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Utica Week in Review: March 14th – 20th
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Jeremy Davis
Mar 23, 2016, 19:37 EDTUpdated:
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Photo credit: Lindsay A. Mogle / Utica Comets
The injuries and call-ups are finally catching up to the Comets, who are beginning to hit a skid. The Comets began a five game homestand on the weekend with another three-in-three, and came away with no wins. They’ve now lost five of their past six games, as their streaky, up-and-down season continues.
On the bright side, they did manage to grab loser points in two of the three games, and have thus far manged to stave off competition for the final North Division playoff spot. How much longer they can do that is anyone’s guess. In the meantime, let’s get up close and personal with a week with no wins and a bunch of tryout players you’ve never heard of.
But hey, at least Jordan Subban is still here, right?

The Games

Friday, March 18th vs St. John’s: 2 – 1 Overtime Loss
The Utica Comets set a new franchise high for consecutive home games with a point in a 2-1 overtime loss to the St. John’s IceCaps on Friday night, at The AUD. The Comets have collected a 7-0-3-1 record during their streak of 11 consecutive home games with a point that dates back to Jan. 13.
Carter Bancks (1-0-1) scored the Comets’ lone goal, while Mike Pereira (0-1-1) and Taylor Fedun (0-1-1) each recorded a point with assists. Joe Cannata made 19 saves en route to his 10th loss of the season. The Comets’ league-best home penalty-kill unit was a perfect 3-for-3 and have successfully killed off 50 of their last 52 opportunites at home (96.2%).
From the Utica Comets post-game report.
Saturday, March 19th vs Albany: 5 – 1 Loss
The Utica Comets fell behind early and could not mount a comeback in a 5-1 loss to the Albany Devils on Saturday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. It was the Comets first regulation loss at home in 11 games, dating back to Jan. 13.
Alex Friesen (1-0-1) scored halfway into the second period to stop his scoreless drought at 21 games, while Richard Bachman turned aside 27 of the Devils 32 shots on goal in the loss.
From the Utica Comets post-game report.
Sunday, March 20th vs Binghamton: 3 – 2 Shootout Loss
The Utica Comets wrapped up their three-in-three weekend with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Binghamton Senators Sunday afternoon at The AUD. The point knocked Utica’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to 22 points.
Joseph LaBate (1-1-2) and Carter Bancks (1-0-1) handled the scoring for the Comets, while Joe Cannata made 16 saves in the loss. The Comets fired a season-high 48 shots on goal, matching their total from their Nov. 14 game vs the Syracuse Crunch. The Comets power play clicked twice in seven tries, and the penalty-killing unit had a perfect night killing all three of the Senators power-play opportunities.
From the Utica Comets post-game report.

Roster Report

Lines:



This roster is basically:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Roster Moves:
Following a run of strong play and timely goals, the Vancouver Canucks recalled Chris Higgins, making for some entertaining, if a bit awkward, post game remarks.
The Comets have managed to go nearly a week now without signing anyone to PTOs. That’s impressive.
Injury Update:
EVERYBODY IS INJURED, or so it feels like. This is what I had down for Game 63:
Kellan Lain were signed to a PTO less than a week ago. This lineup is clearly cursed. Also, it’s absolute hot garbage.
That’s why it’s kind of mind blowing that the Comets have been steadfast in their refusal to call up any of their ECHL players.
I guess that shows you what they think of those guys if they’re willing to dole out PTO after PTO.

The Stats

Skaters:
#
Player
GP
G
A
P
+/-
Sh
PIM
34
C. Bancks
3
2
0
2
-1
6
2
16
J. LaBate
3
1
1
2
-2
7
2
27
T. Fedun
3
0
2
2
-3
12
6
15
R. Kenins
3
0
2
2
-1
8
0
8
A. Friesen
3
1
0
1
0
7
4
7
J. Subban
3
0
1
1
-2
6
0
17
T. Hensick
3
0
1
1
-1
8
0
23
M. Pereira
3
0
1
1
-1
4
2
18
K. Jones
3
0
0
0
0
6
0
2
T. Ehrhardt
3
0
0
0
-4
8
0
24
C. Cassels
3
0
0
0
-3
3
0
13
B. Marino
3
0
0
0
-1
4
2
6
A. Sautner
3
0
0
0
-3
4
0
20
J. Landry
3
0
0
0
+1
6
4
5
D. Shields
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
19
G. Hanson
2
0
0
0
0
3
0
39
M. Bubela
2
0
0
0
-2
1
0
55
E. Rankin
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
21
*
C. Higgins
1
0
0
0
0
3
0
4
W. Wrenn
1
0
0
0
-1
3
0
28
*
A. Grenier
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
25
†
D. Archibald
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
37
*
A. Pedan
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
†
J. Negrin
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
26
†
B. Prust
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
36
†
W. Hamilton
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
14
†
M. Zalewski
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
*
B. Gaunce
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
† Missed game(s) due to injury/illness; * Missed game(s) due to NHL call up.
Goalies:
#
Goalie
GS
Record
GA
SA
Sv%
GAA
32
R. Bachman
1
0-1-0
5
32
0.844
5.00
35
J. Cannata
2
0-0-2
4
39
0.897
1.90
Cannata is still the better goalie here.
Prospects:
Oh boy. There’s hardly even any prospects playing in Utica anymore. Those that are didn’t really do too much.
One prospect who made an appearance on the weekend was Joe LaBate, who put up a goal and an assist. With Grenier promoted to Vancouver, LaBate is now a first line winger in the AHL. How ’bout that. Maybe he’ll improve upon his prospect ranking before next year – we had him at 20th in the Midterm Rankings.
Ronalds Kenins had a pair of assists, keeping his hot streak going – or at least keeping it warm.
Alex Friesen managed a goal on the weekend.
Cole Cassels and Ashton Sautner, the only other two players who could be considered prospects, were held pointless.
Team Level:
As was the case in the previous week, the Comets continued to be outshot in the first two games of the three-in-three set, first trailing 31-21 in shots to St. John’s, then 32-22 by Albany. On Sunday however, the Comets buried the Senators in shots, 48-19. The Senators are a terrible team, but it’s nice to nice that the Comets still have some life in them.
The Comets were 2-for-16 on the power play over the course of the weekend, which is not good, but still kind of impressive considering the units that they have been forced to deploy. Playmaking centre T.J. Hensick and quarterback Taylor Fedun both belong on a top unit, but that’s as far as it goes. The rest of the first unit has been filled with typical second unit guys like Alex Friesen and Ronalds Kenins, and guys that wouldn’t normally get a whiff of power play time, like Carter Bancks and Joe LaBate – yet it was Bancks and LaBate with last weekend’s power play markers.
The Comets killed eight out of the nine penalties kills they found themselves in last weekend, which is fairly typical of how their killing has gone all season, especially at home. Their 85.6 per cent kill rate in fifth best in the AHL, while their 91.8 per cent home ice kill rate is tops in the American League.
Leaders:

Player of the Week

This was a tough one, but I guess I’m gonna go with Joe LaBate? LaBate reaped some of the benefits of the Comets’ losses due to injury and recalls, moving up the lineup. He rotated on and off the top line over the weekend, and also spent a decent amount of time on the first unit power play, which is where he scored this goal.
We’re not really sure what the Canucks have in LaBate right now. He might just be a career AHL player. Judging by how the current regime seems to want to give absolutely everybody their NHL shot, it’s entirely possible that he pops up with the Canucks next season. Who really knows at this point. Travis Green went out of his way on the weekend to praise LaBate’s ability to “rise to the occasion” and produce when put into a role that requires production.
For now, the fact that LaBate was one of the Comets strongest players last week is really just an indication of how gutted they are right now.

Looking Ahead

The Comets will be looking to finish up their five game homestand on a more positive note, starting tonight when Syracuse pays them a visit. They’ve had success against the Crunch this season, winning four of the six matchups so far. They did drop the most recent game however, and Utica has been faltering lately, while Syracuse is coming off back-to-back wins. This game should have some feeling for the Comets, as the Crunch are just five points back in the division.
On Friday, the Comets will complete their homestand as the Hershey Bears come to town. Hershey has not been kind to Utica this season – they’ve defeated the Comets all three time the two teams have face off this year, while outscoring the Comets 12-4. Hershey is one of the league’s stronger teams, currently rocking a .633 points percentage and sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division.
On Saturday, the Comets will hit the road and head to Binghamton, where they’ll be looking to avenge Sunday’s 3-2 shootout loss. The Senators and the Comets have split the season series so far, with two wins apiece. They’ll face off four more times this season, including Saturday’s tilt. Binghamton is dead last in the North Division and should provide Utica some easy points. Of course, nothing comes easy with a lineup like the one the Comets have been forced to cobble together lately.

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