COMETS VICTORIOUS IN SHOOTOUT AGAINST CRUNCH, 5-4
Apr 2, 2023Utica, NY. – The Comets headed into Sunday afternoon at the Adirondack Bank Center looking for their first victory of the weekend. Stepping onto the ice against their division rival, the Syracuse Crunch, the roaring crowd helped the Comets onto the ice as they tried to propel their team to a victory to climb the standings of the North Division. In a game that went back and forth, the home team prevailed in a shootout to secure two more points in the standings in a 5-4 victory backstopped by goaltender Akira Schmid.
In the first period, the Crunch registered the first goal of the contest after Trevor Carrick launched a one-timer from the blue line that found its way through traffic and into the Comets net behind Akira Schmid at 1:16. The Comets hit back for the tying goal and it was rookie Simon Nemec who took a perfect pass from Joe Gambardella and buried his shot at 5:50. The goal was Nemec’s 10th goal of the season. Riding the wave of momentum, the Comets scored the go-ahead goal. As Riley Walsh skated into Syracuse zone, he sent the pass to the streaking Graeme Clarke who fired it passed Hugo Alnefelt at 10:03 for his 23rd goal of the season and his team leading 52nd point. After twenty minutes of play, the Comets lead the contest, 2-1.
The Crunch, in the second period, scored the next two goals of the contest with the first one being a shot that beat Schmid between the legs at 1:11 by Rudolfs Balcers. Syracuse followed up with a tally from Gage Goncalves at 2:28 as his shot went off the crossbar and in for a 3-2 Syracuse lead. As the period went on, the Comets Gambardella tied the game as he pounced on a Crunch defensive zone turnover at 11:18. The shot that went through traffic and into the Crunch goal tied the game at 3-3. It was Gambardella’s second point of the game and his 10th of the season. But, it only took 11 seconds later for the Crunch to achieve a lead again after Joe Finley deflected the Daniel Walcott shot behind Schmid for a 4-3 game. The Comets continued to push back and once again tied the game after Nolan Foote wristed a shot into the net at 15:24 for his 20th goal of the season with the lone assist going to Robbie Russo. After forty minutes of play, the game was locked at 4-4.
In the final period, there were no goals scored in the third period or overtime, so the game headed to a shootout. For the Comets, they received goals from Nolan Foote and Graeme Clark while Akira Schmid turn away both Goncalves and Balcers to solidify a 5-4 victory.
The Comets are back on the ice at home against the Toronto Marlies on Friday, April 7th inside the Adirondack Bank Center. Great seats are still available, visit www.uticacomets.com