BACHMAN POWERS COMETS TO SHUTOUT WIN AGAINST CRUNCH
Jan 21, 2017Syracuse, NY – Richard Bachman made 20 saves for his first shutout of the season and 16th of his career to help the Comets to a 4-0 win over the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night at the War Memorial.
The teams skated to a scoreless first two periods with a defensive battle holding center stage. Through two frames, the Crunch were held to just 14 shots while the Comets were held to just 13 opportunities. Bachman and Crunch goaltender Adam Wilcox remained poised when challenged.
The scoring finally broke open in the third period when the Comets struck twice in 16 seconds. At 10:42, Cody Kunyk buried the first goal with a wrist shot past Wilcox for his sixth of the year. Tom Nilsson and Pascal Pelletier assisted on the goal. Shortly after, Jake Virtanen deflected an Evan McEneny shot for his fifth of the year. Carter Bancks also assisted. The scoring rampage continued at 16:19 as Cole Cassels banged in a loose puck around the net. Mike Zalewski and Kunyk assisted to give the Comets a 3-0 lead. Syracuse pulled Wilcox after the goal in efforts to comeback. Darren Archibald found the empty net for his 12th of the year with assists from Alexandre Grenier and Curtis Valk. The score would hold until the final buzzer to give the Comets six-straight wins.
Bachman’s record improved to 9-7-1 while Wilcox finished with 24 saves and saw his record move to 14-6-3.
The Comets were scoreless on four power plays but killed all four penalties in the game.
The Comets return to the AUD on Wednesday night against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Puck drops at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to utilize the ticket exchange website, StubHub!. The game can also be heard live on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL Live.
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