CanucksArmy Utica Comets Post-Game: Comets Drop Third Straight With 3-2 Loss to Springfield

4:30 pm Pacific

The 26th overall Springfield Thunderbirds, (Florida affiliate), rolled into Utica today to take on the eighth-ranked Comets for game number 56 of the Comets season. Utica had 68 points coming into today’s game, while Springfield had 51 points on the season.

The Comets brought the league’s third-ranked power play into the game, operating at 20.4%, while their penalty kill was sitting sixth overall with an 85.2% effective rate. The Thunderbirds, for their part, had the AHL’s 25th ranked power play, operating at 15.1%, while their penalty kill sat 11th with an 83.4% effective rate.

Curtis Valk led all Thunderbirds scorers with 40 points in 52 games this season, while Ludwig Bystrom was their points leader on the backend with 22 points in 47 games. Blaine Byron led their rookie crew with 13 points in 39 contests. Reid Boucher was the Comets points leader with 44 points in 40 games, while Patrick Wiercioch led their active blueliners with 25 points in 39 games. Zack MacEwen led the Comets rookies with 30 points in 50 games played this season.

Springfield was coming off a 4-0 win over Charlotte, while the Comets last played to a 5-2 loss to Laval yesterday. Utica had gone 7-2-0-1 over their previous 10 games, while the Thunderbirds had gone 5-4-1-0 over the same span. Springfield brought a road record of 8-16-1-0 into the game today, while the Comets had a home record of 12-11-3-3.

The Thunderbirds had been outscored by their opponents this season by a 176-156 margin, while the Comets had outscored their competition by a count of 164-156.

In other Comets news, second-year pro, Michael Carcone is tied for second amongst Comets goal scorers with Michael Chaput. They each have 12 markers this season. Carcone put up just five goals last season in 61 games. He has moved up and down the lineup and been somewhat of a Swiss Army knife for Trent Cull. I look forward to seeing what kind of points totals the young winger will have by the end of the season.

Scratched today for the Comets were: Carter Bancks, (injured), Yan-Pavel Laplante, (injured), Jayson Megna, (injured), Brendan Woods, (injured), Joe LaBate, (injured), Jaime Sifers, (injured), Evan McEneny, (injured), Jalen Chatfield, (injured), Cam Darcy, (injured), Michael Garteig, and Justin Taylor.

58 Michael Carcone – 36 Wacey Hamilton (A) – 15 Zack MacEwen

24 Reid Boucher (A) – 21 Michael Chaput (A) – 27 Tony Cameranesi

22 David Dziurzynski – 19 Cole Cassels – 17 Alexis D’Aoust

44 Adam Comrie – 82 Andrew Cherniwchan – 13 Griffen Molino

6 Ashton Sautner – 8 Dylan Blujus

28 Patrick Wiercioch – 55 Guillaume Brisebois

57 Mathieu Brodeur – 29 Frankie Simonelli

32 Richard Bachman

 

The first period started off with former Comets forward, Alex Grenier getting the first shot on goal. Richard Bachman decided he didn’t want to be a friendly host and gobbled up his shot and held for a whistle.

Griffen Molino, who has been playing very well since returning from injury, was having another good start today. The Comets rookie forward had great hustle with an early shift that led to Adam Comrie opening the scoring with his sixth goal of the season just 2:18 into the period. Molino earned his sixth helper of the season on the play, while Patrick Wiercioch picked up his 18th.

At the other end of the ice, Maxime Fortunus let fly with a shot and Bachman said no. Ed Wittchow had a shot tipped that trickled on the net, Bachman scooped it up and held for the whistle.

Andrew Cherniwchan came in with a sneaky, low shot, but Thunderbirds netminder Harri Sateri was ready with the save. Ludwig Bystrom came back the other way with a wrister and Bachman gloved it down.

Michael Carcone, Wacey Hamilton, and Zack MacEwen showed up with a grinding shift in the Springfield zone and worked to wear down their opposition. In their own end, the Comets were making it difficult for the Thunderbirds to gain the blueline.

Anthony Greco was whistled for hooking at the 7:00-minute mark and the Comets would get their first crack on the power play. The Comets weren’t having much luck early as a puck was turned over and Reid Boucher had to hustle back to get the puck back from the Springfield forward. Patrick Wiercioch had a shot turned aside, but that was about all that the Comets would manage with their man advantage.

Wittchow came into the Comets zone with a shot from the circle that Bachman grabbed and held for the whistle. In the Springfield zone, Boucher hit Chaput with a pass and the Comets forward cut hard to the net with the puck but was unable to jam it past Sateri. Zack MacEwen followed up with a shot off a Carcone setup, but Sateri denied him as well.

Richard Bachman showed up with a pair of saves, the second one was this beauty off of the stick of Jayce Hawryluk.

Andrew Cherniwchan fed Griffen Molino for a chance and the rookie saw his shot turned aside.

Adam Comrie was whistled for interference at the 17:24 mark and the Comets would have to break out the penalty killers again. Former Comets forward, Curtis Valk found himself wide open for a chance and saw the puck roll off his stick.

The Comets would run down the clock and kill the penalty and that was it for the first period. The shots were tied at 11 apiece for the opening frame.

The Comets came out quick in the second with Michael Chaput hitting Tony Cameranesi with a pass from behind the net, but the winger was tied up and couldn’t get his shot away. Boucher followed up with a cross-ice pass to Patrick Wiercioch who saw his shot tipped off the target. Cole Cassels came with a shot of his own, but Sateri denied him.

Greg Chase tied the game at one after what seemed like about a three-day puck battle along the boards in the Comets zone. The goal was Chase’s second of the season, while Sam Kurker picked up his third helper of the year on the play and Curtis Valk grabbed his 28th.

The line of MacEwen, Carcone and Hamilton were working the puck with Hamilton ultimately being set up for a one-timer that he fanned on.

Ashton Sautner unloaded with a hit on the smaller Valk, and the former Comet skated away no worse for wear. At the other end of the ice David “Dizzy,” Dziurzynski crushed Ed Wittchow with a board-rattling hit. Griffen Molino took a puck to the mumbles shortly after but the Comets winger didn’t miss a shift.

I have to apologize here as the rest of this period saw some video feed issues where the play was jumping ahead in 4-8 second increments on me.

There was a point shot from a Comets defenseman that Sateri turned aside, but Michael Chaput was right there to bang away at the rebound. Sateri denied the Chaput chance as well. Cole Cassels made a nice defensive play in his own end, using a good stick to break up a rush and David Dziurzynski went the other way for a chance that Sateri denied.

Jayce Hawryluk got in close for a chance on Bachman and once again, Bacher was ready with the save.

The Comets were heading back to the penalty kill at the 11:44 mark when Michael Carcone was sent off for hooking.

Ludwig Bystrom set up Valk for a one-timer chance that Bachman made a quick save on. Hamilton and Chaput went the other way for an odd-man rush but Hamilton sent his shot wide. Reid Boucher came back in and blew the puck past Bystrom for his 24th goal of the season. The goal was unassisted and gave Boucher sole possession of the Comets single-season goals record, and it was shorthanded to boot.

Adam Comrie was seen heading to the room with the trainer after the Boucher goal, but he would reappear at some point. It was hard to tell when, because of the terrible video feed from AHL Live. Richard Bachman made back to back saves on…someone…and Ryan Horvat, (no relation to Bo) before Patrick Wiercioch was whistled for tripping at the 16:51 mark.

The Comets did a good job of keeping the Thunderbirds to the outside, limiting their chances before Bachman was forced into a save on a point shot with Alex Grenier providing the screen. Bachman made another save on a Bobby Farnham chance and the Comets would come up with a good kill.

Thomas Schemitsch scored just after the penalty ended to tie the game at two, at the 19:07 mark. The goal was Schemitsch’s ninth of the season. Jayce Hawryluk picked up his 22nd assist of the season on the play, while Cameron Brown earned his first.

Before the period would end, Zack MacEwen got a backhander on net and Sateri made the save. The period finished with the Thunderbirds holding a 12-8 advantage in shots.

Reid Boucher got the third period started with a shot that was tipped out of play. Carcone set Wiercioch up for a one-timer and the lanky defender fired it right into Sateri’s breadbasket. The Comets got some good zone time early from the Chaput line.

The video feed issues continued for the remainder of the game, so please bear with me.

Richard Bachman came up with a point-blank save off the stick of Juho Lammikko, who was parked in the slot. At the other end of the ice, Wacey Hamilton dropped to Ashton Sautner for a wrister that Sateri blockered away.

Bachman saw Dryden Hunt come at him with a one-timer and he turned it aside. Zack MacEwen took the puck the other way and sent a shot on net so his line could finish changing before Hunt came back with another chance that Bachman had to deny.

Maxime Fortunus was whistled for holding at the 7:33 mark and the Comets would get another chance on the power play. The Comets were looking sloppy again on this one to start before Boucher had back to back one-timers turned aside. Those would be the Comets best chances and they would come up empty-handed with the man advantage.

Dylan Blujus hammered a shot from the point and Sateri grabbed it and held on. Griffen Molino was using his wheels and hit Andrew Cherniwchan with a pass, but Cherniwchan saw his shot tipped out of play.

Anthony Greco would break into the Comets zone with speed and beat Bachman high to the glove side with a laser of a shot to put the Thunderbirds up 3-2. The goal was Greco’s 21st of the season and it was unassisted.

Zack MacEwen was looking to get that one right back with a heavy shot, but Sateri grabbed it and held for the faceoff.

The Comets would get no better chance to tie it than when Jayce Hawryluk was whistled for tripping and was then given an extra two for unsportsmanlike conduct for talking when he should have been listening.

Patrick Wiercioch had a shot redirected off the target before MacEwen let fly with a one-timer that Sateri swallowed up and held on to. The Comets would get their chances as Carcone and Chaput both had chances turned aside, but they were not able to beat Sateri.

The Comets called Bachman to the bench for the extra attacker with 1:18 remaining. Boucher had a chance turned aside before Ryan Horvat was whistled for a high stick at the 19:33 mark. The Comets called their timeout with 26.9 seconds left to play but they were unable to come up with a goal to tie the game. Wiercioch finished up with a big clapper from just inside the blueline, but Sateri was equal to the task and that was the game.

The Comets finished the final frame with a 14-5 lead on the shot clock for the period and a 33-28 lead for the game.

The Three Stars in the building today were:

3rd Star: Harri Sateri. 31 saves.

2nd Star: Reid Boucher. One goal.

1st Star: Anthony Greco. One goal.

3rd Star: Griffen Molino. Molino picked up an assist today and now has three goals and six helpers for nine points this season. That may not sound like much, but the rookie has put up six of those points in his last seven games. It is a good time for Molino to get going, as the Comets will need all hands on deck to get out of this three-game losing skid that they currently find themselves in.

2nd Star: Zack MacEwen. One of the other Comets rookies, Zack MacEwen was held off the score sheet today, but he was noticeable on the ice. He was using his size well, dishing out a few solid hits, while also putting six shots on net. MacEwen has gone two games without a point and that hasn’t happened for about a month, so I would imagine the big fella will get back on track next week when the Comets are back in action.

1st Star: Reid Boucher. Boucher picked up his 24th goal today to take ownership of the Comets single-season goals record. The fact that he scored it while shorthanded is a little more than ironic as Boucher has more than once been criticized for his defensive play. That defensive play has improved by leaps and bounds this season and Boucher has been making his fair share of good defensive reads and plays this season in Utica.

4:00 pm Pacific