COMET TAKE ON BEARS IN CHOCOLATETOWN
Apr 13, 2019UTICA COMETS (33-33-6-2) vs. HERSHEY BEARS (41-25-4-4)
Giant Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsHER
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets hit the road to battle the Hershey Bears. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets topped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with an emphatic 8-1 victory in a physical, fight-filled game Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Reid Boucher recorded a hat trick, while Lukas Jasek, Tom Pyatt, Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich, and Jaime Sifers all scored one goal apiece. Marek Mazanec made 24 saves for his second straight win.
Head-to-Head: This is second of two meetings this season. The Comets won the first round 3-2 in overtime back on March 1. Utica is 1-3-0-0 in the last five seasons at Hershey.
Scouting the Bears: Hershey comes in with a record of 41-25-4-4 and sits in third place in the Atlantic Division. They most recently beat the Hartford Wolf Pack 6-3 last night. Mike Sgarbossa leads the way offensively with 64 points, followed by Riley Barber with 60 points. Vitek Vanecek is the leading goaltender with a record of 20-10-6, a 2.67 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
Reid ‘Em and Weep: Reid Boucher’s stats popped off the page last night. The winger recorded a natural hat trick in the second period to become the first Comets player to reach 30 goals. Additionally, Boucher’s four-point night tied Pascal Pelletier’s team-record for points in a single season with 62.
Return of the Mac: After not recording a point in seven straight games, Zack MacEwen has found a rhythm. In his past three games, MacEwen has recorded four points (1-3-4). Additionally, he is third on the team in points (52), goals (21) and assists (31).
Killin’ It: The Comets penalty kill has been prolific in the month of April. Over the span of four games, the Comets have escaped shorthanded situations unscathed 15 times out of 17 total penalty kills. Overall, the Comets penalty kill ranks 21st in the league at 80.2%
Next Game: The Comets wrap up the 2018-19 campaign against the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop at the Adirondack Bank Center is at 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to use the ticket exchange site, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.