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AHL Utica Comets

Gameday: Comets vs Syracuse

January 31, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


UTICA COMETS (15-20-2-4) vs. SYRACUSE CRUNCH (17-19-2-4)

MIX 102.5""s "˜Pink the Rink' Night brought to you by GPO Federal Credit Union

Utica Memorial Auditorium, 7 p.m.

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Comets host the Syracuse Crunch for the second time this season as the second of their three game homestand.  Utica has amassed a point in five straight games entering tonight's action, dating back to Jan. 18 against Hamilton.

When They Last Met: The Comets earned their first point of the season in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Crunch at The AUD. Colin Stuart scored Utica's only goal, while Comet netminder Joacim Eriksson stole the show with 32 saves on 33 shots. Syracuse winger Nikita Kucherov scored the lone goal in regulation for the Crunch. Benn Ferriero beat Syracuse goaltender Cedric Desjardins in the shootout, but the Crunch were victorious in six rounds as Cedric Paquette potted the game winner. Desjardins finished with 19 saves through 65 minutes of play and saved five of six in the shootout.

Comets Outlook: The Utica Comets forced their third straight game to overtime, but failed to extend their winning streak to five games as they dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Lake Erie Monsters. Forward Benn Ferriero improved his scoring streak to nine games with a goal and an assist, while Patrick Mullen also lit the lamp for the Comets. AHL Player of the Week Joacim Eriksson turned aside 34 of 36 shots as he earned his team a point for the eighth time in his past nine starts.

Crunch Outlook: The Crunch dropped a 4-0 decision against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday evening at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Eric Hartzell turned aside all 20 Crunch shots he faced on the evening. Penguin captain Tom Kostopolous led the way offensively for the Penguins with a goal and an assist, while defenseman Simon Despres added two assists of his own.  Paul Thompson, Harry Zolnierczyk and Denver Manderson also scored for WBS. Goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis made 21 saves in a losing effort for Syracuse.

The Tooth Ferri: Winger Benn Ferriero has recorded points in each of his last nine games, dating back to Jan. 9 against Oklahoma City. Ferriero, remains in possession of the longest active scoring streak in the AHL, four games shy of Vladislav Namestnikov's season long streak of 13 games. The Essex, MA native has collected 12 points (6-6-12) over his current run.

Sanford and Eriksson: CCM/AHL Player of the Week Joacim Eriksson has earned points for Utica in eight of his past nine starts, including seven victories.  The Galve, Sweden native is now over .500 for the season at 11-10-1-2.  Eriksson has amassed a .940 save percentage and a 1.74 goals against average over his past nine appearances.

For Pete's Sake: Utica defenseman Peter Andersson has earned a plus rating in each of his past five games to assume the team lead in plus/minus this season, at +7. Andersson is also riding a three game scoring streak, which he extended with an assist against Lake Erie on Tuesday.

Patman Returns: Defenseman Patrick Mullen made his presence in the lineup felt as he scored a power-play goal in his first game back after three as a scratch.  Mullen leads all Utica defensemen this season with 13 points (7-6-13) over 31 games played.

Penalty Kill Bill, Vol.2: Despite a struggle to begin the season, Utica's penalty kill has improved as of late.  The Comets have successfully killed off 22 of their past 23 penalties over a span of nearly nine full games. Utica still ranks 29th in the league, however, at a 76.58 percent success rate while a man short.

Lost In New York: The Comets enter tonight's game having struggled against not only Syracuse but the entire state of New York as well. Utica is 3-10-0-1 this season against teams from the Empire State of Mind, with two wins over Rochester and one over Binghamton.  Including tonight's game, the Comets play 12 more times against teams from New York this season.

Pink The Rink: Tonight is the Utica Comets' Pink The Rink promotion, with the team donning special pink jerseys in support of the fight for the cure against breast cancer. Following the conclusion of the game, the Comets will auction off each of the jerseys in a live auction. All of the proceeds will be donated to The Breast Care Center of The Regional Cancer Center at Faxton St. Lukes Healthcare.

Scouting The Crunch: Center Vladislav Namestnikov leads all Crunch scorers with 30 points (13-17-30) over 27 games played.  AHL All-Star Brett Connolly has 29 points (12-17-29) this season, placing him second on the Crunch in scoring.

Defenseman Dmitry Korobov tops the Crunch defensive corps with 16 points (0-16-16) over 37 games played, while Matt Taormina leads all blueliners with four goals over 27 games.

Goaltenders Cedric Desjardins and Kristers Gudlevskis have split action this season with 20 games apiece. Gudlevskis leads the Crunch with both 10 victories and a 2.71 goals against average, while Desjardins .902 save percentage is tops on the roster. Gudlevskis has also recorded four shutouts, while Desjardins has picked up two of his own.

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