COMETS RETURN TO ACTION AGAINST CRUNCH
Mar 11, 2020UTICA COMETS (34-21-3-2) vs. SYRACUSE CRUNCH (29-23-4-5)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #SYRvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets battle the Syracuse Crunch in Game Eight of the Galaxy Cup series. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets never led until they won the game in overtime as they came from behind to defeat the Charlotte Checkers by a 3-2 margin on Saturday at Bojangles’ Coliseum. Reid Boucher scored twice and Kole Lind earned the game-winning goal in overtime. Jake Kielly made 25 saves for his first career AHL victory.
Head to Head: This is the eighth meeting between the North Division rivals this season. Utica leads the season series 4-3-0-0, but Syracuse won the most recent contest 4-3 back on February 14. The Comets have outscored the Crunch 25-19 through seven games.
Scouting the Crunch: Syracuse comes in with a record of 29-23-4-5 and sits in fifth place in the North Division. They most recently beat the Toronto Marlies 2-1 this past Saturday. Alex Barre-Boulet leads the offense with 56 points, followed by Ross Colton with 42 points. Spencer Martin in the leading netminder with a record of 11-11-5, a 3.07 goals-against average and .894 save percentage.
Record Smashing: Reid Boucher continues to break his own records. Boucher has nine points (6-3-9) in his last four games and already broke his team record for goals in a single season. He also owns the single season points record and is also one point away from setting another team record for career points as a Comet. The forward has 67 points (34-33-67) in 52 games this year.
Going Streaking: Carter Camper has been on fire lately. Camper is riding a five-game point streak into tonight’s game, compiling eight points (1-7-8) during that stretch. He has also earned 40 points for the third straight year and seventh time overall in his career. The veteran has 41 points (9-32-41) in 47 games.
Gravy Train: Tyler Graovac has been a welcome addition to the Comets lineup since returning from injury. He has only earned a goal and an assist since joining the lineup on February 29, but his smooth skating, soft hands, and creativity has created a plethora of scoring chances for the Comets. Look for him to continue that tonight. Graovac has three points (2-1-3) in 10 games with the Comets this season.
Rack ‘Em Up: Mikey DiPietro has been racking up the wins lately. DiPietro has won five of his last six starts, allowing two goals or less in three of those starts. He is also four wins away from tying Thatcher Demko’s team record for wins in a single season. The rookie netminder is 21-10-1 with a 2.78 goals-against average, and a .908 save percentage.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Friday night when they take on the Belleville Senators. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available at the Box Office, over the phone by calling (315) 790-9070, or online at www.empirestatetix.com. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.