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AHL Utica Comets

Gameday: Comets at Hamilton

January 18, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


UTICA COMETS (11-20-2-3) @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS (19-15-0-4)

Copps Coliseum, 7 p.m.

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets look to snap a six game losing skid as they travel north to take on the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Comets are currently in the midst of their second losing streak of five of more games this season.

When They Last Met: Utica and Hamilton played a thriller at The AUD in late November, which resulted in a 4-3 shootout victory for the Bulldogs. Henrik Tommernes scored with 1:04 left in regulation to force the extra session, while Alexandre Grenier and Darren Archibald also found the back of the net for the Comets. Nathen Beaulieu ended things with the game winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout.

Comets Outlook: The Utica Comets will being seeing red for quite some time, after they dropped their most lopsided decision of the season, an 8-3 defeat against the Albany Devils. Benn Ferriero, Alexandre Grenier and Brandon DeFazio scored for Utica in a losing effort. Goaltenders Mathieu Corbeil and Joe Cannata each surrendered four goals for the Comets, who fell to 11-20-2-3 with the defeat.

Bulldogs Outlook: Hamilton returns to action for the first time since Sunday, Jan. 12, where they defeated the Iowa Wild, 3-1. Nathan Beaulieu led the Bulldogs with two points (1-1-2) and Gabriel Dumont and Nick Tarnasky also scored for Hamilton.

Winger Marc Hagel was the lone goalscorer for Iowa, with a second period power-play marker.  Dustin Tokarski earned his 15th victory of the season with 28 saves on 29 shots.

Not So Great Eight: The Utica Comets were on the wrong side of history against Albany, as their eight goals surrendered set a franchise high for goals allowed. The five goal margin of defeat was also a team worst. With the exception of wingers Alex Grenier and David Marshall and defensemen Alex Biega and Peter Andersson, all other 14 Comet skaters had a negative rating for the evening.

The Grass Is Always Grenier: Winger Alex Grenier extended his team high in goals to 12 for the season, with a third period marker against the Albany Devils. The Laval, PQ native is now tied for 12th in the AHL in rookie scoring with 24 points (12-12-24) this season.

Pelletier Leads The Way: Pascal Pelletier picked up two assists against the Utica Devils, which keeps him in the league's top 10 with 24 assists. Pelletier, who leads all Comet scorers with 31 points (7-24-31), now has eight points (2-6-8) during the month of January. The center has also picked up a team high five points against the Albany Devils this season.

Arch Of The Penguins: Winger Darren Archibald, in his first game back from Vancouver, continued his scoring ways and extended his point streak to six games. Archibald's streak, which dates back to the Dec. 27th game against the Binghamton Senators, has seen him net seven total points (3-4-7) over the six games.

Benn And Snap: Comet winger Benn Ferriero hasn't missed a beat since returning from Vancouver, with points in four straight games (1-3-4). Ferriero also leads all Utica skaters with 11 power-play points (4-7-11) and is second on the roster with 11 goals, one behind Grenier.

Cheap Patrick: In his AHL debut, the winger Patrick Kennedy recorded an assist on teammate Brandon DeFazio's goal.  The Comets had signed the Dorchester, ONT native to a PTO on Jan. 15. Kennedy has also skated in 19 games this season with Evansville of the ECHL, where he amassed 14 points (5-9-14).

Scouting The Bulldogs: Center Martin St. Pierre is Hamilton's leading scorer with 27 points (7-20-27) over 35 games, good for a team high .77 PPG.  The veteran center has recorded six of his seven goals with the man advantage, while St. Pierre also leads the team with 20 assists. Wingers Louis Leblanc and Nick Tarnasky are tops on the roster with nine goals apiece.

Defensemen Greg Pateryn and Morgan Ellis lead the Bulldogs with a +10 rating each, while Pateryn has the most points amongst Bulldog defensemen with 16 (7-9-16).

Goaltender Dustin Tokarski leads the Bulldogs with a 15-7-2 record over 26 games played.  Tokarski has been one of the AHL's top backstops all season, ranking fourth in goals against average (2.09) and save percentage (.928) and tied for fifth in both wins (15) and saves (721).

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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