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AHL Utica Comets

Gameday: Comets vs Abbotsford

March 29, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


ABBOTSFORD HEAT (35-24-5-2) @ UTICA COMETS (29-28-3-4)

Utica Memorial Auditorium, 7 pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets now sit five points behind eighth place Charlotte for the final Western Conference playoff spot, as they host the Abbotsford Heat for the second straight evening. The Heat defeated Utica 2-1 in overtime last evening at The AUD.

When They Last Met: The Heat were victorious last evening at The AUD, with a 2-1 narrow victory in overtime. Alex Friesen scored the lone goal for Utica, while Joacim Eriksson made 28 saves on 30 shots in defeat. Sven Baertschi and Ben Street scored for the Heat, who won for just the fourth time in eleven meetings against the Comets. Joni Ortio was the game's first star with 43 saves on 44 shots.

Comets Outlook: Pascal Pelletier tops the Utica scoring charts with nine points (2-7-9) over 11 games with Abbotsford, while the currently injured Benn Ferriero leads the way with six goals and eight points. Joacim Eriksson has been stout against Abbotsford all season, with a 5-3-0 record, a .941 save percentage and a 1.84 goals against average.

Heat Outlook: The Heat are led by center Max Reinhart with eight points (3-5-8) over 11 games against the Comets this season, with winger Ben Street also netting three times against Utica. Defenseman Derek Smith has four points (1-3-4) over seven games against the Heat. Joni Ortio has a .923 save percentage with a 2.15 goals against average in the six games against Utica this season.

Here Come The Comets: Since Jan. 18, the Comets have been the AHL's third highest producing team with 39 points, courtesy of an 18-8-3 record. Utica, which trails just St. John's and Chicago in points during that span, has moved into sole possession of 11th place in the Western Conference, five points shy of the final playoff position with two games in hand.

Love Is In The Eriksson: Joacim Eriksson has been hot against Abbotsford this season, with a 5-3-0 record, a .941 save percentage and a 1.83 goals against average. Overall, Eriksson is the AHL's third most worked goaltender in 2013-14, with over 2,616 minutes played. The Galve, Sweden native also ranks fourth in saves (1,293), tied for fourth in shutouts (4) and tied for eighth in wins (21).

Young, Wild and Friesen: Utica's lone goalscorer last evening was Alex Friesen, who remains on a hot streak during the month of March. The Niagara IceDogs product has seven points (3-4-7) over ten games this month, good for more than 77 percent of his total scoring output for the season.

Shooting Spree: The Comets set a franchise record with 44 shots last evening against Abbotsford. Utica broke their previous high from Oct. 19 against Rochester. Winger Brandon DeFazio also broke a team record, with 10 shots of his own.

No Shortage Of Goals: With Alex Friesen's goal last night while a man down, the Comets have recorded four shorthanded goals since Feb. 5, two thirds of their total for the entire season. Colin Stuart leads all Utica players with two SHG's, with the Comets having scored six overall as a team.

Cannat Another Teen Movie: Goaltender Joe Cannata has been on fire as of late, with a 5-1-0 record over his past seven appearances, which dates back to Jan. 18 against Hamilton. Over his string of games, the Wakefield, MA native has turned aside 181 of 191 shots against, which gives him a .948 save percentage. Cannata has also won each of his past four starts outside of New York State.

Scouting The Heat: Abbotsford has a tie at the top as Max Reinhart (18-32-50) and Ben Street (25-25-50) each have 50 points apiece. Reinhart leads all Heat players in assists, while Street leads the way in goals. Center Corey Locke has 34 assists for the 2013-14 season as a whole, combined with his time in Chicago and Abbotsford. Locke has 17 points (2-15-17) in 21 games since he joined the Heat.

Defenseman Chad Billins remains Abbotsford's leader from the blueline, with 40 points (10-30-40) over 62 games played, but was recalled after last night's contest to Calgary. Derek Smith now leads the way on the back end, with 18 points (5-13-18) over just 24 games played.

Abbotsford received a big boost on last week, with goaltender Joni Ortio rejoining the roster to join Olivier Roy as the Heat goaltending tandem. Ortio has been stout this season between the pipes, with a 21-7-2 record over 30 games played, with a 2.21 goals against average (GAA) and a .928 save percentage, all of which lead the team.

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