CanucksArmy Utica Comets Post-Game: Boucher Grabs Another Pair of Goals and Jasek Scores the Winner in 4-3 OT Win Over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Game #2

At Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Saturday, October 12th, 2019

7:05 pm Eastern/4:05 pm Pacific

(First line and defence pair started the game, the remainder are in no particular order)

47 Sven Baertschi – 34 Carter Bancks (C) – 95 Justin Bailey

77 Nikolay Goldobin – 9 Lukas Jasek – 15 Zack MacEwen

24 Reid Boucher (A) – 19 Carter Camper – 13 Kole Lind

21 Jonah Gadjovich – 26 Dyson Stevenson – 18 Vincent Arseneau

55 Guillaume Brisebois – 25 Brogan Rafferty

48 Olli Juolevi – 6 Ashton Sautner (A)

4 Josh Teves – 5 Jalen Chatfield

31 Zane McIntyre

64 Michael DiPietro

The first period took a little bit of time before much went on, but the Comets would finish the opening frame up by a pair of goals. There was some back and forth early before Kole Lind was dinged for a high-stick at the 1:41 mark and the Comets had a penalty to kill.

With Lind in the box, we saw Trent Cull role out a penalty killing unit of Zack MacEwen with Justin Bailey, Jalen Chatfield, and Ashton Sautner. MacEwen and Bailey would be replaced by Carter Bancks and Nikolay Goldobin, while Olli Juolevi and Guillaume Brisebois spelled off Chatfield and Sautner. The final forward pair used on this kill would be Reid Boucher and Lukas Jasek. It’s nice to see some of the young guys getting looks on the kill.

MacEwen and Bailey had a shorthanded chance that Bailey couldn’t get to go before McIntyre had to come up with a save on Jake Lucchini at the other end. The Comets came up with a good kill.

Utica got some solid pressure from their fourth line after the kill as the trio of Jonah Gadjovich, Dyson Stevenson, and Vincent Arseneau brought the forecheck with some physicality.

Josh Teves had a solid, but quiet first game of the year, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to see the young defender jumping up into the rush early in this one. Teves’ defence partner Jalen Chatfield showed what he does well when he stood Matt Abt up with a stiff hit at the Comets blue line soon after.

Lukas Jasek and Nikolay Goldobin looked like they were going to hook up for a goal but the duo made one too many passes after Zack MacEwen did great work to maintain possession of the puck for them with a diving play in the neutral zone.

In the Comets end, McIntyre had to steer aside a point shot before Justin Bailey used his ample wheels to draw a penalty on Niclas Almari. Almari was sent off for a slash and the Comets were off to the power play.

We saw a first unit of Kole Lind, MacEwen, Goldobin, Boucher, and Juolevi before the second unit of Camper, Gadjovich, Bailey, Baertschi, and Rafferty came over the boards. Goldobin had his chance denied by Pens netminder Emil Larmi, as did Baertschi and Gadjovich. The Comets came up empty.

Reid Boucher had his pocket picked in the neutral zone and Ashton Sautner did nice work to recover the puck for Utica before McIntyre had to glove down a Sam Militec offering and held for the whistle.

BigVinny followed up the McIntyre save with a solid hit on the forecheck that staggered Kevin Czuczuman momentarily. Kole Lind followed up by getting in behind the Pens defence but the young winger fired his shot wide of the net.

Emil Larmi had to come up with a save on Boucher before Kole Lind and Kevin Czuczuman got a little “scrummy” after the whistle. Cooler heads would prevail and no penalties were called.

Zane McIntyre was having a solid opening frame and showed some poise in handling the puck. He also made a save or two as he shut down a Pens scramble in front of his net to keep the puck out.

At the other end, Goldobin hit a trailing Sautner with a pass and the defender had a pair of chances turned aside by the Pens’ netminder. Olli Juolevi followed up with a nice stretch pass to MacEwen for a clapper that was denied by Larmi as well.

Reid Boucher put his team up 1-0 at the 17:40 mark after Carter Camper won a faceoff to him for a shot that got past Larmi. The goal was Boucher’s third of the season, while Camper grabbed his second helper in as many games.

McIntyre had to come up with a save on Sam Militec before Bailey had his wraparound attempt at the other end denied as well.

David Warsofsky was whistled for tripping at the 19:19 mark and it was back to the man advantage for Utica. Boucher made Warsofsky pay when he hammered home his second of the game and fourth of the season. Olli Juolevi picked up his first helper of the year on the play, while Nikolay Goldobin did the same.

That was a nice way to wrap up a period of hockey as the Comets finished the opening frame up 2-0 on the scoreboard and 12-9 on the shot clock.  Below is the shot map for the opening frame.

 

The middle frame kicked off with a nifty feed from Sven Baertschi to Kole Lind for a chance that was denied before McIntyre came up with a save of his own on Jordy Bellerive at the other end and held for the whistle.

Zack MacEwen hasn’t picked up any points yet, but he was bringing his physical game with a solid hit on Jake Lucchini.

We saw some back and forth before Vincent Arseneau was dinged for hooking at the 3:07 mark.

It didn’t take long for Stefan Noesen to pull the Pens to within a goal when he beat McIntyre on a scramble play in the Comets crease. The goal was the fourth of the year for Noesen, while Warsofsky earned his third helper of the year on the play and Oula Palve grabbed his third as well.

The Pens kept it coming and McIntyre had to come up with a blocker save before following up with another stop on Ryan Haggerty. Palve was next up with a chance and McIntyre had his number as well.

Ashton Sautner followed up with a solid hit before Matt Abt was whistled for tripping Dyson Stevenson. Stevenson did well to draw the penalty.

The Comets started out with their second unit and they had a heck of a time trying to get out of their end. The Pens’ killers were pressuring them hard. Justin Bailey was dumped with no call from an official before we saw Brogan Rafferty come up with a nice play that unfortunately didn’t lead to any added goals for Utica.

There was some sloppy play as Boucher overskated the puck, sending Warsofsky and Thomas DuPauli in on a two-on-one shorthanded chance that McIntyre stood tall for. Boucher would have a one-timer denied at the other end and the Comets power play came up empty once again.

To make matters worse, Utica was soon dinged for having too many men on the ice and it was back to the penalty kill.

 

McIntyre gloved down and held a point shot for the whistle before Warsofsky solved him to tie the game at two. Warsofsky’s point shot eluded McIntyre for his first goal of the season. Andrew Agozzino picked up his first helper of the year on the play, while Oula Palve grabbed his second assist of the game and fourth of the season.

The Pens power play appeared to have the Comets’ number.

Lukas Jasek’s line followed up the goal with a nice shift that saw MacEwen feed Goldobin for a chance that was denied before Agozzino was sent in all alone on McIntyre for a chance that he fired wide of the net.

Kole Lind and Carter Camper went the other way for a chance that saw Lind dish to the veteran but Camper couldn’t get his shot to go. Rafferty followed up with a nice pinch that saw him get a shot away that was also turned aside by Larmi.

Jalen Chatfield had a tough shift where he tried to blast through the neutral zone and lost the handle on the puck before losing it again in his own end. The play would not end up harming the Comets in the end.

Sven Baertschi was back in the AHL for his first game in a few years and he was not welcomed in a friendly manner as he was whacked in the mumbles by a stick the went undetected by the officials.

Jasek, however, was whistled for hooking at the 14:51 mark and the Comets had another penalty to try to kill.

We saw some heavy use of Zack MacEwen on this kill as TheBigFella started this one off with Reid Boucher before making a return appearance at the end of the kill with the speedy Justin Bailey. The two big men would eventually hook up for a shorthanded chance when MacEwen hit Bailey at speed with a pass and the winger turned on the jets to beat the defender but was unable to beat Larmi. The Comets came up with a good kill.

Jonah Gadjovich didn’t get the plum assignment that he had last game with linemates like Tyler Graovac and Zack MacEwen, but he was doing what he could to make things happen with Stevenson and Arseneau. Gadjovich showed a small burst of speed and a shot from the right side off the rush, but once again, Larmi was equal to the task.

Niclas Almari was sent off for interference at the 17:41 mark and Utica was headed back to the power play. MacEwen had a glorious chance to score the go-ahead goal when Goldy sent a pass to him at the side of the net, but TheBigFella tipped the pass just wide of the target. The Comets were having a tough time getting much going.

Carter Camper made a nice play to Gadjovich but the winger was dumped on his way to the net and was rewarded with a penalty shot. A penalty shot for number 21 on his 21st birthday? You know he had to score… right?

Unfortunately, that’s not the way it went down and Larmi added another save to his stats for the game. That was it for the power play and the period. The Pens had the game knotted at two and held a 14-10 lead on the shot clock for the middle frame.

Your shot map for the second period.

We headed into the third period with the game tied at two and neither team looking like they were poised to take the win.

McIntyre had to come up with an early save on Anthony Angello and he held for the whistle. He followed up by gobbling up the point shot that came from the resulting Penguins faceoff win. We had a bit of back and forth before Matt Abt sent a wrister McIntyre’s way that was swallowed up by the netminder.

At the other end, it was Goldobin with a wrister that was blockered aside before MacEwen won the resulting faceoff right back to Goldy for another shot that was gobbled up by Larmi. Zack was doing some solid work in the faceoff circle tonight for Utica when called upon.

I have always enjoyed Jalen Chatfield’s game when he plays his greasy, physical style. He did great work to close his man out along the boards just inside the Comets blue line to force a turnover.

Both teams were looking a little rusty in this one as there was more scrambly play for a couple of shifts.

I’ve mentioned it before, but Kole Lind is at his best when he is playing a “scrummy” style of game. The second-year winger used that style of play top draw a roughing minor on Anthony Angello to put his team back on the power play.

With Angello in the box, we saw the puck bouncing around quite a bit on the Comets. Utica’s play-by-play man Joe Roberts mentioned that he heard from many players ahead of this one about how bad the ice conditions were in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Those ice conditions were not the only reason why the Comets didn’t capitalize on the man advantage, but they didn’t help.

The ice conditions didn’t seem to be much of a problem for Angello when he exited the box and went in all alone to beat McIntyre to put his club up 3-2. The goal was the second of the season for Angello, while Jon Lizotte earned his first helper of the year on the play.

Yeah… that’s not the way you want things to go if you’re a Utica fan.

The Pens kept it coming as Brisebois had to come up with a big shot block before Goldobin was blown up with a hit along the boards by Angello. Goldy was shaken up a little, but was able to return for his next shift.

Vincent Arseneau wasn’t impressed by Angello’s hit and offered to take the man for a turn around the dance floor. Angello wisely declined and BigVinny found himself as the only player headed to the penalty box.

McIntyre had to come up with a save on an early wrister as we saw Carter Camper taking MacEwen’s place on the penalty kill with Boucher while TheBigFella was getting some attention on the bench from the trainer, according to Joe Roberts.

McIntyre came up with a big stop, going post-to-post to stymie another WBS chance. Olli Juolevi came up with a couple of shot blocks before Brisebois cleared the puck out of the zone and the Comets had a good kill.

MacEwen didn’t end up missing much time as he was out for his next shift.

Warsofsky was looking to put his team up by a pair when he let fly with a shot that McIntyre soaked up for a whistle. Juolevi came up with another shot block before McIntyre gloved down a Ryan Haggerty offering for another save.

At the other end, Brisebois unloaded with a shot from the left side that Larmi ate up for a whistle before Ashton Sautner saw him do the same with his wrister.

Carter Bancks knotted the game at three when he shovelled a net-front rebound past Larmi. Ashton Sautner got this started with a shot off the boards before Baertschi and Bancks started digging for loose change. The goal was the first of the season for Bancks, while Baertschi and Sautner earned their first assists of the year. I know that Sautner’s uncle Kevin was in the stands tonight, so it was nice for him to see his nephew grab his first point of the season.

Once again, Kole Lind was out on the ice with the game on the line with under two minutes remaining in regulation. That has to be a boost for his confidence.

It looked like Justin Bailey was going to salt this one away in the dying seconds when Juolevi was able to spring him for a scoring chance. Bailey fired up his rocket-powered skates and wheeled wide around the defender, but Larmi was ready with another timely save. This one would need an extra period.

The Pens held a 10-9 advantage on the third period shot clock and has outshot the Comets by a count of 34-30 through three periods.

Your third period shot map.

This overtime was all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They outshot the Comets by a margin of 6-1, but Utica would only need that one shot to win the game.

Kole Lind looked like he’d get an early chance, but he was dumped and couldn’t get his shot to go. Agozzino had a chance to finish this one with a point-blank opportunity but McIntyre said no. The Comets netminder was busy in the extra frame, but it would be Utica with the win after some great work from Brogan Rafferty.

The Comets broke out of their zone and Baertschi found Rafferty with a pass before the rookie rearguard used a sweet pass to set up Lukas Jasek for the winner. The goal was Jazzy’s first of the season, while Rafferty earned his first helper on the play and Baertschi grabbed his second.

That was it in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Pens outshot the Comets 40-37 for the game.

Your overtime shot map.

Power Play – 1/5

PP1 – Zack MacEwen, Kole Lind, Nikolay Goldobin, Reid Boucher, and Olli Juolevi.

PP2 – Justin Bailey, Sven Baertschi, Jonah Gadjovich, Carter Camper, and Brogan Rafferty.

Penalty Kill – 3/5

PK – Zack MacEwen, Justin Bailey, Carter Bancks, Reid Boucher, Carter Camper, Nikolay Goldobin, Lukas Jasek, Olli Juolevi, Guillaume Brisebois, Ashton Sautner, and Jalen Chatfield.

3rd Star: Reid Boucher. Two goals.

2nd Star: David Warsofsky. One goal, one assist.

1st Star: Lukas Jasek. Game winner in overtime.

3rd Star: Zane McIntyre. 37 saves for the win is a tidy night’s work for the Comets new number one netminder. I feel like McIntyre has done some nice work in his first two games for the Comets. He’s allowed six goals on 62 shots in his two games of action so far. He has looked calm while handling the puck and plays a steady game. The Comets have a young blue line, so having a calming presence between the pipes can only be a good thing. McIntyre’s work in the final two periods of this one had a lot to do with the Comets being in the position to win this game.

2nd Star: Lukas Jasek. Jasek has been thrust into a prime role down the middle with the Comets in the early going this season and the forward has taken it in stride. He was in the middle of MacEwen and Goldobin today, so the coaching staff clearly sees him as a guy who they can count on for offensive contributions. He handled himself well in the pivot role and scored the game-winner in overtime. He now has two points in two games this year, picking up where he left off in his solid rookie campaign. Keep an eye on Jazzy, he could end up being the player who surprises most this year in Utica.

1st Star: Reid Boucher. Ho-hum… another game, another pair of goals. Boucher is on pace for 152 goals this year, not that I expect him to keep this torrid pace up, but we all know what Boucher can do at the American League level. He’s up to five points in his first two games this season already and he is not likely to slow down a whole lot any time soon. Sure, it was nice to see Goldy grab a helper and Sven earn a pair as well, but this is Reid Boucher’s world and those two are only living in it temporarily. Would anyone be surprised if Boucher shatters his own Comets scoring records again this year? I know that I wouldn’t.

Game #3

Vs Syracuse Crunch

Wednesday, October 16th, 2019

7:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Pacific