Late Goal Sinks Comets in Preseason Finale
by Mark Caswell, Jr.
Oct 9, 2016Matthew Peca’s goal with a little over a minute remaining in regulation proved to be the difference in the Utica Comets 2-1 loss to the Syracuse Crunch at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Sunday night.
Jordan Subban (0-1-1) assisted on Derek Hulak’s (1-0-1) second period goal for his second point in as many preseason games. Thatcher Demko started the game in net and stopped 10 of the 11 shots the Crunch fired his way, while Michael Garteig made 12 saves in relief.
After a scoreless first period, Michael Bournival banked in a power-play goal off of Demko’s pad from the goal line to stake the Crunch to a 1-0 lead.
Just under six minutes later the Comets and Jordan Subban struck for the second time this preseason on the power play. Jordan Subban took a feed from Carter Bancks and wristed a shot into traffic. Derek Hulak, in his first game as a Comet at The AUD, redirected the puck past Gudlevskis glove for the team’s lone goal in the game.
The team’s battled with the score deadlocked at 1-1 until Matthew Peca found the difference maker with 1:30 left in the game. Garteig turned aside Adam Erne’s initial shot, but Peca cleaned up the rebound to give the Crunch a 2-1 victory.
The Comets penalty killed seven of the Crunch’s power-play opportunities, while the power-play converted once on seven tries.
The regular season kicks off for the Comets on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Toronto. Puck drop against the defending North Division champions is scheduled for 1 p.m. from the Ricoh Coliseum.
UTICA COMETS vs SYRACUSE CRUNCH
Utica Memorial Auditorium, 5 p.m.
Follow Live: @UticaComets
Today's Game: The Comets wrap up their preseason series against the Syracuse Crunch with their first ever preseason game at The AUD. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Don't Miss the Action: Great tickets still remain for tonight's game. All tickets are $10, and all proceeds will be donated to the Kelberman Center. Purchase yours today at: EmpireStateTix.com.
Fan Fest: The Utica Comets Fan Fest will take place in the area around the Utica Memorial Auditorium, between Charles St. and Broadway starting at 1 p.m. Fan Fest events will also include a Utica Comets player autograph booth, a Hometown Hockey Hero Booth sponsored by Clinton Tractor, where local professional hockey players will meet with fans and sign autographs, and contests where fans can win tickets to Comets home games, or a trip to Buffalo, NY to see the Comets parent club, the Vancouver Canucks, in NHL game action.