COMETS TAKE ON AMERKS IN NEW YEARS EVE SHOWDOWN
Dec 31, 2019UTICA COMETS (19-10-2-2) vs. ROCHESTER AMERICANS (20-7-2-2)
Adirondack Bank Center, 5 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #ROCvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets host the Rochester Americans in a New Year’s Eve showdown. Puck drop is at 5 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets were provided goals from four different skaters as they came from behind to pick up a 4-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday night at PPL Center. The win for the Comets increased their active point streak to five games. Kole Lind, Wacey Hamilton, Justin Bailey, and Sven Baertschi were the goal scorers for Utica. Michael DiPietro made 22 saves in the win.
Head-to-Head: This is the fifth matchup between the Comets and Americans this season. Each team has won two games so far in the season series, with Utica most recently winning 4-3 on December 21. Scoring in the series is even at 14 goals apiece.
Scouting the Americans: Rochester comes in with a record of 20-7-2-2 and sits in first place in the North Division. They most recently lost 2-0 to the Binghamton Devils this past Saturday. J.S. Dea leads the offense with 21 points, followed by Zach Redmond with 20 points. Andrew Hammond is the leading netminder with a record of 10-5-2, a 2.31 goals-against average, and .914 save percentage.
On a Roll: The Comets have been playing good hockey lately. Utica has picked up points in three straight home games and five consecutive games overall. The Comets have also scored at least four goals in all five games during the streak.
Unstoppable: Reid Boucher cannot be slowed down offensively. Boucher kept his point streak alive with an assist on Saturday, bringing his streak to a career-long 15 games. He has racked up 21 points (7-14-21) during his streak. Overall, the forward is second in the league with 39 points (20-19-39) in 28 games this year.
Lighting Up Rochester: Sven Baertschi has torched the Amerks throughout his career. Baertschi has five points (2-3-5) in two games so far this season and 15 points (8-7-15) in 15 career games against Rochester. Overall this season, the veteran forward has 28 points (7-21-28) in 21 games this season.
Finding a Groove: Justin Bailey has found a nice groove on offense. Bailey has five points (2-3-5) in his last four games and 11 points (7-4-11) in his last 13 games. His four-game point streak is his second streak of four or more games so far this season. Overall, the forward has 22 points (11-11-22) in 33 games.
Next Game: The Comets return to the ice Friday, January 3 when they host the Springfield Thunderbirds. 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.