COMETS TAKE ON SENATORS IN NORTH DIVISION SHOWDOWN
Jan 8, 2020UTICA COMETS (20-12-2-2) vs. BELLEVILLE SENATORS (20-12-2-1)
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 head north of the border to take on the Belleville Senators. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. with guest broadcaster Jim Gilchrist of the OHL’S Kingston Frontenacs.
Last Game: The Utica Comets were provided 37 saves from Michael DiPietro and a goal from Reid Boucher, but they couldn’t halt the Atlantic Division leading Hartford Wolf Pack during a 3-1 loss on Saturday at XL Center.
Head-to-Head: This is the second of eight contests between the North Division rivals this season. Utica won the first matchup 4-3 back on December 18. The Comets are 6-6-0-1 in the last five years against Belleville.
Scouting the Senators: Belleville comes in with a record of 20-12-1-2 and sits in fourth place in the North Division. They most recently beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5-3 this past Saturday. Drake Batherson leads the offense with 41 points, followed by Josh Norris with 32 points. Marcus Hogberg is the top netminder with a record of 7-6-0, a 3.05 goals-against average, and a .897 save percentage.
Unstoppable: Reid Boucher’s stellar season continues. Boucher has earned at least one point in 10 straight road games, picking up a total of 13 points (4-9-13) in those games. Overall, the veteran is tied for the league lead with 41 points (21-20-41) in 31 games.
Mr. Consistent: Don’t expect Sven Baertschi to go without a point for long. Baertschi failed to record a point in last Saturday’s game, but remains one of the most consistent point scorers on the roster, only being held pointless five times this year. He has also put up 10 multi-point games this year. Overall, the forward has 31 points (8-23-31) in 24 games.
Sophomore Surge: Kole Lind is having a fantastic sophomore season. Lind has racked up four points (1-3-4) in his last five games and has eight multi-point games this year. He has also not gone more than three games without a point. Lind has 29 points (10-19-29) in 36 games this year.
Balanced Attack: The Comets have gotten offense from all over the lineup season. All but two skaters to have played in at least one game have recorded a point this year. Fifteen skaters have put up 10 points or more, seven players have 20 or more points, and three have 30 or more, led by Reid Boucher’s 41 points.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Friday night at home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 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.