue of age alone and thus must sit.” Like dude….Bancks doesn’t bring anything to this team BUT penalty killing…you can’t honestly tell me he’s more valuable than what Gadjo/Jasek/Dirk were bringing 5v5.

 

TRANSACTIONS

The Comets signed PTO goaltender Alex Sakellaropolos after the Flyers claimed Canucks legend Mike McKenna after he was put on waivers.

 

RE: INJURY REPORT

 

Injury Report	—	—	—	—
Bachman	Blujus	Chatfield	Juolevi	Sautner
Out for the Season	undisclosed	foot	Out for the season	his fucking faceeeeeee

 

Streamable Clarity Improvement Notice

 

Continuing with last issues theme, going to be Players full name (jersey number) – place in streamable (if not outright obvious) then every sub sequential play featuring that player it’ll be last name(jersey number) – place in streamable (if not outright obvious) I’m also going to reduce the amount of hyperlink in the GOAL streamables, since that’s what I think MOST people are here for and don’t want some gaudy blue taking up the screen.

 

1st period

 

Comets in White

 

• The Cleveland Monsters have 2 camera angles….ultra-high top down view, or medium close up that feels way too zoomed in…it’s a bit jarring
• Vincent Arseneau(#18) picks up the puck from the feet of a Cleveland defender and backhands a shot on net that Kole Lind(#13) tries to deflect in
• Brendan Gaunce(#16) putting has butt into his checking game
• the problem of changing your lines all the time; Kulbakov drops it off behind the net but neither Saucerman(#39) or Wyszomirski(#38) have the speed or awareness of who its being left to
• Jesse Graham, the defender, takes the puck as it bounces off Lind’s(#13) skate, enters the zone and gets a shot on goal
• Wacey Hamilton(#3 6)with some aggressive forechecking leads to Zack MacEwen(#1 5)picking off a clearing pass, unfortunately the Cleveland D pins him on the boards so he cant touch the puck before its ruled a hand pass
• Cam Darcy(#11) and Lind(#13) with some nice give-and-go saucers between them that leads to a shot on goal
• MacEwen(#15) has a shot off a won faceoff draw deflected wide of the goal
• Comets to the penalty kill off a Wacey Hamilton high sticking
• Holy shit Nathan Gerbe is playing for the Cleveland Monsters these days, I thought he was done.
• Evan McEneny(#2) loses his stick on the PK, on an ensuing shot attempt, Kulbakov with a well placed glove to stop the ensuing rebound
• Clevelands’ Ryan MacInnis is left alone on Kulbakov’s crease, but Kulby gets a nice pokecheck to stop the high danger scoring chance
• Lind(#13) avoids a hit off a suicide pass, enters the zone, and gets a nice pass to Darcy(#11) for a shot on goal that gets deflected wide
• BIG OOF, Gaunce(#16) gets called for holding and on the ensuing delayed penalty, Tanner Kero(#10) ALSO gets called for hooking. 2 minutes straight of 5-on-3 for the Comets
• Guillaume Brisebois(#55) deflects a one-timer high and wide
• Wow, puck trickles out of Kulbakov’s pads off a save, the ensuing chaos see’s Hamilton(#36) block a shot
• Ryan MacInnis gets called for Cross-checking on Evan McEneny and the Comets with 47 seconds left on the 5-on-3 fortunately go to a 4-on-3
• Comets on their brief powerplay at the end of the 4-on-3; Jonathan Dahlen(#54) to McEneny(# 2)to Reid Boucher(#24) who walks in to try and open the scoring but has his shot sent wide
• McEneny(#2 )to Dahlen(#54) who attempts a few passes in front of the net hoping for a Kero(#10) or MacEwen(#15) tap-in; really like that first pass to Dahlen from McEneny as he steps up to the blue line
• [Comets on another powerplay; Check out McEneny’s(#2 ) control of the puck here, a great pass off the boards to Graham(#64) while being pressured, and an even greater saucer pass to Adam Gaudette(#17) who’s one-timer gets blocked

 

Score at the end of the first period: 0-0

 

Really competitive first period from the Comets, despite the 3 early penalties, the 5-on-3 for 2 minutes, they were sound defensively throughout the opening 20 minutes so that was great to see. Offensively the team definitely picked it up in the latter half of the period. Really crisp passing and playmaking from both McEneny and Dahlen to try and open the scoring for the Comets! Yeah, to anyone asking me if any player on the D corps that’s looking worthy of an NHL callup its 100% McEneny.

 

2nd Period

 

• McEneny(#2) with a very non-chalant zone-entry then sets up a play that leads to a Darcy(#11) shot on goal
• Cleveland gets dinged for too many men on the ice so the Comets are on the powerplay again
• Dahlen(#54 )with some nice control of the puck along the boards, he then moves to the bottom of the circle to receive a fantastic long ice pass from Boucher(#24) for the one-timer which gets blocked, Dahlen follows up with a backhand pass to the front of the net for second chances
• Continuing from that play, Dahlen(#54) gets the puck and walks around 3 Cleveland sticks to center to fire a shot that goes off the post
• Lind(#13) stops a clearing attempt behind the net with his stick…this leads to some crisp passing for the Comets and a Gaudette(#1 7)one-timer attempt on goal
• GOAL – UTICA – 1-0 Comets: wow what a fucking shot…Hamilton(#36) wins the draw straight to MacEwen(#15) who wrists one top shelf through traffic to put the Comets in the lead
• MacEwen(# 15) on the ensuing post-goal shift, strips the puck off the Cleveland defender and attempts to set up Carter Bancks(#34) at center
• The Wiz throwin’ some cheese to defend the line off a Colton Saucerman(#39) shot that goes wide
• GOAL – UTICA – 2-0 Comets: Bancks(# 34) comes away from a battle along the boards with the puck and feeds it to Graham(#64) who moves up far into the play to get it past J.F. Berube’s glove to put the Comets up by 2
• Berube super unlucky on that goal…had the right position to make an absolute robbery, but the puck hits in the one spot without much padding and so it flips over into the goal
• Close up of the Graham goal
• GOAL – UTICA – 3-0 Comets: Damn Comets just ALL over the Monsters this period…. On a delayed penalty play, a shot from Gaudette(#17) goes off Berube’s pad straight to Arseneau’s(#18) stick who sinks it top shelf. What a shot from Arseneau who has 3 goals in 4 games
• GOAL – UTICA – 4-0 Comets: Gaudette(# 17)gets the gift of a century off a weak pass to nowhere from a Cleveland defender, with time and space he absolutely snipes it top right shelf…nice lil celly too
• Cleveland gets caught with 6 players on the ice for the second time tonight, putting the Comets on another powerplay
• GOAL – UTICA – 5-0 Comets: Lind(#13) passes to Gaunce(#16) who gets off a pass through the Cleveland defenders feet to Gaudette(# 17)who taps it in
• ALT Angle on the absolutely INSANE pass to Gaudette from Gaunce

 

The Score at the end of the 2nd period: 5-0 Comets

 

Well…this must be how the Crunch felt that one game…absolute domination from the Comets in this period. I don’t even think the Zamboni’s need to run the Comets side of the ice after that period. Outshot the Monster 21 to 9, they also had 3 powerplays but couldn’t capitalize on any…didn’t matter though because their 5v5 scoring ability is on FIRE tonight. Adam Gaudette looks a notch above everyone on the Monsters team…he isn’t a big guy by any stretch but he is just weaving and running around the Monsters players like the fucking roadrunner, no one is on him at all.

 

3rd Period

 

• Comets to an early penalty 15 seconds into the 3rd period but can’t get any shots on goal worth noting
• Kulbakov loses his glove after racing out of his net but play takes a while to be blown dead
• holy fuck the flex on these boards
• Kero(#10) passes to Boucher(#24) who weaves his way down the wing around 2 Cleveland defenders to get a shot on goal, ends his run with a reverse hit
• GOAL – UTICA – 6-0 Comets: Lind(#13) picks up another awful Cleveland pass for himself and has a shot stopped, but once again Aseneau(#18 )is in the right place at the right time to pick up the rebound and sink it to give the Comets a 6 goal lead!
• Gaudette(#17) with speed to enter the zone that leads to some sustained offense
• GOAL – Cleveland – 6-1 Comets: Sonny Milano with a wraparound attempt that squeaks past Kulbakov’s left skate, ruining the shutout attempt…unlucky goal for Kulby, was in position but puck had the angle to get by
• GOAL – Cleveland – 6-2 Comets: ok well this one is on Kulby, he redirects a shot off his pad straight to a Cleveland player who’s beaten 2 Comet players. Kulby is too far right to even attempt to stop the tap-in from Nathan Gerbe
• McEneny(#2) and Boucher(#24) leade the zone entry, Gaunce(#16) gets a nice backhand pass to Boucher who’s shot on goal gets deflected into the protective netting
• Just MacEwen(#15) leading a one man rush, wheeling past 3 Cleveland players to meet the Monsters goalie on the end boards

 

Final Score: 6-2 Comets

 

Scoresheet

 

Period	Team	Goalscorer	Primary assist	helper	type
2nd	Utica	Zack MacEwen	Wacey Hamilton	—	5v5
2nd	Utica	Jesse Graham	Carter Bancks	Wacey Hamilton	5v5
2nd	Utica	Vincent Arseneau	Adam Gaudette	Tom Pyatt	5v5
2nd	Utica	Adam Gaudette	Tom Pyatt	Colton Saucerman	5v5
2nd	Utica	Adam Gaudette	Brendan Gaunce	Kole Lind	5v5
3rd	Utica	Vincent Arseneau	Kole Lind	—	5v5
3rd	Cleveland	Sonny Milano	Kole Sherwood	Michael Prapavessis	5v5
3rd	Cleveland	Nathan Gerbe	Mark Letestu	Gabriel Carlsson	5v5

 

Takeaways

• I like this kind of Comets hockey; aggressive in the offensive zone; Simple passing setups on their zone entries (cough Lind cough); Really calculated with their shots tonight. Overall an incredibly effective style of play that paid off huge
• Adam Gaudette was a monster tonight…8 shots, 2 goals, 1 assist, practically every zone entry of his led to scoring opportunities from the Comets.
• Dahlen had a quieter night, only registering 2 shots on net, but the guy was a presence along the boards, and his passing whenever the Comets were in the offensive zone is always top notch. I’m not really sure if he necessarily has the BEST chemistry with Gaudette and Pyatt, but every line was effective tonight so I mean I guess it worked out!
• Wacey Hamiltons incredible possession efforts finally pay off as he nets himself 2 assists on the night.
• Lind…special shout out to the coaches that have to tell him to stop trying to be a junior player in a pro league. Every game he doesn’t attempt blind backpasses/droppasses I swear to god his effectiveness skyrockets…he had great puck control and possession while in the offensive zone, had several good zone entries and you know why? Because he wasn’t trying to dangle or toe drag or try some “no-look” blind pass bullshit that lost the team possession.

 

Comets Three Stars

1. Adam Gaudette
2. Ivan Kulbakov – completely redeems the Syracuse Crunch blip with a 28 save on 30 shot performance
3. Tie between MacEwen/Arseneau/Hamilton and Lind who were immensely effective tonight whenever they were on the ice

 

What’s Next?

 

The Comets break the 3rd place tiebreaker for the north division today, but they return again tomorrow against Cleveland to try and edge their lead Currently the Comets lead their series record 2-0-0-0, hopefully the Comets can make it 3-0-0-0 and wrap up this weekend stint with their 4th straight win! Praying for a repeat performance cause god damn this Comets team is one I can get behind with powerful offense like today.

 

As always I Hope you guys enjoyed this edition of the Farmies. Any feedback, improvement suggestions, content or highlights you’d like me to focus/pick out during games, let me know and I’ll do my best to provide during the next Farmies!