Holtz the Hero as Comets Beat Senators in Overtime, 4-3
March 10, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release
Utica, NY. - The divisional battles are always hard-fought and exciting. Friday night's game inside the Adirondack Bank Center between the Comets and the Belleville Senators was no exception. The North Division rivals met to start off the Comets three-games in three days journey. With the Comets holding second in the division heading into the weekend, they wanted to get started off on the right foot. As the game remained tied late in to the third period, it would head to overtime where Alexander Holtz finished off the Senators with his second goal of the contest to give Utica a 4-3 victory to the delight of the capacity crowd.
In the opening period, the Senators struck for the first two goals of the contest. During four-on-four hockey, Lassi Thomson skated in after a faceoff win by the Senators and fired it passed Comets goalie, Isaac Poulter at 9:29. This was followed up by a goal from Angus Crookshank at 14:34 whose shot found its way in for a 2-0 lead. The Comets roared back, and it was a power-play goal by Robbie Russo at 15:28 after his shot sailed behind Luke Richardson, the Belleville goalie. Russo scored his sixth of the season from Simon Nemec and Ryan Schmelzer. The Comets tied the contest in dramatic fashion after Alexander Holtz stood at center ice for a penalty shot and sent the crowd to their feet after scoring the goal that tied the game 2-2. The goal was Holtz's fourth of the season at 19:33. The period ended with the teams locked after twenty-minutes.
The second period only brought one goal and it went to the Senators after Egor Sokolov's shot beat Poulter 90 seconds into the frame. The Comets left the second down 3-2.
In the final frame of regulation, it was rookie Simon Nemec who tied the contest with an incredible wrist shot from the right side that went off the crossbar and in the cage at 1:04 tying the contest at 3-3. It was Nemec's seventh of the season from Graeme Clarke and Tyler Wotherspoon. The game headed to overtime where Holtz ended the game on a shot 47 seconds into the extra frame. The win gave Utica two more points in the standings as they started off the weekend with a victory.
The Comets next five games after tonight will take place on the road when the team battles Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins tomorrow before heading to Lehigh Valley on Sunday afternoon to take on the Phantoms. They will follow up with road games in Belleville and Laval to finish off the road trip.
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