Edwards and McLaughlin Tally in the 3rd, Comets Edge Wolf Pack 2-1
AHL Utica Comets

Edwards and McLaughlin Tally in the 3rd, Comets Edge Wolf Pack 2-1

Published on February 20, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


Hartford, CT - The Comets made their lone trip of the season to Hartford and skated to a 2-1 victory.

The Wolf Pack nearly took the lead within the first minute of the game when Travis Dermott walked into the left circle but rang his shot off the crossbar. The Comets settled in and outpaced the Wolf Pack for much of the rest of the period, applying solid pressure on the forecheck and not allowing any easy breakouts for Hartford. The Comets outshot the Wolf Pack 11-5 in the first period and finished the period with a fleury in front of Hartford netminder Dylan Garand, getting some help from his defensemen who came up with some big shot blocks.

The stingy battle continued in the second period, which saw just nine combined shots, five of which belonged to the Comets. Their best chance of the period came from Angus Crookshank who was robbed from the right circle by the glove of Dylan Garrand after a nice feed from Ethan Edwards. The Comets were assessed the only penalty through the first 40 minutes when Ethan Edwards was called for hooking at 12:30 of the second, but the Comets killed it off.

The beginning of the third period featured an intense pace and virtually nonstop play with the teams still tied at zero. After a mad scramble in the offensive zone, Cam Squires made a nice diagonal pass to Topias Vilen who dished it across to Ethan Edwards who blasted it home to give the Comets the 1-0 lead at 10:05 of the third on his ninth of the year and third in the last three games. Less than three minutes later, the teams skated 4-on-4 after they were assessed offsetting roughing minors, and Marc McLaughlin darted up ice on a 2-on-1 and snapped a shot through the armpit of Dylan Garand to give the Comets a 2-0 lead at 12:30. It was McLaughlin's third straight game with a goal since returning from injury. Brian Halonen and Calen Addison picked up the assists. The Wolf Pack would cut the deficit to one when Nico Daws made an initial stop on Travis Dermott, but the rebound was batted out of the air and into the net by Jusso Parssinen at 17:26 on his second of the year to make it 2-1. After another skirmish towards the end of the game, the teams skated 4-on-4 again, but Hartford pulled Dylan Garand for the extra attacker to make it 5-on-4. In a frantic finish, the Comets held on for a 2-1 win with Nico Daws stopping 16 of the 17 shots he faced.

The Comets outshot the Wolf Pack 26-17, while not having a power play in the game and going 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.

The Comets are back home tomorrow at 6 pm against the Laval Rocket for 100 Years of Comets Heritage. For tickets or more information, fans can visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 20, 2026


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