CanucksArmy Utica Comets Post-Game Report: The Comets Make it Two Straight With 5-4 Overtime Win Over the Penguins

4:00 pm Pacific

The AHL’s sixth overall Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, (Pittsburgh affiliate) rolled into Utica today to take on the 17th ranked Comets for game number 65 of the season. The Penguins brought 81 points into the game while the Comets showed 72 points for their efforts this season.

The Pens power play was ranked 30th in the AHL, operating at 12.8%, while their penalty kill fared a little better, sitting 21st in the league with an 82.5% effective rate. The Comets, for their part, brought the league’s 12th best power play into today’s game, operating at 18.1%, while their penalty kill had moved into the second overall spot in the AHL with an 85.9% effective rate.

The top three point-getters for the Penguins were: Daniel Sprong with 48 points in 52 games this season, Jean Sebastien Dea was up next with 39 in 58 games, while Teddy Blueger sat third with 38 points in 58 contests this season.

For the Comets, the top three were: Zack MacEwen with 32 points in 59 games, while Michael Chaput was second with 31 points in 45 games, and Patrick Wiercioch sat third with 31 points in 48 games this season.

The Pens were coming off of a 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto, while the Comets last played to a 3-1 win over those same Marlies. The Comets had gone 2-8-0-0 over their previous 10 games, while the Pens had a record of 5-3-1-1 over the same span.

The Pens brought a road record of 14-12-4-1 into today’s contest, while the Comets were showing a home record of 13-14-3-3. The Comets had been outscored 185-179 by their opposition this season, while the Pens had outscored their opponents by a margin of 203-181.

The two clubs had faced off just once this season with the Comets coming away with a 5-4 win in overtime.

Scratched today for the Comets were: Yan-Pavel Laplante, (injured), Joe LaBate, (injured), Brendan Woods, (injured), Evan McEneny, (injured), Jayson Megna, (injured), Richard Bachman, (sick), Cam Darcy, (injured), Tony Cameranesi, (injured), Adam Comrie, and Frankie Simonelli.

7 Tanner MacMaster – 21 Michael Chaput – 15 Zack MacEwen

13 Griffen Molino – 82 Andrew Cherniwchan – 34 Carter Bancks (C)

18 Vincent Arseneau – 19 Cole Cassels – 17 Alex D’Aoust

58 Michael Carcone – 36 Wacey Hamilton (A) – 39 Zac Lynch

28 Patrick Wiercioch – 5 Jalen Chatfield

55 Guillaume Brisebois – 26 Jaime Sifers (A)

6 Ashton Sautner – 8 Dylan Blujus

30 Thatcher Demko

This first period was another good one for the Comets. Both teams came out ready to play and we saw a pretty great period of AHL hockey.

Thatcher Demko was sharp early, turning aside a shot off of the stick of Teddy Blueger before Andrew Cherniwchan was sprung for a break the other way. Cherniwchan would see his offering denied by Pens netminder Tristan Jarry.

Michael Carcone would make that early missed breakaway opportunity irrelevant as he pounced on a loose puck moments later and beat Jarry for his 13th goal of the season. The goal gave Carcone a brief grip on the team lead for goals scored amongst active players. Wacey Hamilton picked up his 11th helper of the season on the Carcone marker. We were 1:31 in and the Comets were up 1-0.

Alex D’Aoust brought his big boy game today, erasing former Canuck Joseph Cramarossa along the boards with a heavy hit. The Pens kept coming though, as Ryan Haggerty let fly with a shot that Demko gobbled up and held for a whistle. Tom Kostopoulos followed up with a shot of his own that Demko turned aside.

At the other end of the ice, Guillaume Brisebois unloaded a shot that was tipped out of play before Wacey Hamilton won a faceoff to Michael Carcone, who saw his shot gobbled up by Jarry.

Jarrett Burton uncorked a one-timer that Demko turned aside and the Comets netminder followed up with a pad save off of a Jarred Tinordi chance.

Newcomer Tanner MacMaster was having another strong period for the Comets, gaining the Pens line and falling, but still getting a nifty pass away to Chaput for a chance that Jarry was ready for.

Teddy Blueger came in with another shot on Demko from the circle and the Comets stopper grabbed up the puck and held for the whistle.

At the other end of the ice, Dylan Blujus fired a shot into traffic that Jarry got a piece of before Alex D’Aoust jumped on the rebound and saw Jarry stop that as well.

Jarred Tinordi got another chance on Demko that Thatcher denied before Garrett Wilson saw his chance turned aside as well. Zack MacEwen had a chance in the Pens zone, sending a high shot on net after a Chaput faceoff win. Jarry got his shoulder up and sent the puck over the net. Vincent Arseneau followed up with a low, hard shot that Jarry was ready for as well.

The Comets would get the first power play of the game at the 9:16 mark when Chris Summers was whistled for hooking.

With Summers in the box, feeling shame, Michael Chaput grabbed a share of the Comets active goal-scoring lead when he put his 13th of the season past Jarry for a power play goal. Dylan Blujus earned his 11th helper of the year on the play, while Patrick Wiercioch grabbed his 23rd.

Seconds after the Chaput goal, Garrett Wilson was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct/disputing decision and the Comets were back to the power play.

Michael Carcone would ring a shot off the iron and Michael Chaput and Alex D’Aoust each took a stab at the rebound but Jarry was ready with the save. The Comets would come up empty with their man advantage.

Jean-Sebastien Dea sent a wrister on net that Demko turned aside before Jarred Tinordi followed up with another wrister that Demko was ready for as well. Thatcher would deny a Thomas DiPauli offering as well before the Comets would go up 3-0.

Michael Chaput picked up his second goal of the game and 14th of the season to beat Jarry and wrestle the goal scoring lead, (active players) for the Comets from Michael Carcone. Tanner MacMaster earned his first helper of the season, and his second point in three games with the Comets, while Jaime Sifers picked up his fifth assist of the season on the play.

The Pens would get that one right back though, as J.S. Dea beat Demko to the glove side for his 14th goal of the season. Daniel Sprong picked up the lone assist on the play to earn his 26th helper of the year.

Alex D’Aoust followed up the Pens goal with another big hit, this time on Adam Johnson. D’Aoust was bringing the hits today.

Andrew Cherniwchan would give the Pens power play a look when he was whistled for hooking at the 16:52 mark and the Comets were headed to the penalty kill.

Demko came up with a big pad save on Tom Kostopoulos from in close before whipping out the mitt to rob Ryan Haggerty of a goal on his point shot that was set up by former Comet Andrey Pedan.

The Comets would come up with a good kill before Demko made back-to-back saves on Teddy Blueger and one more from Gage Quinney.

The Comets finished the opening frame up 3-1 on the scoreboard, but down 18-14 on the shot clock.

The middle frame was another good period of hockey, although for different reasons than the first. We saw the teams trade goals, we saw a fight that was handily won by a Comets player, and we saw former Canucks forward Tom Sestito blow a gasket and throw a hissy fit to the point where he was drawn into an extra 10 minutes for an unsportsmanlike penalty by one of the Utica Green Men in the crowd, but we will get to that shortly.

The Pens came out of the gate quickly in the second period, forcing Demko into a save early. Demko held for the whistle and the Comets would get the puck out of their end.

Michael Carcone has used his wheels to his advantage all season and he was at it again today. The speedy winger hustled in on the forecheck to beat the Pens defender to a loose puck. Carcone was able to get a shot off, but he put it off the side of the net.

Alex D’Aoust wanted us to all see that Carcone isn’t the only speedy set of skates on the team when he blew past a Pens defender to grab up a loose puck as well.

It was at this point in the game when Tom Sestito did Tom Sestito things. He was whistled for cross-checking and immediately tried to engage Vincent Arseneau in a bout of fisticuffs. Arseneau, seeing his team heading to the power play brushed off Sestito’s advances, giving the pugilist the cold shoulder. Sestito was boiling all the way to the penalty box, and that was where one of the Utica Green Men taunted Sestito from his seat next to the box. Big Tommy blew a gasket and started spraying at the fan with a water bottle and verbally letting him know that he didn’t like to be taunted. Sestito was given an additional 10 minutes to cool down and make peace with the men in green.

With the Comets now on the power play, Patrick Wiercioch let fly with a point shot that Jarry got a piece of. Michael Chaput grabbed the rebound and tried his luck for a hat-trick, but Jarry said no. The Pens went the other way for a two-on-one chance that saw J.S. Dea fire his shot wide before Zach Trotman picked up the rebound and put it on Demko. Thatcher grabbed it up and held for the whistle. Joe Cramarossa would get another shorthanded chance that Demko denied and the Comets power play would come to a fruitless end. In fact, they would give up a goal just after.

Daniel Sprong and Gage Quinney worked the give and go to perfection to beat Demko and get the Pens within a goal. The goal was Sprong’s 24th of the season while Quinney picked up his 16th helper of the season on the play.

The Comets were looking to get that one right back as Andrew Cherniwchan sent a shot on net that Jarry stopped, but the puck fell into his crease and Vincent Arseneau was there to try to poke it in. Jarry was quicker and covered before Arseneau could do any damage.

The two clubs would have some good back and forth as Dylan Blujus saw his point shot turned aside before Demko was seen making back-to-back saves in the Comets end of the ice. Wacey Hamilton had a backhand chance from in close turned aside before Joe Cramarossa went the other way, whipped out a nasty dangle in the Comets zone and got a chance of his own that was denied by Demko.

Garrett Wilson set a weak shot on the net that Demko padded to the corner but the puck was then dished back out front and was tipped on the net. Demko was once again ready with a save.

Thomas DiPauli skated into the Comets zone with speed and just dodged a Jaime Sifers hipcheck. The Pens forward was not able to get out of the way of the 18 wheeler that was Guillaume Brisebois as the Comets rookie defender turned DiPauli into part of the advertising on the boards with a big hit. DiPauli would be helped off the ice by the trainer and that was it for his day. I don’t like to see players get injured, so I’m not advocating violence here, but it was good to see Brisebois bring that element to his game. He has the size to dish a good hit, and he has laid out a few solid ones this season, but it would be nice to see that on a more consistent basis. Keep it up, Breezy Gui.

Once play was back underway, Zack MacEwen hit Tanner MacMaster with a pass and the winger got a shot off. Jarry made the save and then all hell broke loose. Michael Chaput and Chris Summer paired off and the two dropped their gloves for a good old fashioned throw down. This was a pretty one-sided affair as Mikey Chaps teed off and beat the brakes off of Summer, feeding him a steady diet of lefts before the officials decided they had seen enough. Meanwhile, Tom Sestito was still sitting in the penalty box kicking rocks.

The end result of this tilt was Chaput and Summers each getting five minutes for fighting, while Chaput was given an extra two for roughing to go along with a 10-minute misconduct for instigating.

The Comets were on the penalty kill and it wouldn’t last for long. Wacey Hamilton, being the ridiculously good penalty killer that he is, ended up getting a shorthanded scoring chance that was turned aside. The puck went the other way and Demko made a save on a point shot before getting clipped by a high stick from Kostopoulos that would send the grizzled veteran to the box to feel shame.

During the resulting four-on-four play, Wiercioch unloaded with a shot off a Comets faceoff win that was denied before Andrew Cherniwchan found Jalen Chatfield in front with a pass. Chatfield was in close and couldn’t get much of a shot away and Jarry had another save to his credit. Chatfield has been somewhat snakebitten when it comes to scoring goals. He has had some chances this year but just hasn’t been able to convert yet.

The Comets would have a brief 45-second man advantage but would be unable to make anything happen. Lukas Bengtsson got a shot away on the Comets net and Demko turned it aside before the Comets would go up 4-2 on a Zac Lynch goal.

Carcone dished a nice backhand pass to Lynch in front of the net and he buried it. The goal was the first in a Comets jersey for Lynch, while Michael Carcone picked up his 12th helper of the season on the play and Wacey Hamilton earned his 12th as well.

The Comets weren’t taking their foot off the gas either as Cole Cassels set up Vincent Arseneau from behind the net and the Comets winger saw a pair of chances denied by Jarry.

J.S. Dea was whistled for hooking at the 17:56 mark and the Comets were heading back to the power play. Wiercioch had the first chance when he leaned into a clapper from the point but Jarry turned it aside. Guillaume Brisebois put a shot through traffic that was denied by Jarry before the Comets defenseman set up Alex D’Aoust for a one-timer that Jarry was ready for.

That would be it for the middle frame. The Comets were up 4-2 on the scoreboard and outshot the Pens 17-10 for the period in the process.

The third period saw more of the back and forth action that we had been seeing all game. Former Canucks/Comets defenseman Andrey Pedan, who is having his name pronounced as Pee-Dan this season, dumped Thatcher Demko behind the Comets net. There was no damage done on the play and no penalty was called either.

At the other end of the ice, Jaime Sifers sent a knuckler on the net that was tipped along the way. The shot gave Jarry some trouble but the netminder reeled it in and made the save. Garrett Wilson ripped a shot off the bar behind Demko from in close before Hamilton and MacEwen would try to get something cooking back in the Pens zone.

Hamilton turned and fired from the high slot, Jarry made the save but MacEwen grabbed up the rebound and tried for a chance of his own that was also denied by the Pens goaltender.

MacEwen would be fingered for slashing at the 5:03 mark and the Comets were back to the penalty kill. Demko was busy on this one, turning aside a Pedan snapper through traffic before denying a Ryan Haggerty offering. Kevin Czuczuman came back with a low, hard shot that Thatcher was ready for and scooped up for a whistle. Daniel Sprong would unload a one-timer that Demko stopped as well before the penalty ended. The Comets came up with another good kill.

Demko made another save on a point shot after the penalty ended, and with a crowd forming in front, he held on for the whistle.

Carter Bancks and Guillaume Brisebois each had chances turned aside next before Adam Johnson was sent off for hooking and the Comets were back to the power play again.

Chaput was back in the game at this point and he got the only good chance on this man advantage, but Jarry was equal to the task and the Comets came up empty-handed.

Tom Kostopoulos, who is about 350 years old, (he’s actually younger than me, but he’s an old dude for AHL hockey) got the Pens back within a goal when he beat Demko for his fourth goal of the season. Jarrett Burton picked up his fifth helper of the year on the play, while Adam Johnson earned his 17th.

Griffen Molino wasn’t making things easy for the Comets when he took a tripping penalty not even 20 seconds after the Kostopoulos marker to send the Comets back to the penalty kill. Thankfully, the Pens anemic power play only really managed a Ryan Haggerty chance that Demko turned aside and the Comets would have another good kill in their books.

Demko came up with a pair of saves next, first on a backhander from in close and then on a Burton shot from further out.

Zack MacEwen continued to impress me with his skating in this one. Not for the full game, but in spurts. It’s almost like the big fella has a new toy and he is just figuring out how it works. He came into the Pens zone and did somewhat of a stutter step to get around the Pens defender to get his shot off. Jarry made the save, but it was those couple of quick moves from Zack that stuck out to me on the play. When MacEwen puts it all together with his skating, look out…he will be a handful.

Thatcher Demko was on his game today, but he wasn’t able to stop everything that came his way. He was able to make the save on Gage Quinney off a Pens faceoff win, but Quinney came back and buried the puck five-hole and the game was tied at four. The goal was unassisted and was the 12th of the season for Quinney.

With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Demko would make one more save on Teddy Blueger and we were off to overtime. The shot clock for the third period favoured the Pens by a count of 13-6.

It didn’t take long to finish things in the extra frame as just 1:15 in, the game was over. Tanner MacMaster signed an ATO, (amateur tryout) with the Comets just last week and was playing in just his third pro game today. That didn’t stop the winger from dishing a sweet pass to Ashton Sautner who was coming in hot. Sautner let fly with a shot and the Comets had their second straight win. The goal was Sautner’s third of the season, while MacMaster picked up his second assist of the year, and of the game and his third point in three games with the Comets. Michael Chaput earned the other assist to give him 20 helpers for the season and three points for the game.

That was it in Utica. The Comets had the only shot in overtime but were outshot 41-38 for the game. Comets win 5-4 in overtime.

The Three Stars in the building today were:

3rd Star: Gage Quinney. One goal, one assist.

2nd Star: Michael Chaput. Two goals, one assist.

1st Star: Ashton Sautner. Game-winning overtime goal.

3rd Star: Thatcher Demko. After going through a bit of a tough stretch of games, it is looking like Thatcher Demko is back to being Thatcher Demko. He made 38 saves last Sunday and he made 37 saves today for back-to-back wins. Demko will need to keep these good times rolling so that the Comets can get on a good run heading into the playoffs.

2nd Star: Tanner MacMaster. Three games, one goal, two assists. Not a bad start to your pro career Tanner. MacMaster has shown well in his three games with the Comets. He has some solid speed to his game, he looks to have a bit of a playmaker’s vision on the ice and he has made a nice transition to the pro game so far. I think we may see MacMaster sticking around for a while if he can keep up this kind of pace.

1st Star: Michael Chaput. It was a Gordie Howe Hat-trick today for Chaput. He grabbed a pair of goals, got an assist on the overtime winner and he slapped the taste out of Chris Summer’s mouth in a one-sided fight. Mikey Chaps was playing playoff hockey today, let’s hope that he can keep bringing this kind of play going forward. He is now the Comets active points leader with 14 goals and 20 assists to give him 34 points in 46 games with the Comets this season. That is good for 0.74 points per game. That’s a pretty solid season of work.

Something that I want to point out before I sign off today, the Comets can clinch a playoff spot this weekend with one more win combined with a Laval Rocket regulation loss.

4:00 pm Pacific