1. Comets

Category Archives: Comets

Comets Continue to Dominate Flames

Posted on by

December 20, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets For the fourth time this season, the Utica Comets shutdown the Adirondack Flames, this time with a final score of 4-1 at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Saturday evening.

Jacob Markstrom didn't disappoint in his first game back with the Comets since Nov. 21, saving 19 out of 20 shots taken by the Flames all while improving his goals-against average to a remarkable 1.69. Four different Comets players scored goals in the victory, including Brendan Gaunce, who scored his second goal in as many nights.

The Comets started with a bang in the opening minutes of the first period after quite the individual effort by Gaunce, the Comets rookie left-winger. After breaking up a pass at the blue line, Gaunce rushed down the boards and lifted a shot right over the glove side of Joni Ortio to net his third of the season for the 1-0 lead at 2:13.

Just 18 seconds later, Hunter Shinkaruk received a stretch pass from one blue line to the next from Henrik Tommernes. Shinkaruk made his way all the way to the left dot before he released a shot towards Ortio. The Finish goaltender made the initial save, however Wacey Hamilton was on the doorstep to promptly backhand in the Comets second goal of the game and his third of the season to make it 2-0.

After the penalty extravaganza that was the first period, play tamed down a bit in the second with only three penalties awarded, compared to the eleven handed out in the first.

It wasn't until almost literally the last possible second at 19:56 in the second when the Flames found their first goal of the night to cut the Comets lead in half. After a pass to Ben Hanowski from Bill Arnold, Hanowski wristed a shot off that immediately bounced off of Markstrom's right leg. David Wolf was waiting next to the blue paint for the re-bound and knocked the puck into the net before Markstrom could make a follow-up save. Wolf's fifth of the season set the score at 2-1 just prior to heading into the third period.

Frustration continued to mount for the Flames after a hard fought third period on both ends. At 13:02 the Comets found their third of the night on a power play just after Flames defensemen Mike Cundari took a high-sticking penalty. With a quick series of offensive zone passes, the puck found its way to Corrado, who then ripped one past Ortio to make it a two-goal game once again for a score of 3-1. Cal O'Reilly and Nicklas Jensen were both credited with assists on the play.

With just over two minutes left, Adirondack pulled Ortio to try and make a comeback with the extra man. It didn't take long for the Comets to upset their effort as Friesen interfered with the Flames offensive attack at the blue line. Friesen then skated down the left wing and popped the puck into the open net for a final score of 4-1.

After Saturday night's win against the Calgary Flames affiliate, the Utica Comets have gone eight games without losing in regulation and have secured a total of 43 points to keep them a top the American Hockey League standings.

After taking a little break to enjoy the holidays, the Comets will return to The Utica Memorial Auditorium one day after Christmas on Friday, Dec. 26 to once again take on the Adirondack Flames for a 7 p.m. re-match. This will be their fifth meeting of the season.

More:

Comets Continue to Dominate Flames

Blue Comets top Patriots in C-T opener

Posted on by

ASHEBORO For the Asheboro and Providence Grove High School varsity girls basketball teams, Saturdays The Courier-Tribune Christmas Invitational opener wasnt just about starting off the tournament on the right foot.

It was about ending skids.

The Blue Comets entered the game having lost their last two games, while the Patriots had fallen in their last seven.

One team was bound for a turnaround.

In the end, it was Asheboro, which survived a late Providence Grove rally for a 55-45 win at AHS. The Blue Comets (6-5) face Southwestern Randolph today at 7:30 p.m. in the second semifinal, while the Patriots (2-8) play Wheatmore in the consolation bracket at 2:30 p.m.

Asheboro coach Terry Allmon said his team still wasnt 100 percent.

We make the silliest turnovers at the worst times, he said. We got into some foul trouble and Mikayla (Trogdon) getting hurt didnt help. We made our early shots, but we get really impatient on offense. Were at our best when we pass the ball and get open shots.

The Blue Comets started the game with a 7-0 run, entering the second quarter up 13-5. There, Asheboro upped its lead to as many as 18 points on a Trogdon bucket with just under 1 1/2 minutes to play until halftime. Providence Grove was able to cut the lead by two before the buzzer sounded.

The Patriots scored the first two baskets of the second half and kept battling back each time the Blue Comets got a lead.

Midway through the third quarter, Trogdon landed awkwardly on her ankle and didnt return.

View post:

Blue Comets top Patriots in C-T opener

Comets Shoot Down the Stars in Overtime

Posted on by

December 19, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets After trailing the Texas Stars 2-0, the Utica Comets scored three unanswered goals to win 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at The Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Bobby Sanguinetti (1-0-1), Brendan Gaunce (1-0-1), and Dustin Jeffrey (1-0-1) were the goal-scorers for the Comets in front of the sold-out Utica Memorial Auditorium. Along with being credited with the first star of the game, Sanguinetti now has eight goals on the season and leads the rest of the defensemen on the team in goals, assists and points. Joacim Eriksson received the third star of the game after stopping 23 of the 25 shots on net he faces from the Stars.

It didn't take long into the opening period for the Stars to start mounting their attack in the Comets home building. At 3:55, Greg Rallo forced ahead to the front of the Comets net with what looked like intent to shoot. However, after deciding to take an alternate route and carry the puck to the side of the net, he successfully pulled Eriksson out of the crease. Once the Comets netminder was clearly out of position, Rallo popped the puck through the defenders and onto Radek Faksa's stick who then plucked the rubber in the wide open net for the 1-0 lead.

The Stars struck again at 16:07 for the two-goal lead just after Cal O'Reilly mishandled the puck behind the Comets net. Jesse Root met O'Reilly at the boards and knocked the puck from his possession. Once the puck was free, it popped out to the front of the net only to find Brendan Ranford's tape. With a tap across the crease, and the guidance of Scott Glennie, the puck slid into the net for Glennie's third of the season to make it 2-0. Root was credited with the secondary assist.

The Comets started biting back roughly three minutes into the second period after a couple of passes exchanged between Frank Corrado and Brandon DeFazio above the right dot. After some great puck handling to confuse a Texas defender, DeFazio saw Jeffrey waiting to the left of Jussi Rynnas' blocker side. With a quick cross-ice pass, Jeffrey received and delivered for his seventh goal of the season, which brought the Comets within one.

After entering the third period, the Comets continued to search for the equalizer and that's exactly what they got at 6:39. Andrey Pedan followed through with the give-and-go play and entered the attacking zone with Wacey Hamilton and Gaunce. With little hesitation, back-to-back passes dropped the puck into Gaunce's possession and with a flick of the stick, the rookie netted his second of the year to tie the game and dismantle the Stars lead.

Just over one minute into the overtime period, the Comets put an end to the night after a quick rush down the right side by two defensemen. Kane Lafranchise popped up on the scorer's sheet one again after promptly popping the puck up to Sanguinetti on the right wing. What looked like a harmless wrist shot from Sanguinetti, was exactly the opposite for Rynnas who was unable to stop the shot which went clear over his shoulder for the game-winner and overtime goal.

With tonight's overtime win, the Comets have once again secured another two points to keep their point total (41) the highest in the entire American Hockey League. This was the seventh game in a row the Comets have secured at least a point in.

Tomorrow the Comets will play one last game in Glens Falls before they get back to wrapping last minute gifts. The Adirondack Flames will be the host this time around for the fourth meeting between the two teams this season. So far the Comets have not dropped a single game this season to the Calgary Flames affiliate.

Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

Read the original post:

Comets Shoot Down the Stars in Overtime

Comets | Facts and Information on Visible Comets

Posted on by

A new Comet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2, is heading our way. It may brighten to 5th magnitude from late December through much of January as it climbs into excellent viewing position for the Northern Hemisphere, high in the dark winter sky.

Thanks to a generous bequest, each year amateur astronomers earn a beautiful plaque and a cash prize for discovering one or more comets.

Although large, bright comets are infrequent visitors to our skies, faint comets appear on a regular basis. Here are some observing hints that will make your comet-watching more enjoyable.

So you think youve found a comet? Here are some steps to follow in verifying your find.

Comets are notorious for not following predictions, but even judging the magnitude of a bright comet that's right in front of you is not straightforward.

Ever wonder how somebody actually finds a comet, and what happens when he does? Here's one astronomer's story.

Read more here:

Comets | Facts and Information on Visible Comets

Earth may be able to create its own water without help from comets

Posted on by

Earth stands out from the rest of the solar system in a number of ways, but most relevant to our continued existence is that it has large quantities of liquid water on the surface. How it all got there is still up for debate. Scientists have long thought that most of Earths water was deposited by comets, but recent findings from the ESA Rosetta mission call that into questions. Researchers from Ohio State University have a different hypothesis. What if Earth can make its own water?

This interesting notion comes from associate professor Wendy Panero and graduate student Jeff Pigott. They suggest that previously unknown geochemical processes can produce water deep in the Earth, where it is eventually released into the ocean by tectonic plate movement. If theyre right, this could account for most of Earths water, meaning comets and other space objects would have only needed to contribute a little bit.

A few months ago this might have seemed a little less relevant to the discussion, but the data from asteroid 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko has called the traditional thinking into question. Rosetta has sampled the water being released by the comet and compared it to the water here on Earth. If Jupiter family comets like 67P were really the source of water on Earth, they should have similar ratios of hydrogen to deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen). Analysis shows that 67P has significantly more deuterium, meaning these comets might not have been responsible. Astronomers have suggested that asteroids might have been responsible, even though they have much less water.

You dont need to rely on any of that for the process outlined in new research from OSU. The central theme here is that a rock might appear to be dry, and it is for all intents and purposes. However, under the right circumstances, some mineral deposits could produce quite a lot of water. The researchers say that hydrogen atoms can be trapped in the natural voids and crystal imperfections of rocks. Many minerals also have plentiful oxygen. With the right combination of heat and pressure, these atoms can be released to form water.

To test this hypothesis, the team compressed different minerals using a device called a diamond anvil cell. It places small samples of material under enormous pressure similar to what would be experienced deep in the Earth. At the same time, a laser heats the rock to simulate temperatures near the mantle. This provides data on how much hydrogen could be stored by various minerals, allowing them to calculate how much water could be produced at various levels.

Some minerals were found to capture very little hydrogen, but ringwoodite (seen at the top) seems to be a good candidate for subsurface water production. Theres plenty of it down there, and it could work in concert with the similarly juicy garnet deposits deeper in the Earth to maintain a reservoir 50% the volume of all existing surface water. The natural upwelling of material that drives plate tectonic movement on the surface could carry free hydrogen and oxygen up where it ends up as water and escapes into oceans.

The study is still being evaluated before publication, at which point other scientists will have a chance to confirm or refute it. Still, its an fascinating idea.

Now read:German company can make gasoline from water and airborne CO2

Excerpt from:

Earth may be able to create its own water without help from comets

Comets Game on December 27 Sold Out

Posted on by

December 17, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Utica Comets are proud to announce that the Comets game scheduled for December 27 vs. the Lake Erie Monsters, is now SOLD OUT.

The Comets have sold out The AUD 10 times now. In the previous eight sold out games at The AUD, the Comets have not lost in regulation and have compiled a 6-0-2-0 record. Through 13 games at The Utica Memorial Auditorium, The AUD has seen 47,730 fans walk through the door to attend a Comets game. Comets games average 3,672 fans per game, which is 96.3% capacity. Last year Comets games averaged 3,435 fans, which was 90% of The AUD's capacity.

There are limited seats available for Friday's game against the Texas Stars, and for the home game on December 26th vs. North Division rival, the Adirondack Flames.

Tickets to the all remaining games are now on sale at the Utica Memorial Auditorium box office and online through Ticketmaster. For more information, call 315-790-9070 or visit http://www.uticacomets.com.

Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

Go here to see the original:

Comets Game on December 27 Sold Out

Houston Comets – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted on by

Houston Comets Conference Western Founded 1997 Folded 2008 History Houston Comets (1997) Arena Compaq Center (19972003) Toyota Center (20042007) Reliant Arena (2008) City Houston, Texas Team colors Red, Silver, White, Blue Championships 4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) Conference titles 4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) Mascot Haley[1] Official website wnba.com/history/teams_familytree.html

The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and won more championships than any other team in the WNBA. The team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 because new ownership could not be found.

The Comets were also known for courting great women's basketball stars. The team had among its members Cynthia Cooper (the WNBA's first MVP), college and national team standout Sheryl Swoopes, Kim Perrot, who succumbed to cancer in 1999, and college stars Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson.

The Comets were one of the founding teams in the WNBA. They capped off the league's inaugural season in 1997 with a win over the New York Liberty in the WNBA championship game to win the WNBA's first championship. When the league expanded the next season, the Comets were moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. In 1998, they put together a win loss record of 27-3 for a .900 winning percentage - a WNBA record that still stands. They went on to repeat as championships, defeating the Phoenix Mercury in the first-ever WNBA Finals that year due to the championship game being extended into a three game championship series.

In 1999, led by what was already known as the Big Three, (Cythnia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson), the Comets survived a highlight-film, last-second, court-to-court, game-winning shot by the Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon in Game 2 of the finals to beat the Liberty in three games and win their third straight title, this one after the death of teammate Kim Perrot, who died of cancer. In 2000, the Comets went all the way to the Finals again, and beat the Liberty in two games to win their fourth title in a row. 2000 was the Comets' last championship and last WNBA Finals appearance in franchise history.

After Cooper retired in 2001, Houston clinched the playoffs with a 19-13 record, but lost in the first round in a sweep to the 2001 eventual champion Los Angeles Sparks. In 2002, when Swoopes was injured most of the year with a torn ACL, the Comets were able to qualify for the playoffs with a 24-8 record, but lost to the Utah Starzz in 3 games. In 2003, they qualified to the playoffs for the 7th straight year, but they lost in the first round to the Sacramento Monarchs in 3 games. They missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 13-21 in 2004, but returned to the playoffs with a 19-15 record, finishing 3rd. In the first round, the Comets knocked out the 2004 defending champion Seattle Storm in 3 games, but lost in the conference finals to the Sacramento Monarchs in a sweep, which Sacramento later became WNBA Champions in 2005. Houston would return to the playoffs with an 18-16 record, but lost to the 2005 defending champion Sacramento Monarchs in another sweep. 2006 was the last playoff appearance for the Houston Comets. After the Comets' season ended in 2006, the Comets underwent major front-office changes during the off-season. In October 2006, team owner Leslie Alexander (who also owns the NBA's Houston Rockets team) announced he was selling the Comets, and longtime Head Coach Van Chancellor resigned in January 2007.

On January 31, 2007, the WNBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to Hilton Koch, a Houston-based mattress and furniture businessman. Two weeks later, Comets assistant coach Karleen Thompson was named to become the team's new Head Coach and General Manager for the 2007 season.

For the 2007 season, they would miss the playoffs for the second time in franchise history after starting the season 0-10, resulting in a 13-21 record.

On December 12, 2007, team owner Hilton Koch announced that the Comets would be moving from the Toyota Center to Reliant Arena for the 2008 WNBA season.[2] This resulted in a loss of fans. The Compaq Center drew 13,000 fans, but the Reliant Arena could only house 7,200. In 2008, the Comets' final year, they only drew an average 6,000 fans per game and sold out four games.[3]

In 2008, Koch put the team up for sale, with an asking price of $10 million. No investors stepped up. The WNBA took over management of the Comets and disbanded the team in December 2008.[4] They stated that they would only be suspending operations in 2009, which some people saw as a sign that the franchise could be revived if an investor came in. Comets players were sent off to other teams in a dispersal draft.[5]

See more here:

Houston Comets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comets top Fairfield in battle of unbeatens

Posted on by

The battle of unbeatens was ruled by the color green Tuesday night.

Mason High Schools boys basketball team never trailed and got double-digit scoring from Kyle Lamotte (15), Spencer Cline (13) and Matt King (11) in a 60-49 triumph at Fairfield.

It was the first loss for first-year FHS coach John Cecere, who watched his squad shoot 39.6 percent from the floor.

Losing hurts, no doubt about that, said Cecere, whose team is 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Greater Miami Conference. Its a good indicator of where we are right now, but its not where were going to end up.

Mason was outstanding tonight. Youve got to tip your hat to them. But I like my group. They work hard every single day in practice. Were going to get better as a staff, and the players are going to get better too.

The Comets man-to-man defense set the tone and didnt allow the hosts to find an offensive rhythm until late in the contest.

Were not trying to fool anybody, Mason coach Greg Richards said. Weve been doing that for a long time, and we feel like thats what we hang our hat on. We do that in practice every day.

In the first half, I thought we played as well as we can play defensively. We tried to take things away because their weapons are tough. We tried to keep the ball out of spots where they could hurt us. I think we did that in the first half. The second half got a little touchy.

T.C. Wells and Qawi Rucker paced the Indians with 15 points apiece. Wells fired in 11 points in the fourth quarter, when Fairfield chopped a 48-31 deficit to 54-46 with 2:35 left.

We ran a couple iso plays for me, and it started opening up, said Wells, who didnt have a field goal in the first three stanzas. I got open looks, so I took them.

Here is the original post:

Comets top Fairfield in battle of unbeatens

Comets girls claim title at MJIT

Posted on by

The Melfort Comets junior boys and girls both came out with top four finishes at the Melfort Junior Invitational Tournament (MJIIT) hosted at MUCC on Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13. The junior clinched the title on their home court, while the junior boys finished third. Junior girls Comets coach Kelly Linnell attributed the teams victory to solid fundamental basketball. The girls played well, we are a very young team, but our skills are very strong, our fundamental skills are very strong, Linnell said. We have strong fundamental basketball skills and the girls play really well. The girls play as a team they pass the ball and they play together and help out on defense, she explained. The Comets starting lineup is composed of two Grade 9 players and three Grade 8 players. The junior girls Comets clinched the title with a 39-28 victory over the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders on Saturday evening. Rachel Linnell scored 18 points to lead the Comets. Alexa Hangs added 10 points. In the semi-final on Saturday afternoon the Comets defeated the Birch Hills Marauders. Hangs led the Comets with 14 points. Rachel Linnell added eight points. The junior girls opened with a 52-9 victory over St. Brieux on Friday afternoon. Hangs led the Comets with 12 points, while Linnell added 10 points. The junior boys Comets placed third after defeating Birch Hills 56-46 on Saturday afternoon. Nathan Wehrkamp and Kris Daryl Remonde each had nine points scored with three field goals from beyond the three point arc. Ralp Bagsit and Levi Wright each added seven points in the victory. In the semi-final game the Comets lost 40-34 to St. Brieux to drop to the third place game. Remonde led the Comets with 15 points. The junior boys opened with a 47-29 victory over Osler on Friday afternoon. The Comets had balanced scoring with Daniel Laosebikan scoring six points, Geland Malaggay scoring five points and Matthew Degerness adding four points. The title on the junior boys side was claimed by Meadow Lake who defeated St. Brieux 52-45 on Saturday evening. Prince Albert Carlton earned the B side title with a 44-42 victory over Osler. Claiming third on the girls side was Birch Hills who defeated Meadow Lake on Saturday afternoon. michael.oleksyn@sunmedia.ca @melfortjournal

Go here to see the original:

Comets girls claim title at MJIT

Earth’s Water Origin? Comets NO! Submerged Lands Under Ocean incl. Expanding Earth – Video

Posted on by


Earth #39;s Water Origin? Comets NO! Submerged Lands Under Ocean incl. Expanding Earth
[features Google Earth] Rosetta Comet Mission Reveals Clues About the Origin of Water on our planet. Wired The discrepancy suggests that comets did not bring water to Earth and that the more...

By: Everybody Every1

See the original post here:

Earth's Water Origin? Comets NO! Submerged Lands Under Ocean incl. Expanding Earth - Video


  1. Comets