Top 10 Moments Thus Far
January 29, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release
Tuesday's game the Chicago Wolves officially marked the halfway point of the Comets inaugural season. Here is the second half of the Comets Top 10 Most Memorable Moments from the First Half of the Year.
#5 The Comets Officially Arrive. October 11th was a very memorable night for the Utica Comets franchise, as it marked their inaugural game in the AHL. Busloads of Comet fans made the trip to Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY to see their hometown team take the ice for the first time.
The on-ice result was not as the Utica faithful had hoped for, however, as Rochester defeated the Comets 4-1. Pascal Pelletier scored the lone goal for the Comets, a third period tally to cut the deficit to three. Defensemen Alex Biega and Peter Andersson picked up the assists on the Comets lone goal. Goaltender Joe Cannata made 18 saves for Utica, while Rochester's Matt Hackett turned away 30 of the 31 shots he faced.
#4 A Night 20 Years in the Making. There are certain nights in sports that go beyond what the numbers in the box score say. For the Utica Comets, the inaugural home opener turned out to be one of those games.
In an event that featured Gordie Howe, the Hanson Brothers from the hit movie Slap Shot and classic rock band Night Ranger, the AHL was back in Utica with a bang. As the Comets and Devils took the ice in front of a sold-out Utica Memorial Auditorium, Frank Corrado scored Utica's only goal in a 4-1 defeat.
An entire community was rallied by the realization of the Utica Comets and the on ice result became merely an afterthought to everyone in attendance.
#3 Comets Home Away From Home. On paper, the two game set between Utica and Abbotsford shouldn't have been close. Abbotsford was the AHL's top ranked team and Utica was ranked dead last, but hockey isn't played out on paper. The Comets turned the tables on the standings and swept the Heat with one-goal wins on both nights.
On Friday, the Comets jumped out to a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory despite a late game Abbotsford comeback. Yannick Weber, Cal O'Reilly and Pascal Pelletier scored for Utica, while Joe Cannata made 35 saves and earned both his first victory of the season and a first star performance.
The Comets followed up with a brilliant encore performance on Saturday evening, as Pelletier won the game in overtime. Center Kellan Lain netted two goals for the Comets, while captain Colin Stuart also found the back of the net. Cannata won his second straight start with 33 saves. The victory gave Utica a five game winning streak in road games, their longest of the season.
#2 Comets Breakthrough. The Comets ended their nightmare of a start to the season with a 3-2 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters on Nov. 8. Colin Stuart's game winning goal with just 2:18 on the clock gave Utica its first victory in franchise history. The Comets losing streak out of the gates died at ten games as they became the AHL's final team to get in the win column.
Patrick Mullen and Alex Mallet also scored for the Comets and Joacim Eriksson made 22 saves for his first career AHL victory. Current Comets Brandon DeFazio and Nicklas Jensen each picked up an assist, while current Canucks David Booth and Kellan Lain also found the scoresheet.
#1 The Night The AUD Was Rocking. The AUD was electric on Nov. 23 as the Comets won their first game in franchise history on home ice. A sold out Auditorium was on hand for a historical night in the Mohawk Valley. Joacim Eriksson turned away each of Rochester's 33 shots as he stole the show with his first career shutout.
Yannick Weber scored a first period power-play goal and winger Darren Archibald added an insurance marker with nine minutes left on the game clock to seal the deal. Andersson, Pelletier, Henrik Tommernes and Alexandre Grenier each tallied assists for the Comets, who were a perfect five for five on the penalty kill.
American Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2014
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