GAMBARDELLA SEALS ELECTRIC OVERTIME WIN IN LAVAL
Jan 10, 2024Laval, QC – For the third consecutive game, the Utica Comets battled the Laval Rocket in an intense and entertaining game. This time the meeting was on the road at Place Bell in Laval, and was a back and forth battle. Utica sealed the 6-5 win in overtime with Joe Gambardella’s highlight reel goal.
Utica started the scoring halfway through the first. Netminder Isaac Poulter made an outstanding save on a 2-on-1 that resulted in an odd man rush for Utica. Graeme Clarke found an open Justin Dowling who ripped the puck home and made it 1-0. Laval would answer on a bang-bang play in front of the net as Joshua Roy knotted things up at one before the period came to a close.
Both teams found the spark offensively in the second. Utica kicked things off with a powerplay goal from Dowling. Arnaud Durandeau made a perfect pass to Dowling on the back door, and he buried it for a 2-1 lead. Laval answered less than a minute later as Roy scored an unassisted goal. He snuck the puck inside the right post on a 2-on-1 chance. Laval would then take their first lead of the game on an open one timer for Tobie Bison at 13:54 of the period.
From there, the Comets scored back-to-back. Kyle Criscuolo caught a stretch pass from Chase Stillman and scored a backhand five-hole goal on Laval goaltender Jakub Dobes. Utica tied it 40 seconds after Laval took the lead. They would get a go ahead tally on Brian Halonen’s first goal of the season with 26 seconds left in the period . After a chaotic play in front, Halonen tucked one under the crossbar to give Utica a 4-3 lead at the end of the second.
Six minutes into the third, Laval evened things up. Philipe Maillet was left alone on the right side and got one past Poulter to make it 4-4. With 2:32 left in the third, Brian Halonen was the hero for Utica. Ryan Schmelzer battled a puck free in the corner, walked to the slot and ripped a backhand on goal. The loose puck ended up on Halonen’s stick and he got the job done to make it 5-4. Laval answered with an empty net, as Lias Andersson tapped one home on the back door and tied the game at 5.
Comets Veteran Joe Gambardella made it all happen in overtime. It took 4 minutes and 39 seconds, but Gambardella made a stellar move to score the game winner. He found space in the high slot, worked his way down the right side on his backhand and beat Dobes with a quick move to his forehand. Utica celebrated a huge win, and brought two points back to the Adirondack Bank Center.
They will be home Friday (7pm) and Saturday (5pm) night to take on the Cleveland Monsters and Springfield Thunderbirds respectively. Utica is celebrating their annual “Save of the Day Week” with specialty jerseys, raffles, auctions and more to highlight the work of the Save of the Day Foundation. Tickets are still available at uticacomets.com/tickets.