COMETS BATTLE CRUNCH FOR SECOND TIME THIS WEEK
Nov 15, 2019UTICA COMETS (9-5-0-0) vs. SYRACUSE CRUNCH (7-5-2-0)
Onondaga County War Memorial Arena, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsSYR
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Syracuse Crunch in Game Three of the Galaxy Cup series. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: A late rally from the Comets was too little too late as two first period goals were too much to overcome in a 3-1 loss to the Syracuse Crunch Monday afternoon at the Adirondack Bank Center. Nikolay Goldobin scored the lone goal for the Comets. Michael DiPietro stopped 22 shots in the loss.
Head to Head: This is the third matchup between the North Division rivals this season. Each team has won one game so far in the season series, with Syracuse winning the most recent contest 3-1 this past Monday. Nikolay Goldobin and Chris Mueller are tied for the series lead in points with four apiece.
Scouting the Crunch: Syracuse comes in with a record of 7-5-2-0 and sits in sixth place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Rochester Americans 4-3 Wednesday night. Alex Barre-Boulet and Cameron Gaunce pace the offense with 12 points apiece. Scott Wedgewood is the top netminder with a record of 3-2-1, a 3.45 goals-against average, and a .880 save percentage.
Road Warriors: The Comets have played very well away from home so far this season. Utica boasts a 4-1-0-0 record away from the Adirondack Bank Center this season while outscoring opponents 15-13. The Comets have also killed off 15 of 18 penalties away from the Adirondack Bank Center so far this year.
Brick Wall: Mikey DiPietro rookie season is off to a fantastic start. DiPietro has not allowed more than two goals in any game he’s played in so far this season, helping keep the Comets in a number of games. In seven games this year, DiPietro is 4-3-0 with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
Gold Standard: Nikolay Goldobin has enjoyed a ton of success against the Crunch in his career. In nine career games against Syracuse, Goldobin has put up 13 points (5-8-13). The forward already has four points (1-3-4) in two games against the Crunch this year and 13 points (3-10-13) overall in 13 games this season.
Rack ‘Em Up: Brogan Rafferty has been on a roll offensively. Rafferty has tallied at least a point and a shot on goal in three of his last four games. The rookie defenseman has eight points (1-7-8) in 14 games this year.
Next Game: The Comets go right back at it tomorrow night at home against the Rochester Americans. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. and there is a team autograph session following the game. Tickets are still available at the Box Office, over the phone by calling (315) 790-9070, or online at www.empirestatetix.com or the ticket exchange site, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.