A Goalie Fight And First

We've seen a lot of things in hockey in 2023 including a handful of goalie goals, but it's been a while since we featured a goalie fight. Let me be clear in saying that goalie fights should never happen as the goalies are usually pretty important players, but goalies throwing punches at one another is something that rarely happens due to the rulebook and the distance between the two players. When it does happen, though, it's one of those hockey moments that doesn't go unnoticed by the hockey world.

Tonight saw the Fort Wayne Koments playing the Indy Fire in an ECHL contest that really didn't seem like it had playoff implications with Indy being seven points back of Fort Wayne in the ECHL Western Conference standings with two teams in their division sitting between them. There's a local rivalry built in as the two teams sit close to one another in Indiana, so perhaps that played a role in tonight's encounter, but the final score was decidely in one team's favour.

With Indy leading 3-1 in the second period, Justin A. Cohn of The Journal Gazette described what unfolded late in the frame. He writes, "Fort Wayne defenseman Jake Johnson was dumped in front of the Fort Wayne net by Andrew Bellant, setting off a fracas in which Brochu shoved Kyle Maksimovich, who then sent him to the ice."

Let's take a peek at the video evidence.

Since YouTube flags all hockey fights as inappropriate content, this is the GIF of Indy's Scott Driscoll, formerly of the NCAA's UND Fighting Hawks, and Brett Brochu, formerly of the OHL's London Knights, awkwardly exchanging punches that land primarily on shoulder pads and backs. Clearly, this "fight" was less of a fight and more of a dance between the two goalies, but the good news is that neither was injured in the scrap despite punching pads. Both men were assessed a five-minute major for fighting and an additional two-minute minor for leaving the crease.

If you're asking why both goalies weren't ejected after their tussle, the ECHL confirmed to Cohn that goalies only get ejected for fighting if their scrap is the secondary altercation, and that wasn’t the case between Brochu and Driscoll. That means both netminders would return for the third period!

With that skirmish cleared up, the Fire would go on to win 5-2 over the Komets with Driscoll stopping 21 shots for the win. Not that this played into anything that had to do with the game, but Brett Brochu, who lost this game, had been named Fort Wayne's starter earlier in the day after the Komets traded François Brassard, the ECHL's 2021-22 Goaltender of the Year, to Maine earlier in the day. With Tyler Parks skating with AHL Bakersfield, it seems Brochu will be putting up a fight for the starting netminder's position once Parks returns!

You might be asking, "What about the 'first' you teased, Teebz?" based on the title of the article. Check out the photo below of Shane Albahrani, who normally calls Fort Wayne Komets games, standing beside 19 year-old Indiana Tech freshman Fiona Quinn!

This is a pretty incredible photo because Quinn - a graduate of Wayne New Tech at Wayne High School who has worked for the Komets for four seasons, namely handling statistics and assisting Albahrani - stepped into the play-by-play chair after Albahrani's voice had been left hoarse after battling a recent illness! For the first time in Fort Wayne's 72-year history, Fiona Quinn became the first woman to do the play-by-play for the Komets as she called this game on the WOWO and FloHockey broadcasts!

How cool is that? Personally, seeing her make the jump into professional hockey broadcasting at 19 with little play-by-play experience before that is awesome, and I hope she continues. How did she feel about her first professional hockey broadcast?

"I feel pretty content," she told Cohn after the game. "Still buzzing from the game but I'm ready to go back at it. So, so grateful for the opportunity and I'll improve from here."

There's nothing wrong with being humble about one's effort, but I thought Quinn did remarkably well. Like any good broadcaster, she seems intent on improving, and that's the kind of effort one wants to see when it comes to calling games. She did have previous experience on-air as the Komets' colour commentator, and she has called high school hockey games prior to tonight's debut. However, the best person to ask about her first call may be Shane Albahrani as the veteran broadcaster has years of experience from which he can reflect on Quinn's call.

"Fiona did fantastic," Albahrani said. "So unbelievably proud of her. I'm amazed at her drive, energy and knowledge. It's a tough position for even a seasoned broadcaster to get the call with only a few hours notice, plus travel. But she handled it like a true pro. I was honored to be able to share the booth and her moment tonight."

That might be the biggest honour she can receive as it sounds like Albahrani was speaking about his own daughter with his glowing review. My hope is that Fiona Quinn continues to be a part of the Komets' broadcasts moving forward. There is no limit on where she can go from here with her abilities in calling games, doing stats, and her experience in being a colour commentator, but there's still that school path she may want to follow at Indiana Tech as well. In short, the world better keep an eye on Fiona Quinn!

While the loss doesn't help them in the standings, the Fort Wayne Komets found two memorable ways to cap off their 2023: a goalie fight, and a broadcast debut from a young woman who appears to be on the rise on their broadcasts!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!