COMETS RENEW RIVALRY WITH AMERKS
Dec 16, 2017UTICA COMETS (11-11-4) vs. ROCHESTER AMERICANS (15-6-6)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHL Live | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK, Desktop or Mobile
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #RCHvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Rochester Americans. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets defeated the Binghamton Devils by a score of 2-1 Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Philip Holm struck first for the Comets with a power play goal at the 16:34 mark of the first period. Reid Boucher and Zack MacEwen tallied the assists. Josh Jacobs tied the game at one with 11:26 to go in the second, tipping a shot over Thatcher Demko. Kevin Rooney and Kevin Morris had the assists. Brendan Woods regained the Comets’ lead five minutes into the final period, ripping a shot past Ken Appleby for his second of the year. Cole Cassels and Cliff Watson picked up the assists. Demko stopped 20 shots and his record improves to 9-6-3.
Head-to-Head: The Comets lead the season series 4-1-1, but Rochester won the most recent matchup 3-1 on Wednesday night. The Comets are outscoring the Amerks 16-11 this season and are 24-16-1-1 all time against Rochester.
Scouting the Americans: Rochester comes in with a record of 15-6-6 following a 3-2 loss to Toronto last night. C.J. Smith is the leading point scorer, tallying 27 points on the year, followed by Sahir Gill with 18 points. Linus Ullmark leads the goaltending tandem with a record of 12-4-3, a 2.57 goals-against average, and a .921% save percentage.
Lockdown Defense: When the Comet’s defense is on, they are a tough team to beat. The Comets hold a record of 9-1-0 in games where they allowed two or fewer goals.
On The Rise: The Comets penalty kill is starting to get back on track. Utica has killed off nine of their last ten penalties. The Comets rank 14th in the AHL at 83.3%
No Place Like Holm: After missing the past five games with an injury, Philip Holm made an immediate impact upon his return. Holm picked up a power play goal in last night’s win over Binghamton. The defenseman has totaled three goals and nine assists overall this season.
Dominant: Thatcher Demko has played exceptionally well against Rochester this season. The second year netminder holds a 3-1-1 record with a 1.59 goals against average and a .953% save percentage against the Amerks.
Deuces Wild: The Comets have yet to win consecutive games at home, but tonight’s matchup presents another opportunity to accomplish that feat. The Comets are 4-6-2 on home ice since their three-game win streak from November 24 to November 29.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Wednesday night as they battle the Toronto Marlies. Puck drops 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 Live.