Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

2016-17 Utica Comets Thread


Recommended Posts

Utica edge the Crunch tonight 2-1 in OT. Grenier and Archibald had multi point nights with a goal and an apple each. Valk continues to pad his stats with a helper. Demko also looked stellar making 30 saves. Jake had 6 shots tonight which is really nice to see. He's been given the green light to shoot more and he should with the great shot he has. hope the Comets continue to string some wins together and get themselves into the Wild Card spot hopefully. Go Comets!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Told you folks the sky wasn't falling in Utica.  Since my Jan 5th post telling you the team wasn't playing that bad and the majority of fans were a patient lot, the Comets have won three of four including a tough road win at Hershey.   Last night was a Markstromesque performance by Demko, an encore to a similar performance in the Hershey-win.  Demko was tremendous last night and stole this one for us making several huge saves throughout and even added an assist on the OT winner.  While Jake didn't score, he was absolutely flying out there and if he plays like that everynight it's only a matter of time before good things happen.  The offense was provided by the usual suspects - Grenier, Archie and Valk.  Grenier opened the scoring with 5th regulation goal in the last five game and his 12th of the season.  Archie closed it with his 10th goal and 3rd-OT winner this year.  Archie has been a great-two-way player this season.  I think early in his career he was being groomed as an enforcer, but since abandoning that goal he's become a complete player.  Clock is ticking on Grenier, has size and skills, and could still be servicable in the NHL.  Strange-but-true:  Tom Sesito is a local product so we get news on him and he has scored 4 goals in 4 games with Scranton Wilks-Barre including a Gordie-Howe-Hat-Trick to start the streak.   Proof the Utica crowd is at the top of it's game:  There was a trivia game during a stoppage and when a picture of Meryl Streep popped up on the screen there were thunderous boos throughout the arena. 

 

5-game road trip on tap including two in St John's, a team that's had our number.  Still time to make a move in the standings and this would be a good time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archibald-Valk-Grenier has been lights out. If only they could get Megna or Chaput (or even Gaunce) back, Utica could build the makings of a second scoring line... Canucks have 14 forwards as it is. Pelletier has shown flashes, but his wingers are Kunyk and Zalewski and that line hasn't generated much recently at all. I wouldn't mind seeing Virtanen line up alongside Zalewski and Pelletier for the time being. Either that or keep Kunyk there and put Zalewski with the Hamilton-Bancks unit where he's played a bit in the past before.

EDIT: Also, Alex Wall has just been released from his PTO. So somebody must be healthy enough to play on the Comets side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, UTICANUCK said:

Told you folks the sky wasn't falling in Utica.  Since my Jan 5th post telling you the team wasn't playing that bad and the majority of fans were a patient lot, the Comets have won three of four including a tough road win at Hershey.   Last night was a Markstromesque performance by Demko, an encore to a similar performance in the Hershey-win.  Demko was tremendous last night and stole this one for us making several huge saves throughout and even added an assist on the OT winner.  While Jake didn't score, he was absolutely flying out there and if he plays like that everynight it's only a matter of time before good things happen.  The offense was provided by the usual suspects - Grenier, Archie and Valk.  Grenier opened the scoring with 5th regulation goal in the last five game and his 12th of the season.  Archie closed it with his 10th goal and 3rd-OT winner this year.  Archie has been a great-two-way player this season.  I think early in his career he was being groomed as an enforcer, but since abandoning that goal he's become a complete player.  Clock is ticking on Grenier, has size and skills, and could still be servicable in the NHL.  Strange-but-true:  Tom Sesito is a local product so we get news on him and he has scored 4 goals in 4 games with Scranton Wilks-Barre including a Gordie-Howe-Hat-Trick to start the streak.   Proof the Utica crowd is at the top of it's game:  There was a trivia game during a stoppage and when a picture of Meryl Streep popped up on the screen there were thunderous boos throughout the arena. 

 

5-game road trip on tap including two in St John's, a team that's had our number.  Still time to make a move in the standings and this would be a good time.

 

Good to see Tom on the road back to the "I'll show the Canucks they were wrong".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Travis Green's interview from TSN 1040 today. He touches on the Comets' recent good run; Demko's development timeline and how he elevated his game in Bachman's absence; Virtanen being snakebitten and not hitting the scoresheet; how Subban needs to round out defensively and you can't just go off his stats; says Grenier and Archibald's good seasons are byproducts of their maturity and growth; and brushes off reports of relocation from Utica.
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nuxfanabroad said:

Sounds like the Comets are tied 1-1 with Providence, halfway thru the game.

 

Bachman takin care of biz. Subban scored in the 2nd p.

The younger Subban with bragging rights on his brother Malcolm. It was a nice shot blocker side the beat him clean. Also a nice game winning goal by Zalewski with some tic tac toe passing that lead to his one timer. Zalewski was noticeable last game as well and it looks like he has recovered finally from his early season injury.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, canuckledraggin said:

The younger Subban with bragging rights on his brother Malcolm. It was a nice shot blocker side the beat him clean. Also a nice game winning goal by Zalewski with some tic tac toe passing that lead to his one timer. Zalewski was noticeable last game as well and it looks like he has recovered finally from his early season injury.

That's great news..like that Z - will spell his name when I play SCRABBLE!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Gooseberries said:

Demko wasn't even dressed last night. Any update or insight as to why?

Took a look over at HFBoards, & apparently the kid was ill(flu?). They dressed some Spicoli guy..no reports of Hawaiian shirts or Sean Penn resemblance.

 

sidenote: Jake was displaying his wheels on two nice breakaway clips that I saw. Hopefully he gets goin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nuxfanabroad said:

Took a look over at HFBoards, & apparently the kid was ill(flu?). They dressed some Spicoli guy..no reports of Hawaiian shirts or Sean Penn resemblance.

 

sidenote: Jake was displaying his wheels on two nice breakaway clips that I saw. Hopefully he gets goin.

Good work. Nice research.

 

As per the jake update

 

Jake is a player who does need to hit the score sheet to contribute so long as he is using his other skills (speed, physicality). He was doing that stuff last year with the Canucks but got away from it.  It sounds like he's getting back to that. Maybe utica and green humbled him just a bit. Plane rides are more fun  than bus rides. 

 

Here's to hoping thato style of play continues and leads to a successful nhl career. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Gooseberries said:

Good work. Nice research.

 

As per the jake update

 

Jake is a player who does need to hit the score sheet to contribute so long as he is using his other skills (speed, physicality). He was doing that stuff last year with the Canucks but got away from it.  It sounds like he's getting back to that. Maybe utica and green humbled him just a bit. Plane rides are more fun  than bus rides. 

 

Here's to hoping thato style of play continues and leads to a successful nhl career. 

Yeah, agreed.

 

Funny, I'm not THAT worried about the kid. Aside from Bo, how many have their head screwed on at that age? The hand wringing is similar to how we all worried about the twins, way back when.

 

He's got some tools that are pretty rare. Likely takes more time(& confidence, vs men, not teens) to learn how to use such gifts.

 

Y'see Kreider coming into his own, nowadays. Heard a couple posters use that comparable, & from what I've seen, seems pretty reasonable. In his mid-20's, with some of these kids we're developing, around him, Jake should be quite a force.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Demko's still out with the flu; the Comets have signed local product Jonah Imoo to a PTO to serve as the backup today.

Also, due to a change in the qualification rules this year, the Comets are actually in a playoff spot right now despite their sub-500 record. The top four teams from each division qualify (no wild cards this year) and the Comets currently sit fourth in the North, although things are extremely tight below them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, stonecoldstevebernier said:

Demko's still out with the flu; the Comets have signed local product Jonah Imoo to a PTO to serve as the backup today.

Also, due to a change in the qualification rules this year, the Comets are actually in a playoff spot right now despite their sub-500 record. The top four teams from each division qualify (no wild cards this year) and the Comets currently sit fourth in the North, although things are extremely tight below them.

Travis Green has to be commended for getting the most out of the patchwork roster he has been given this season...Especially after the horrible start they had...He's my vote for  the coach of the Canucks next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Honky Cat said:

Travis Green has to be commended for getting the most out of the patchwork roster he has been given this season...Especially after the horrible start they had...He's my vote for  the coach of the Canucks next season.

The fact that the Comets are even in the playoff conversation is a remarkable feat with this roster.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...