COMETS ROAD TRIP CONTINUES IN BELLEVILLE
Nov 30, 2018UTICA COMETS (9-11-1-1) vs. BELLEVILLE SENATORS (9-11-1-0)
CAA Arena, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsBEL
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Belleville Senators. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets had their three-game winning streak come to an end after a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Binghamton Devils on Wednesday night at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. Brendan Gaunce and Zack MacEwen scored for the Comets. Thatcher Demko stopped 23 shots in the loss.
Head-to-Head: This is the fourth meeting between the Comets and Senators this season. Utica leads the season series 2-0-0-1 and won the most recent matchup 4-2 last Saturday. Utica is outscoring Belleville 11-7 through three games this year.
Scouting the Senators: Belleville comes in with a record of 9-11-1-0 and sits in seventh place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Laval Rocket 2-1 Wednesday night. Jack Rodewald leads the active roster with 15 points, followed by Rudolfs Balcers with 13 points. Filip Gustavsson is the leading netminder with a 5-7-1 record, a 3.66 goals-against average, and a .883 save percentage.
Dominant: The Comets’ special teams have been dominant against Belleville this season. Through three games, Utica is 7-17 on the power play, including a 4-9 outing two weeks ago. Utica’s penalty kill has not allowed a goal, killing off all nine penalties against the Senators. Utica’s power play is fifth in the league at 24% and the penalty kill ranks 12th in the AHL at 82.4%.
Breakout Year: Zack MacEwen has been on a tear this year. MacEwen is currently riding a three-game point streak and is already one goal shy of matching his goal total from last season. The second-year forward is tied for the team lead with 16 points (10-6-16) in 22 games.
Immediate Impact: Brendan Gaunce has made his presence felt since returning to Utica. Gaunce has scored in three straight games since his return and has points in all but two games this season. The forward has four points (4-0-4) in six games with Utica this year.
Mr. 600: Jaime Sifers crossed off another career milestone Wednesday night. Sifers suited up in his 600th career AHL game. Additionally, Sifers is nine games away from his 800th professional game. The veteran defenseman has totaled 222 points (45-177-222) in 791 games across the NHL, AHL, and DEL.
Next Game: The Comets are back at it tomorrow afternoon against the Laval Rocket. Puck drop at Place Bell is at 3 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.