UTICA, N.Y. – Just 24 hours after claiming the franchise’s first regulation victory over the Albany Devils, the Utica Comets did it again by the score of 3-1 Saturday evening at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The win improves the Comets record to 9-11-1-0 on the season.
Carter Bancks (2-0-2), and Darren Archibald (1-0-1) collected the Comets three tallies, while Thatcher Demko picked up the victory with a 29-save performance.
The team’s battled to a scoreless through the first period, and half of the second, until Archibald struck for the seventh time this season. While playing a man down, Archibald beat a Devils defender to a cleared puck, and chipped it over Blackwood as he was being dragged down from behind. The unassisted short-handed goal staked the Comets to a 1-0 lead.
Seven minutes later the Devils added a short-handed goal of their own when Blake Coleman slipped the puck past Demko for his fifth of the season.
The team’s traded chanced until Carter Bancks broke through twice on the power play late in the third period.
The first goal, his fourth of the season, came as the result of a beautiful redirection off Pascal Pelletier’s perfect cross-slot pass. The assist for Pelletier was his first point since rejoining the Comets.
A little over a minute later, again on the power play, Bancks scooped up a rebound off a Cody Kunyk blast, and shot it into the back of the net. Colby Robak recorded the secondary assist on the insurance goal.
The Comets power play went 2-for-10 on the night, while the penalty kill turned their third consecutive perfect effort and allowed no goals in seven attempts.
The Utica Comets wrap up their brief two-game home stand with a match-up against the Toronto Marlies Wednesday evening at The AUD.Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
