COMETS SQUARE OFF AGAINST PENGUINS
Oct 12, 2019UTICA COMETS (1-0-0-0) vs. WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS (1-1-0-0)
Mohegan Sun Arena, 7:05 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsWBS
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets hit the road to battle the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
Last Game: Many familiar faces picked up where they left off during a 4-3 win over the Binghamton Devils in the opening game of the season at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday. Reid Boucher scored twice, while Justin Bailey and Guillaume Brisebois also found the net for Utica. Zane McIntyre stopped 19 of 22 shots to earn his first win as a Comet.
Head to Head: This is the first meeting between the Comets and Penguins. Utica swept last year’s season series, winning 3-2 in overtime and 8-1. The Comets are 6-3-1 in the last five seasons against the Penguins and 3-2-0 on the road in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the past five years.
Scouting the Penguins: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton comes in with a record of 1-1-0-0 and sits in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. They most recently fell to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-1 last night. Stefan Noesen leads the offense with three points, followed by Adam Johnson with two points. Casey DeSmith is the top netminder with a 1-1-0 record, a 3.50 goals-against average, and a .897 save percentage.
Starting Hot: Reid Boucher picked up right where he left off last season. Boucher racked up two goals and an assist last Saturday against Binghamton and now sits 18 goals back of tying Darren Archibald’s team record for all-time goals. Boucher led the team with 31 goals and 62 points last year and his three points this season also leads the team.
Good First Impression: Justin Bailey and Carter Camper made their names known to Comets fans right from the get-go. Bailey scored on a partial breakaway and Camper recorded an assist to go along with four shots on goal. Look for both players put up at least 45 points last season so look for them to continue producing.
Big Jump: Kole Lind started his second professional season with a bang. The young forward tallied three assists in last Saturday’s win and looked extremely confident handling the puck. For reference, it took Lind 19 games to earn three points last season. Lind finished last season with 17 points (5-12-17) in 51 games.
Penguin Hunter: Wacey Hamilton has been an offensive force against the Penguins over the past two seasons. In his last four games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the veteran forward notched eight points (0-8-8). Hamilton put up 11 points (1-10-11) in 23 games last year.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Wednesday night in their home opener against the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop at the Adirondack Bank Center is at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to utilize the ticket exchange website, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.