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AHL Utica Comets

Gameday: Comets vs. Lake Erie

January 28, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


LAKE ERIE MONSTERS (17-20-0-4) @ UTICA COMETS (15-20-2-3)

Utica Memorial Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Comets are back at The AUD for the first of a three game set as the Lake Erie Monsters come to the Mohawk Valley for the final time this season. The Comets are hot as of late, and enter tonight's action winners of their last four.

When They Last Met: The Comets defeated Lake Erie 3-2 in a New Years Day tilt at The AUD to kick off 2014. Darren Archibald's goal 5:24 into the third period proved to be the game winner as the Comets moved to 3-2 against Lake Erie this season. Pascal Pelletier and Colin Stuart also scored for Utica, while Joe Cannata made 18 saves for the victory. Bryan Lerg paced Lake Erie with two points (1-1-2).

Comets Outlook: The Comets made it four in a row as they defeated Abbotsford for the second consecutive evening, this by a 4-3 scoreline in overtime. It was deja vu for Benn Ferriero, who won the game just 1:10 into the extra session, his second overtime game winner in as many nights. Alexandre Grenier netted two goals for Utica and Brandon DeFazio also found the back of the net. Joacim Eriksson won his third straight game with 23 saves on 26 shots.

Monsters Outlook: The Monsters travel to Utica following a narrow 3-2 shootout defeat against the Toronto Marlies on Sunday. Cam Reid and Andrew Agozzino found the back of the net for Lake Erie, who dropped its eighth straight with the loss. Calvin Pickard went the distance and made 29 saves on 31 shots for the Monsters. Stuart Percy and Jamie Devane each scored for Toronto, while Drew MacIntrye earned his 20thvictory of the season.

Benneral Education: Winger Benn Ferriero has recorded points in each of his last eight games, dating back to Jan. 9 against Oklahoma City. Ferriero, who has recorded ten points (5-5-10) over his current run, is in possession of the longest active streak in the AHL. The Essex, MA native is five games away from the overall AHL high for the season.

Joacim Dandy: Current AHL Player of the Week Joacim Eriksson has won seven of his past eight starts, dating back to mid December. Eriksson has recorded two shutouts and has netted a .944 save percentage throughout his stretch. Eriksson has improved his record on the season over the .500 mark and now sits at 11-10-1-1 as a Comet.

Return To Grender: Utica forward Alexandre Grenier is currently tied for the team lead in goals with 15, putting him in sole possession of fifth amongst all AHL rookies. Grenier is now just two goals behind the trio of Andres Lee, Markus Granlund and Matt Puempel, who are tied at 17 goals.

The Hand We're Pelt: Center Pascal Pelletier continues to lead the way for Utica, with now 36 points (7-27-34) over 36 games played. Pelletier's 29 assists has him tied for fifth in the AHL with Manchester's Jordan Weal. Pelletier is also tied for 15th in the league in points.

Power Outage: The Comets have hit a rut with the man advantage, converting on just two of their past 45 opportunities. Utica's power play, which had previously ranked within the league's top 10, has fallen to 20th at a 16.6 percent conversion rate. The Comets have failed to find the back of the net at home since their power-play goal streak ended at 10 on Jan. 3.

The Race To 40: Neither the Comets nor Monsters have had any success when trailing after 40 minutes of play. The two teams are a combined 1-33-0-3 this season when losing through two periods. The Comets remain the only team in the AHL who has failed to record a victory when they trail to begin the third period, earning just two points in 19 opportunities.

Dean And Green: Lake Erie head coach Dean Chynoweth and Utica head coach Travis Green have a history with one another, having spent portions of three seasons together on the Capital District Islanders from 1990-1993. The two combined for 157 points (64-93-157) over 303 total games.

Scouting The Monsters: Center Mark Olver leads the team in scoring with 28 points (9-19-28) over 36 games played. Olver is the only player on the roster to average both .75 points per game and over one penalty minute per game. Team captain Bryan Lerg leads the Monsters with 12 goals scored and is second on the team with 27 points. Rookie centerman Joey Hishon has 18 points (8-10-18) over 29 games.

Defenseman Matt Hunwick tops all scorers amongst defensemen with 21 points (8-13-21), over just 30 games played.

With netminder Sami Aittokallio recalled to Colorado in the NHL, Calvin Pickard has taken over the top spot between the pipes for Lake Erie. Pickard has nine wins this season, to accompany a 2.89 goals against average and a .895 save percentage

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