Game #7

Utica Comets at Hershey Bears

Saturday, October 26th, 2019

7:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Pacific

34 Carter Bancks (C) – 27 Francis Perron – 18 Vincent Arseneau

95 Justin Bailey – 9 Lukas Jasek – 15 Zack MacEwen (A)

24 Reid Boucher (A) – 19 Carter Camper – 77 Nikolay Goldobin

47 Sven Baertschi – 88 Adam Gaudette – 13 Kole Lind

48 Olli Juolevi – 6 Ashton Sautner

55 Guillaume Brisebois – 25 Brogan Rafferty

4 Josh Teves – 5 Jalen Chatfield

64 Michael DiPietro

31 Zane McIntyre (backing up)

As you can see above, the coaching staff shuffled the lines a little for this one and as such, the opening frame looked a little off from the Comets side of things. The lines were getting a feel for things early on.

We saw some early back and forth before Lukas Jasek had a chance shut down by Vitek Vanecek. Justin Bailey used his wheels to get into a position to set Zack MacEwen up for a chance but put the puck just out of his reach. MacEwen gathered the puck and got a backhander away that was denied as well.

At the other end of the ice, Josh Teves used some good body positioning to force a turnover before MacEwen showed great hustle on the backcheck to foil a Bears’ play. TheBigFella was then quickly blown up by a Liam O’Brien hit but quickly bounced back up.

The Comets fourth line was money last night and they were looking to bring more of the same today as Bancks and Arseneau were shut down on back-to-back chances. The Bears went the other way and DiPietro stymied Liam O’Brien and his chance.

The saves kept coming for DiPietro as he denied Shane Gerisch on his opportunity.

Kale Kessy and Olli Juolevi decided to play some whack-a-mole and both were sent off for roughing.

With the teams playing at four aside, Adam Gaudette grabbed his first goal of the season to put the Comets up 1-0. Sven Baertschi and Guillaume Brisebois earned the helpers with Sven picking up his seventh and Guillaume grabbing his second.

Like many of his goals last year, Gaudette used a nice release to put this one behind Vanecek.

Sautner followed up with a shot that was denied by Vanecek before the Bears netminder came up with a trio of saves on Boucher, Goldobin and Camper. Goldy and Erik Burgdoerfer were each given slashing penalties on the ensuing scrum and the teams were back to four aside action again.

We lost our audio at this point, but it came back on before too long. Martin Jonsson-Fjallby got a shot away that DiPietro turned aside before the Comets netminder came up with back-to-back sprawling saves on Brett Leason and Liam O’Brien.

MacEwen was doing work in his own end, coming up with a shot block before DiPietro shut down a chance from Beck Malenstyn. The Comets were looking a little sloppy.

Goldobin stretched the ice with a cross-ice feed to Boucher who was impeded with and Philippe Maillet was heading off for a hook.

The Comets rolled out the first power play unit that we’ve seen for the last handful of games and Lind had a chance in close but wasn’t able to get his shot away. Goldy followed up by dishing to MacEwen for the spin and fire move that he has used so well in the past but TheBigFella couldn’t convert. Boucher followed up with the rebound chance but was shut down.

The second unit of Rafferty, Bailey, Baertschi, Perron, and Gaudette came out for their turn but did not fare any better. Bailey took a late feed from Gaudette but couldn’t get it to go.

That was it for the opening frame. Utica led 1-0 on the scoreboard and 10-7 on the shot clock.

Your shot map for the first period.

Carter Bancks didn’t help his team get the middle frame off to a good start when he was whistled for high-sticking just 36 seconds in.

We saw Boucher, Jasek, Brisebois, and Chatfield start this kill off. Martin Fehervary got a shot away that clanged the iron before Chatfield came up with a shot block. Brisebois followed up with a block of his own and cleared the puck out of the zone.

MacEwen, Bailey, Sautner, and Juolevi took over and steered this one home for a good kill.

Fehervary got another shot away and DiPietro gobbled it up for the whistle.

At the other end, Camper set Boucher up for a one-timer that was denied before the Bears went back the other way. Goldobin coughed the puck up last night and it almost led to a goal against and the same can be said tonight as he made a mistake and it was DiPietro who had to bail him out.

The Comets were looking like a tired team and they were playing a sloppy game today.

Zack MacEwen was still bringing his physical game and he dished a solid hit early in the middle frame. Liam O’Brien came calling with another shot and DiPietro got a glove on it, steering it out of play. Lucas Johansen followed up with a one-timer that was denied as well.

Kole Lind was dinged for tripping at the 6:46 mark and the Comets were back to the kill. We saw Sautner, Juolevi, Bancks, and Boucher out for this kill and that foursome didn’t leave the ice until it was over.

Matt Moulson had an early chance that DiPietro denied before the Bears started whipping the puck around like it was on a string. DiPietro came up with another big save and the Comets had another big kill in the books.

At the other end, Brisebois had a chance gloved down before he had to come up with a big defensive play in his own end of the ice. The Bears were pouring it on and DiPietro had to come up with a flurry of saves during a scramble in his crease.

Josh Teves came up with a timely block as the Bears continued to press and had the Comets hemmed in for a couple of shifts.

Once the Comets got their collective… stuff together, Frankie Perron used a nice feed to set up a Vinny Arseneau blast that was deflected out of play. Jonsson-Fjallby followed up with a one-timer at the other end that DiPietro shut down with the wave of his blocker before making another save on a scramble play. The Comets rookie netminder was keeping his team in this one.

Steven Whitney followed up with another chance from in close that the Comets rookie netminder shut down and Utica was still up by a goal.

The Carter Camper line followed up with a great shift, unfortunately, that shift ended when Camper was dinged for interference.

Bancks, Sautner, Juolevi, and Boucher got this one started. Boucher used a smart stick to redirect the puck out of the Comets’ end and ended up sending a fresh MacEwen in for a shorthanded chance that was denied by Vanecek.

With Bailey joining MacEwen, along with Brisebois and Chatfield, the Comets continued to show their penalty killing dominance. Lukas Jasek and Carter Bancks steered this one home, but not before DiPietro made a pair of saves on Alexyev and Fehervary. Did I mention how good DiPietro was in this one?

The period wrapped up with a big shot block by Juolevi and the Comets went into the third up 1-0 on the scoreboard. Hershey, however, had taken over control of the game, outshooting Utica by a 14-4 margin in the second period.

Your second-period shot map:

The Camper line started off the third period with some decent pressure in the Bears end before Ryan Pilon wired a wrister from the right circle in the other end that DiPietro had to be sharp to stop.

There was a little back and forth before Vinny Arseneau did what he does best when he eviscerated Fehervary with an open-ice hit that raised the ire of Kale Kessy. He invited Arseneau to the dance floor and the Comets PrinceOfPugilism wasn’t about to decline his invitation. The two threw down in a spirited tilt and both were headed off to the box for five minutes for the fisticuffs along with an extra two apiece for removing their lids before mixing it up.

The teams were off to some four aside hockey.

Christian Djoos had an early chance denied by DiPietro before Pilon skated around everyone on the ice to get his shot away. DiPietro got a glove on it for another save. That was it for the four aside play as the Comets sloppy play continued.

Philippe Maillet got past Chatfield and beat DiPietro to even things at one at the 6:09 mark and the game became a whole lot more interesting. The goal was Maillet’s first of the year, while Steven Whitney picked up his first assist of the season on the play and Alex Alexyev earned his fifth.

The Bears kept it coming and DiPietro had to come up with another save soon after as it looked like they were on a power play for a few shifts. DiPietro came up with another stop on a Matt Moulson wrister and decided to hold for the whistle.

The Comets tried to get things going as MacEwen used a sneaky good feed to set up Bailey for a shot that was deflected out of play. Camper followed up with a nifty move to get his shot away, but Vanecek kicked it out for another save.

Trent Cull decided he needed to see something different and the defensive pairs went into the blender. We saw Sautner with Teves and Brisebois with Juolevi as the coaching staff tried a different look. This wasn’t Chatfield’s best game of the year, but the team was bound to stub their toes a little this year.

I have said it a couple of times, but Josh Teves hasn’t been afraid to jump up into the rush or lead it himself if the opportunity arises. He did just that when he broke into the Bears’ zone but ran himself out of room before he could set up a play.

Zack MacEwen plays the wing for the Comets, but he has taken his fair share of draws for the club. He won one back to Lukas Jasek and the winger-turned-pivot let fly with a shot that was turned aside by Vanecek.

Brian Pinho got a shot away that DiPietro turned aside before the Comets netminder kicked out another blast from Whitney from the right side off the rush. He followed up by gloving down an offering from the point and held for the whistle.

Olli Juolevi nearly ended this one in favour of the Bears when he coughed up the puck and Beck Malenstyn ripped his shot off the iron. Bancks had a late chance at the other end, but Vanecek said no.

Once again, the Bears dominated on the shot clock, this time by an 11-3 margin. Hershey had outshot the Comets 33-17 through three periods and this one was off to overtime.

Your third-period shot map:

The overtime period saw DiPietro shut down an early chance by Maillet before Camper, Boucher, and Sautner went the other way but couldn’t ake anything happen. Pinho looked like a good bet to finish this one, but he lost the handle on his chance.

At the other end, Boucher ripped a one-timer that was denied before Juolevi did great work to break up a Bears play in the defensive zone.

The trio of Baerstchi, Jasek, and Rafferty was up next and Sven dished to Jasek and Lukas did a little dance to get into a shooting lane, but fired his offering wide. DiPietro had to make a pair of saves on Pilon before whipping out the blocker for another stop. Dude was good in this one.

The Bears came with a shot right at the buzzer and DiPietro made the stop to send this one to the shootout. Hershey outshot Utica 6-1 in the extra frame.

Your overtime shot map:

Matt Moulson was up first and DiPietro came up with the save.

Sven Baertschi was first up for Utica and Vanecek came up with a nice save on him to shut the door.

The Bears sent Djoos out next and DiPietro shut him down as well.

The speedy Justin Bailey was up next for Utica and he went full speed at the net but Vanecek said no.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby went next and DiPietro closed the door.

That meant that Reid Boucher could put this one away and he did just that to give the Comets their seventh straight win to start their 2019/209 season.

Power Play: 0/1.

Penalty Kill: 3/0.

PP1: Goldobin, MacEwen, Lind, Boucher, Juolevi.

PP2: Baertschi, Perron, Bailey, Gaudette, Rafferty.

Penalty Killers: Bancks, Boucher, Bailey, MacEwen, Jasek, Sautner, Juolevi, Chatfield, Brisebois.

3rd Star: Philippe Maillet. One goal.

2nd Star: Adam Gaudette. One goal.

1st Star: Michael DiPietro. 38 saves for the win.

This one was all kinds of stinky, so it’s kind of difficult for me to really name any Comets a “Star” in this one outside of Mikey DiPietro. The kid gets all three of them for this game as he was the difference-maker. With 38 saves on 39 shots, DiPietro now boasts a goals-against-average of 1.62 along with a sparkling .0940% save percentage. The rookie has now won all three of his starts and has looked more impressive in each game that he’s played. The sample size is small, and it is very early in the season, but DiPietro’s adjustment to the AHL game has gone very well so far. It was one thing for DiPietro to get this one to overtime, but he was money in the shootout to stop all three shots that he faced.

Game #8

Binghamton Devils at Utica Comets

Wednesday, October 30th, 2019

7:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Pacific