HERSHEY COMES TO UTICA FRIDAY NIGHT
Feb 25, 2022Last Weekend vs Lehigh: The Comets traveled to Pennsylvania to battle the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last Saturday night and after the game remained tied after sixty five minutes, the Comets settled the game in a shootout with AJ Greer supplying the game winner.
In the first period, the Comets allowed the first goal of the game after an offensive zone blue-line turnover, Phantoms forward Charlie Gerard took advantage and skated into the Utica zone firing a shot between the legs of Akira Schmid and into the net at 3:38. The Comets went on to tie the game and it was a breakaway by rookie Alex Holtz who went backhand to forward and deked out Phantoms goalie Felix Sandstrom at 8:55. The goal, assisted by Michael Vukojevic an Chase DeLeo was Holtz’s 18th
In the second period, a great cross ice pass by Comets veteran Brian Flynn right to the stick of Nolan Foote who blasted a shot past Kirill Ustimenko, who was filling in for the injured Sandstrom, at 12:14. It was Foote’s nineth goal of the season and gave the Comets a 2-1 lead after forty minutes of play.
In the final period of regulation, the Phantoms tied the contest on a deflection by Hayden Hodgson that bounced past Schmid at 6:23 and the game was 2-2.
Heading into three-on-three overtime, the Comets and Phantoms couldn’t manage to score as both goalies traded saves. The game went to a shootout and the lone goal was scored by AJ Greer for the deciding goal and a 3-2 win.
Comets Leading Scorers: The team’s leading scorer heading into the weekend is Chase DeLeo with 10 goals and 28 assists for 38 points in 31 games played. Second is forward Fabian Zetterlund who has registered 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points in 40 games played. Reilly Walsh leads all d-men in scoring with six goals and 27 assists for 33 points in 44 games. Alex Holtz is the team’s leading rookie scorer with 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points in 30 games. Tyler Wotherspoon leads the team in plus/minus with a +21 rating.
The Standings: The Comets remain atop the North Division with 44 games played and 30 victories. Holding a record of 30-9-5 gives Utica 65 points which is 12 points ahead of the next team, the Rochester Americans who have 53 points on the season. The Americans have played three more games that Utica as of today. The Comets winning percentage of .739 ranks them first in the Eastern Conference and second in the league.