Hodgman suffered a concussion on a hit by Cincinnati’s Dominic Zombo during the second period when he was hit along the boards. Zombo received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head and was suspended for Game 2 in supplementary discipline by the ECHL. He’ll be back for tonight’s Game 3.

“Not happy with the hit, especially after the effort I put in when he was down on the ice motionless,” Hodgman said in a note, referring to a March 10 game when Zombo was hit in the back of the neck by a slap shot and Hodgman and several other Komets helped him from the ice. “I knew they’d be gunning for me after last weekend. I’ve been better but also been worse. Recovering well. No timeline.”

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During the last regular-season game on April 8, Hodgman was a particular irritant to the Cyclones, stirring up trouble all over the ice. He argued with almost every Cincinnati player, trying to get under their skin.

“I take pride in my leadership role on a team, and in a city where it’s championship or bust,” Hodgman said.

The center always seems to play his best and be his most effective during the postseason. Sometimes it almost seems like he could lose his cool at any time and create an incident, which sometimes plays to his advantage because opponents are always aware of where he is on the ice. Some opponents tend to take a step back from him because of that.

It’s also how he turns up his intensity.

“Can’t comment on that last part, really,” Hodgman said. “That may be the perception. I just play how I play.”