COMETS INCH CLOSER TO DIVISION TITLE WITH OT LOSS
Apr 19, 2022Utica, NY – The Comets took the road to battle a team at the bottom of the North Division when they entered Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland for a game against the Monsters on Tuesday night. The Comets, who are first in the North skated away with a single point in an overtime loss by a 4-3 decision.
In the first period, Chase DeLeo got the scoring started as he snuck behind the Cleveland defense for a breakaway. DeLeo lifted the puck over the glove of Monsters netminder Cam Johnson at 3:27 for his 17th goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Tyler Wotherspoon. Later, the veteran Brian Flynn found a loose puck at the side of the goal and leaned on a backhander that trickled passed the goal line for a 2-0 Comets lead at 18:40. The goal, assisted by Nolan Foote, was Flynn’s 13th of the season.
In the second period, the only goal came from the Monsters late in the frame after an Owen Sillinger wrist shot beat Comets goalie Akira Schmid at 19:04. The goal, on the power-play, sliced the Comets lead to 2-1 after forty minutes of play.
In the final period of regulation, the Monsters tied the contest on a Justin Scott wrister at 14:02. This tied the game at 2-2. Then, Cleveland went ahead on a breakaway goal by Trey Fix Wolansky at 17:04. With the Comets goaltender pulled, a goal mouth scramble resulted in captain Ryan Schmelzer firing the puck into the net passed the sprawled out netminder for Cleveland. It was Schmelzer’s 17th goal of the season at 19:00. The goal was assisted by Chase DeLeo and Graham Clarke. As the game entered overtime, Tyler Sikura pulled the Monsters to victory with a wrist-shot from between the circles at 1:31. The Comets left the ice defeated 4-3.
The Comets return to action tomorrow against the Monsters again before returning home next Friday for the final home game of the regular season. The game starts at 7:00 PM. Tickets are still available. You can purchase them by going to uticacomets.com/tickets.