COMETS TOP LINE PROPELS UTICA TO VICTORY
Jan 20, 2018Utica, N.Y. – The Utica Comets downed the Syracuse Crunch by a score of 4-2 Saturday night at the Adirondack Bank Center.
Reid Boucher drew first blood with three minutes to go in the opening frame, firing a one-timer past Crunch goaltender Connor Ingram. Nikolay Goldobin and Thatcher Demko tallied the assists.
Darren Archibald extended the lead to 2-0 three minutes into the second period with a power play goal. Cam Darcy and Goldobin picked up the assists. Jonne Tammela cut the lead to 2-1 with a power play goal of his own, tipping a shot over the shoulder of Thatcher Demko. Michael Bournival and Jaime McBain were credited with the assists. Boucher put the Comets up 3-1 with 4:53 remaining in the middle frame. Darcy and Philip Holm had the assists. Darcy made it 4-1 two minutes later, burying a rebound past Ingram. Ashton Sautner and Goldobin registered the assists.
Bournival scored 29 seconds into the third period to pull the Crunch to within two. Anthony Cirelli and Daniel Walcott had the assists. Demko shut the door on the Crunch in the final period, stopping 19 shots in the process.
Demko finished with 40 saves to improve his record to 16-7-5. Ingram stopped 18 shots before being replaced by Nick Riopel to end the game. Riopel stopped both shots he faced. Ingram takes the loss and his record falls to 10-7-2. The Comets power play went 1-2, while the penalty kill surrendered one goal in six attempts.
The Comets return to action Wednesday night as they host the Hartford Wolf Pack for the final time this season. Puck drops at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to utilize the ticket exchange website, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL Live.
The 2018 AHL All-Star Classic will be hosted at the newly renovated Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The two-day event includes the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 28, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Monday, January 29 and the 2018 AHL All-Star Challenge later that evening. The Skills Competition and the All-Star Challenge will take place in downtown Utica; all other events during the All-Star Classic will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. For tickets to the two-day event, visit empirestatetix.com.