BOUCHER EARNS ANOTHER RECORD AS COMETS TOP CHECKERS
Charlotte, NC – Reid Boucher’s second period goal set a new single-season record for total goals by a Utica Comet, as his timely scoring lifted the Utica Comets to a 2-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers on Friday night at Bojangles’ Coliseum.
Falling behind in the first, the Checkers put the Comets down 1-0 with a goal from former Comet Alexis D’Aoust. Utica began to create chances of their own, with the reward coming a little over eleven minutes later. Pushing up the ice, Sven Baertschi and Carter Camper engaged in a two-on-one which ended with Camper moving towards the slot to fling a wrist shot into the glove-side corner of Keith Kinkaid’s net.
Early in the second and maintaining their momentum, the Comets took their first lead of the game with a record-breaking goal from Reid Boucher. Carrying the puck up the ice on an odd-man rush, Boucher called his own number and whizzed a snap shot over the stick-side shoulder of Kinkaid and in. It was the lone goal of the second and sent the Comets into the break ahead by one.
The goal from Boucher proved to be the difference maker, as the Comets defense and Michael DiPietro slammed the door shut by killing three penalties and withstanding a barrage of Checkers’ attempts in the final period. The effort down the stretch helped Utica to skate to a nail-biting win on the road.
