Comets Down Crunch 5-2, Win Third Straight
Nov 6, 2026Utica, NY – The Utica Comets faced off against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday night for the first time this season and emerged with a 5-2 win.
The Comets had a great start to the game, drawing a Syracuse penalty less than two minutes into the contest when Crunch forward Ethan Gauthier was called for tripping. For the second straight game, the Comets cashed in on the power play when Gabe Klassen tipped home a shot from Vlad Kolyachnok past Crunch netminder Mads Sogaard to make it 1-0 on Klassen's fourth of the year at 2:20. Colin White picked up the secondary assist, registering a point for the second straight game. The Comets nearly made it 2-0 later in the period on a shot from Riley Tufte that glanced off the post on Sogaard's glove side but stayed out.
The Comets headed to the power play again early in the second. After Crunch defenseman Steven Santini turned over the puck in his own zone, Ben Steeves took full advantage and walked in and beat Sogaard around the right pad to make it 2-0 at 4:48 on his fourth of the year. The Crunch would answer with a power play goal of their own when Jansen Harkins fired a shot that was tipped by Dylan Duke past David Rittich to make it 2-1 at 6:31 on his second of the season. The Comets went back up by two later in the frame when Shane Lachance's wrap-around bid failed, but the rebound found the stick of Colin White at the top of the crease, beating Sogaard to make it 3-1 at 14:57 for his second of the year. The Crunch made it a 3-2 game moments later when Jakob Pelletier received a pass in the slot and beat David Rittich with a backhander at 16:03 for his eighth of the year. The Comets came right back, however, and restored the two-goal lead when Lenni Hameenaho fired home a rebound from the right circle off a shot from Ben Steeves to make it 4-2 at 16:27 on his fifth of the year.
The third period was more defensive minded by both teams with less end-to-end action than the second. The Comets locked things down and added an empty-net goal towards the end of the third when Gabe Klassen tallied his second of the game and fifth of the year at 16:30 with Ryan Schmelzer picking up the assist to make it 5-2, sealing the deal for Utica to make it three straight wins.
The Comets were outshot by the Crunch 26-21, while going 2-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The Comets are back home tomorrow against the Rochester Americans at 6 PM. For tickets, please visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.