COMETS DROP BATTLE TO BRIDGEPORT IN OT
Jan 11, 2019Utica, N.Y. – The Comets and Sound Tigers went blow-for-blow but Bridgeport would come out on top with a 4-3 overtime victory Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Wacey Hamilton, Tom Pyatt, and Zack MacEwen scored for the Comets. Ivan Kulbakov made 27 saves in net.
Chris Casto got things going with a long shot that beat Kulbakov 50 seconds into the game. The Comets settled in after that and carried play for the majority of the period but were unable to find the night.
Hamilton tied the game 1:20 into the middle frame, taking advantage of a misplayed puck from Bridgeport goaltender Jeremy Smith and tapping it into an empty net. Tanner Fritz regained the Sound Tigers’ lead with a power play goal with 8:53 to go in the second period. Pyatt knotted things at two with 28 seconds to play in the second, slamming a gorgeous back door feed from Brendan Gaunce into the back of the net.
MacEwen put the Comets ahead at the 11:32 mark of the third, chipping a shot past Smith for a power play goal. Jonathan Dahlen and Evan McEneny tallied the assists. Yannick Rathgeb responded four minutes later to tie the game at three. Neither team could find the net in the final five minutes and the game would go to overtime.
Parker Wotherspoon scored with 35 seconds left in overtime to give Bridgeport the win.
The Comets are back at it tomorrow night with a Galaxy Cup showdown against the Syracuse Crunch. Fans are encouraged to use the ticket exchange site, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.