CanucksArmy Post-Game Report: Comets Fall 4-3 to the Marlies in Another Gritty Effort Game

The 20th place Utica Comets welcomed the 2nd place Toronto Marlies back to the Adirondack Bank Center today for the second time this week. The Comets rolled out with a gritty effort on Wednesday and beat the Marlies 5-2.

The Comets went 2-4 on the power-play on Wednesday against the Marlies, but the visiting team was still boasting the league’s best penalty-killing unit which was effective 89.8% of the time coming into today. Their power-play, however, was not looking so good, sitting 23rd overall with a 15.2% effective rate.

The Comets sat eighth overall on the power-play, with a 19.1% conversion rate, while their penalty-kill was 10th overall in the AHL, killing off 83.7% of their opponents power-play chances.

Forward, Ben Smith was still the points leader for the Marlies with 24 points in 29 games, while defenseman Justin Holl led the Marlies blueline with 12 points in 25 games this season. Michael Chaput was the Comets leader amongst active players with 15 points in 20 games. Philip Holm was still the leader on the blueline with 14 points in 21 games this season.

The Marlies had outscored their competition by a count of 90-61 coming into today, while the Comets had been outscored by their opponents this season by a margin of 86-78.

The Comets have made a couple of minor roster moves since Wednesday’s game. The first of which was recalling Danny Moynihan from Kalamazoo for the second time this season.

After the Moynihan recall was announced, the Comets announced that they had signed forward Vincent Arseneau to a PTO. Arseneau is a winger who has been playing for the Allen Americans of the ECHL. You can find more info on the Arseneau PTO in the link below.

A look at the AHL transactions page also revealed that the Comets had ended the PTO of Joel Lowry. Lowry got into one game during his brief recall, vs the Marlies on Wednesday and was held pointless.

The voice of the Comets, Andy Zilch, filled us in on the two-game suspension that was handed out to the Marlies Miro Aaltonen after his hit on Jayson Megna on Wednesday.

Ben Birnell of the Utica Observer-Dispatch filled us in on the Marlies PTO signing of goaltender Drew Fielding from the Adirondack Thunder after Garret Sparks fell ill.

Scratched today for the Comets were: Darren Archibald, (injured), Wacey Hamilton, (injured), Evan McEneny, (injured), Yan-Pavel Laplante, (injured), Brendan Woods, (injured), Jayson Megna, (injured), Anton Cederholm, and Danny Moynihan.

16 Joe LaBate (A) – 11 Cam Darcy – 17 Alexis D’Aoust

13 Griffen Molino – 19 Cole Cassels – 58 Michael Carcone

34 Carter Bancks (C) – 21 Michael Chaput (A) – 15 Zack MacEwen

18 Vincent Arseneau – 27 Tony Cameranesi – 14 Brady Brassart

6 Ashton Sautner – 8 Dylan Blujus

52 Philip Holm – 55 Guillaume Brisebois

28 Patrick Wiercioch – 5 Jalen Chatfield

32 Richard Bachman

The Comets were wearing their green alternate jerseys today. I wish the Canucks would take a page from their farm team and bring out a similar design in Vancouver.

The game got off to a quick start, with Richard Bachman being forced into a save off of a tipped puck early. Bachman was once again sharp in the first period for the Comets. The Molino – Cassels – Carcone line was looking confident and comfortable on the ice today. The trio used their speed early and had a nice chance on a set-up from Cassels to Carcone, but Carcone put the puck off the side of the net.

Philip Holm continued his strong play with a chance early, but Marlies netminder Calvin Pickard was looking strong to start the game and got a glove on the Holm offering.

Justin Holl would put the Marlies up 1-0 at the 3:53 mark when he fired a puck from the point and it bounced off of Carter Bancks before hitting Ashton Sautner’s skate and trickling past Bachman. It was goal number four for Holl, while Dmytro Timashov picked up his ninth helper of the season on the play, and Andrew Nielsen did the same.

After the Marlies goal, we saw another example of Jalen Chatfield’s smooth skating as he streaked up the ice and dropped a pass for Alexis D’Aoust, who got a clean shot off that Pickard was able to stop.

The Marlies were all over the Comets in the first five minutes but the Comets were doing a good job of keeping the shots to a minimum in the early going.

Tony Cameranesi had a couple of chances in the first period today. The forward, who is with the Comets on a PTO has shown well thus far with the team in his limited action.

Alexis D’Aoust and Cam Darcy broke in for a nice chance, but D’Aoust put the pass behind Darcy and he wasn’t able to make a play.

Chatfield was showing some great board work again today. The rookie defenseman does a nice job of using his body to separate opponents from the puck in the defensive zone.

Michael Carcone was having another good game today. He and Molino had a nice two on one but Pickard was able to make the save off of Molino. For his part, Molino was able to draw a penalty on the play as his speed caused Justin Holl to take a hooking penalty.

Chaput had a nice shot redirected by MacEwen on the power-play, but once again, Pickard was equal to the task. The Comets first power-play didn’t last long though. Dylan Blujus took a holding penalty at the 12:11 mark and the teams would play some four on four hockey. Cam Darcy and Griffen Molino did some excellent work during the four on four as well as the following penalty-kill. The Comets would kill off the Blujus minor with some strong work.

Newcomer Vincent Arseneau evened the score at one when he beat Pickard for his first goal with the Comets. Arseneau, as you remember was just signed to a PTO yesterday. Patrick Wiercioch picked up his sixth helper of the season on the play, while Carter Bancks earned his 11th.

The two teams would have some good back and forth to end the period, finishing the first frame with the Comets leading 9-7 on the shot clock.

It was great for the Comets to tie the game in the last five minutes of the first, it was even better when Joe LaBate put his team up 2-1 just 23 seconds into the middle frame. The big fella made a bullrush down the right side, charging to the net and put a puck into the crease that went off a defender’s skate and past Pickard to give LaBate his fifth goal of the season. Dylan Blujus picked up his second helper of the season on the play, Alexis D’Aoust earned his fifth.

Dmytro Timashov would put the Comets on the power-play when he took a boarding penalty at the 3:47 mark. The Comets would get their chances but could not get anything past Pickard.

The two teams would go back and forth until the 7:26 mark when Chris Mueller would beat Bachman for his sixth goal of the season. Ben Smith earned his 12th assist of the season on the play, while Timashov picked up his 10th.

Newcomer Arseneau was showing that he has a heavy shot as he came down the right side and let fly with a hard shot that handcuffed Pickard. Arseneau followed up his shot by going hard to the net looking for any sign of a loose puck.

Calle Rosen had a break for the Marlies coming down the left side and getting a shot off that Bachman turned aside. Michael Chaput put a hard shot on net that led to a Zack MacEwen rebound chance, but once again, Pickard was there with the save.

The Comets would find themselves back on the penalty-kill when Bancks was sent off for slashing at the 12:28 mark. The Comets managed a very nice kill, using PTO signees Blujus and Cameranesi to help keep the Marlies off the board.

Guillaume Brisebois came up the boards in his own zone and tried to clear the puck over the blueline, but Ben Smith had other ideas. Smith caused a turnover and came in and put the puck glove side high past Bachman to put the Marlies up 3-2. The Unassisted goal was number 14 of the season for the Marlies leading scorer.

The two teams would go back and forth and with the period winding down, Carcone got a puck to Sautner for the one-timer, but Pickard was there with a pad save.

The period would end with the Comets holding an 11-10 advantage on the shot clock.

The third period started off in a similar fashion to the second, with the Comets getting a goal early to tie the game at three. The line of Molino, Cassels, and Carcone pulled out another gritty effort goal. This line is really coming on, and the trio is getting rewarded. With another blue-collar effort, Cassels buried his second goal of the season and Carcone picked up his second assist of the year and his sixth point in his last seven contests. Guillaume Brisebois picked up his fourth helper of the season on the play as well.

The Comets kept coming as D’Aoust sent Darcy in right after the goal, but Pickard was there for the save. The PTO line of Arseneau, Cameranesi, and Brassart had a great shift following the Darcy, D’Aoust chance, keeping the puck in the Marlies zone for a good stretch. Arseneau showed his physical side with a heavy hit on Holl, sending the Marlies defender to the ice and followed that up with a big shot block. Arseneau was being cheered by the crowd and his teammates alike as he headed to the bench following that shift.

The Marlies would go up 4-3 at the 6:30 mark when Ben Smith sent a seeing-eye-puck on the net that somehow found its way past Bachman. It would be goal number 15 of the season for Smith. Rinat Valiev was credited with his third assist of the season on the play, while Justin Holl earned his 10th.

Shortly after the goal, Jalen Chatfield would take an awkward spill into the boards and spent an extended period down on the ice. He left the ice on his skates, but needed the help of the trainer and did not return in the game. The Comets have been hit hard by the injury bug this season as the “scratches section” of this post shows. The last thing the Comets need is to lose another player for any length of time, let alone a player who is eating up a pile of minutes and developing his game.

Cassels and Carcone were back at it, getting another chance when Carcone sent Cassels in with a nice feed but Cassels put the puck off Pickard’s shoulder. Cameranesi continued to show a solid game when he laid a big hit along the boards. If nothing else, these PTO guys have been doing their best to pull their weight and earn another game with the Comets.

The teams were going back and forth with Holm getting a shot off at one end, with Pickard making the save and Bachman making a save through traffic on a point shot at the other end of the ice.

The Comets role players have done a nice job of stepping up this season in the face of a ridiculous injury list and the call-ups of their best players for good chunks of the season. The coaching staff and the players deserve a pat on the back for being competitive all season, even if their record doesn’t look the way we would like.

Zack MacEwen would be sent off for “charging the goaltender in the crease” at the 12:19 mark. MacEwen had the puck coming down the right side and cut hard to the net, he ran out of room and plowed over Pickard. Pickard was shaken up but stayed in the game.

To make matters worse, Cole Cassels was sent off for cross-checking just over a minute later to put the Comets down two men. Before the whistle could blow to send Cassels to the box, the Comets would have to touch the puck though. The Marlies pulled Pickard and sent a sixth attacker over the boards, but the Comets did a good job of keeping the Marlies to the outside and limited their chances with the two extra men, to killoff a good portion of the Marlies two-man advantage. When it finally did come time to touch the puck, Sautner stood up Mueller and sent him to the ice as he charged in on the Comets defender. A scrum ensued but no further penalties were handed out.

Chaput, Sautner, and Wiercioch did great work on the ensuing five on three kill. Bachman made a big pad save and Smith rang a puck off the iron. With two minutes left in the game, Bachman came up with another blocker save to help keep his team in it. The Marlies had extended zone time, hemming the Comets into their end.

With 1:05 left on the clock, the Comets pulled Bachman for the extra attacker. Just as Bachman was getting to the bench, Chaput finished a check on Holl and Vincent LoVerde took exception. LoVerde was assessed with an interference penalty and the Comets left Bachman on the bench for a two-man advantage to finish the game. Before the puck dropped in the Marlies zone, another scrum broke out. There is no love lost between these two teams after this two-game series. The Comets managed some good puck movement with the extra attackers but were unable to do any damage.

The Marlies would have an edge in shots in the final frame of 11-7, to give them a 28-27 shot advantage for the game. That was it in Utica on this Friday night.

The Three Stars in the building today were:

3rd Star: Vincent Arseneau. One goal.

2nd Star: Dmytro Timashov. Two Assists.

1st Star: Ben Smith: Two goals, one assist.

Third Star: Joe LaBate. LaBate was physical again today, he picked up a goal and played an aggressive game. With Goldobin and Boucher in Vancouver, the Comets will be looking for anyone and everyone to step up and provide some sort of offense. LaBate did his part today, and I would expect him to continue to step up over the coming weeks.

2nd Star: Michael Carcone. Carcone is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch in Utica. He has wheels, and he plays an uptempo, in-your-face game. He is not the biggest guy on the ice, but that doesn’t preclude him from throwing his body around and being a pest. With his assist today, Carcone has six points in his last seven games. That sounds like a guy who is stepping up in the absence of the Comets prime time players.

1st Star: Cole Cassels. One goal, two penalty minutes and three shots on net. That is your Cole Cassels stat line for the day, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Cassels is a beast on the penalty-kill for Utica, and he has been at the center of the Comets hottest line over the last several games. Cole keeps stepping up. The offensive totals aren’t likely going to continue rising for Cassels, but he brings a very good defensive game and has shown that he can soak up important minutes for the Comets. I can’t help but think about what this team could do once healthy. I feel like if the Comets can make the playoffs, that they are the kind of team, when healthy, that could surprise a lot of people.