
COMETS FINISH THREE POINT WEEKEND IN BELLEVILLE
Feb 1, 2025Belleville, ONT. – After defeating the Belleville Senators in a close contest one night earlier, Utica headed to the road to complete the home and home series against their North Division opponent on Saturday night at the CAA Arena. Utica, utilizing the same roster as the previous night, inched closer to moving out of the cellar of the division with the victory in regulation on Friday night. Saturday’s game, the final contest before the all-star break, proved to be just as close as the previous night’s matchup as the teams entered the final period locked in a tie game. After the smoke cleared, the teams headed to overtime with the Senators prevailing in a 4-3 decision.
During the opening period, Adam Beckman fired a slap shot off the post and in passed Michael Simpson at 17:21 for his ninth of the season assisted by Jack Malone at Austin Strand. It was the only goal of the period giving Utica a 1-0 advantage after twenty minutes.
The Senators tied the game in the middle frame after a two-on-one break after Garrett Pilon wristed the puck passed Utica goalie, Isaac Poulter at 8:46. The Comets punched back, and it was the captain who went to work finding the puck in the offensive zone and flipping a backhand shot in behind Simpson at 10:36 for his 10th of the season lifting the Comets to a 2-1 lead. The Senators tied the game after a Jeremy Davies point shot found a way into the Comets net through traffic at 15:42 locking the game at 2-2 through the first two periods.
In the final period of regulation, Utica used an early powerplay to achieve a one-goal lead after Nolan Foote shoveled the puck in after a goal mouth scramble at 1:46 for his team leading 13thof the season. The Senators however, continued to push to tie the game and it was Pilon for his second of the game at 5:09 as he stepped around Poulter and barely slipped the puck passed the goal-line making it a 3-3 game. With the score tied after 60 minutes, the game headed to overtime.
During the extra session of hockey, the Senators scored the overtime game winner with a one-timer from the right wing side that was blasted by Wyatt Bongiovanni as the Comets gained a point in a 4-3 loss.
The Comets travel to Syracuse on Friday, February 7th. The team returns home against the Senators on Saturday, February 8th at 7:00 PM. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting www.uticacomets.com/tickets.