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AHL Utica Comets

Gameday: Comets at Wlkes-Barre/Scranton

December 14, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


UTICA COMETS (7-14-1-1) @ WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS (14-7-1-2)

Mohegan Sun Arena, 7 pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets are in search of their second win in as many nights as they travel to Pennsylvania to take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Comets are in the middle of a three games in three nights stretch, which concludes on Sunday afternoon against the Lake Erie Monsters at The AUD.

When They Last Met: Tonight is the first ever regular season meeting between these two teams.

Comets Outlook: The Comets were victorious for the second time this season on home ice, as Colin Stuart buried Utica's first ever hat trick to lead his team past the Binghamton Senators, 5-2. Darren Archibald and Cal O'Reilly each found the back of the net for the Comets as well, while Joacim Eriksson made a franchise high 42 saves for his fifth win of the season. The Comets were able to end a three game losing streak with the victory.

Penguins Outlook: The Penguins also enter tonight's action riding a victory on home ice, after they defeated the Hershey Bears 5-3 last evening. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got out to an early 3-0 lead, with first period goals coming from Tom Kostopoulos, Paul Thompson and Brian Gibbons.  The Penguins never trailed in the contest as Kostopoulos added a second and Nick Drazenovic sealed the deal with a goal late in the third period. Eric Hartzell picked up the win with 20 saves on 23 shots.

Hat Trick Hero: With a three-goal output against the Senators, team captain Colin Stuart recorded both the first hat trick in Comets team history and the first of his career. Stuart converted twice in the third period to seal his evening which marks the eighth time in his career he has scored multiple goals in a game. The winger also moved to within one goal of Benn Ferriero for the team lead in goals with eight on the season. Stuart's first goal also went down as the 250th point of his professional career.

He's Feeling 42: Joacim Eriksson was a rock between the pipes against the Senators as he turned aside 42 of the 44 shots he faced, which set both personal and franchise highs for saves in a game. The Swede picked up his team high fifth victory of the season and righted the ship after he entered Friday's game with a .833 save percentage and a 5.15 GAA in the month of December.  Eriksson is also now sixth in the AHL with 491 saves for the season.

Five And Alive: The Comets scored five goals for the first time this season and their three goal margin of victory was also the largest the team has ever recorded. The Comets offensive outburst also moved them out of the basement in goals scored this season, as they surpassed the Worcester Sharks and now sit at 53. Furthermore, the Comets racked up a franchise high in points as a team in a single game, with 14 (5-9-14).

The Holy Triumvirate: Cal O'Reilly (1-1-2), Benn Ferriero (0-2-2) and Pascal Pelletier (0-2-2) each recorded two-point games against the Senators.  Pelletier and Ferriero extended their margins as the team's top two scorers with 20 and 18 points respectively. O'Reilly has now amassed 7 points (2-5-7) over his nine games with the Comets.

Second Period Lead Is All We Need: The Comets moved to 4-0-1-0 this season when they lead after two periods of play. Utica took a 3-2 lead into the third period against Binghamton. The Comets dropped points only once in this instance, a 5-4 overtime loss against the league leading Abbotsford Heat, when Utica relinquished a 3-2 lead entering the final frame. The Comets are conversely 0-13-0-0 when they trail after two periods, the worst record in the AHL.

Scouting The Penguins: Gibbons is the team's leading scorer with 27 points (9-18-27), which ranks him tied for fifth in overall scoring in the AHL.  Kostopoulos and Harry Zolnierczyk each lead the Penguins with ten goals apiece, while Gibbons' 18 assists are a team high and also tied for fifth best in the league.

Brandon Mikkelson ranks amongst the AHL's highest scoring defensemen, as his 15 assists are tied for third in the AHL, while 17 points are tied for sixth. Mikkelson also leads all active WBS players with a +10 rating, with Simon Despres and his +13  are currently playing with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jeff Deslauriers has carried the load for the Penguins between the pipes this season and the veteran netminder is currently tied for third in the league with 11 wins.  Deslauriers, who has appeared in 19 of the Penguins' 24 games this season, comes into tonight with a .902 save percentage and a team best 2.31 goals against average. Hartzell, a rookie out of Quinnipiac, has a team best .907 save percentage over four games played.

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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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