Gameday: Comets at San Antonio
January 13, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release
UTICA COMETS (11-19-2-2) @ SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE (13-20-1-3)
AT&T Center, 8 p.m.
Radio: 94.9 K-Rock
Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets conclude their four game road trip as they visit the AT&T Center for a showdown with the San Antonio Rampage. The Comets, who are 0-2-1-0 on the swing thus far, will look to break an overall four game losing streak, which dates back to Jan. 3 against Rochester.
When They Last Met: Tonight is the first ever meeting between the Comets and Rampage.
Comets Outlook: The Comets mounted a valiant come from behind effort, but it came up just short in a 5-3 defeat to the Texas Stars. The Comets scored three straight goals to cut a four-goal deficit to one, but a late empty net marker for Texas sealed Utica's fourth straight defeat. Cal O'Reilly paced the Comets with two points (1-1-2), while Alexandre Grenier and Brandon DeFazio also scored for Utica.Travis Morin, the AHL's leading scorer, led the way for the Stars with a natural hat trick to open the game.ÃâàUtica goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made his season debut in relief of Joe Cannata and was a perfect 18 of 18.
Rampage Outlook: San Antonio dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Abbotsford Heat at the AT&T Center on Saturday evening. Vincent Trocheck and Garrett Wilson each scored for San Antonio, which dropped its 14th game of its past 17 games played. Defenseman Matt Gilroy recorded a multi-point game (0-2-2), while goaltender Jacob Markstrom recorded 23 saves on 26 shots.
Talking Bout My Greneration: Alexandre Grenier has surged into the team lead with now 11 goals on the season, after his tally against the Stars on Saturday. Grenier, who is tied for 15th in the AHL in rookie scoring with 23 points (11-12-23), has recorded 10 points over his past 10 games.
Supreme Corb: Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made his debut in a big way, with a perfect 18 saves on 18 shots in relief of Joe Cannata. Corbeil, who saw nearly 26 minutes against Texas, made his debut on his seventh AHL recall between Utica this season and Chicago last. Corbeil was also recalled to the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets in 2011, but did not play.
Simple Yann: Defenseman Yann Sauve has recorded assists in each of his past three contests, giving him eight for the season. The Comets' assistant captain has recorded a +1 rating in the past 12 games, following a healthy scratch on Dec. 7 against Adirondack.
A Time to Penalty Kill: The Comets penalty killing woes continue, as the team has surrendered eight power-play goals over their past 24 opportunities, good for just a 66.7 percent success rate. Utica currently ranks last in the AHL at just a 74.2 percent clip on the season.
Moving On Up?: The Comets have an opportunity this evening to move out of the basement in the AHL Standings with a win over the Rampage. Utica, which currently has 26 points, is just one point behind the idle Hartford Wolfpack, which has played twice more than the Comets this season.
Keeping It Clean: The Comets rank last in the AHL in both power-play opportunities and times shorthanded, with 134 and 132 respectively. The Comets are one of two teams, along with the Providence Bruins to have less than four power-play chances per game. The Comets join the Bruins and the Texas Stars as the only teams with less than four penalties to kill in each contest.
Scouting The Rampage: Rookie center Vincent Trocheck leads the way for the Rampage with 12 goals and 26 points (12-14-26), over 35 games played.ÃâàTrocheck, a gold medal winner at the 2013 World Juniors Tournament, is tied for sixth amongst all AHL rookies in both goals and points. Forward Drew Shore, now of the NHL's Florida Panthers, still leads the Rampage with 15 assists.
Defenseman Ryan Whitney has recorded 12 points (3-9-12) over 18 games since being loaned to the Rampage from Florida. Top prospect Jacob Markstrom has been San Antonio's leading netminder this season, with six victories, 486 saves and a .917 save percentage.ÃâàMarkstrom also leads all active Rampage goaltenders with a 2.71 goals against average.
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