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Utica Comets

Archibald Powers Comets Past Crunch

November 26, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


The Utica Comets exacted revenge and got back to their winning ways all in one night with a 5-4 victory over the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Darren Archibald (2-1-3) lit up the scorer's sheet in this one. His two-goal night, including the game-winner, helped push the Comets to their first win in three games. Brandon DeFazio (1-1-2), Nicklas Jensen (0-2-2), and newcomer Will Acton (0-2-2) all contributed to the Comets success with two points apiece.

After a scoreless first period, the second stanza was the polar opposite with a total of six goals combined.

A little over one minute in to the second period, the Crunch broke the scoreless tie. Yanni Gourde followed up a diving shot from Phillipe Paradis, and popped in a rebound past Joacim Eriksson's right side for his ninth goal of the season.

The Comets didn't stray from their hard-checking game plan and found the equalizer 5:37 into the second period. After a battle along the boards, DeFazio retrieved the puck and stick-handled his way through the defense. The 25-year old winger sniped one clear to the far side of Andrei Vasilevskiy, who hadn't let a goal in since the first period of the Toyota Frozen Dome Classic this past Saturday. Archibald was credited with the only assist on the play. This was DeFazio's eighth goal and Archibald's fifth assist on the season.

Utica wanted the lead, and they got the lead at 11:27. After a 3-on-2 rush, DeFazio found his way around the back of Vasilevskiy's net and shot the puck towards the goaltender's right side. After a rebound and some confusion in front of the net, Archibald snuck the puck into the net for his second goal of the season. Will Acton recorded his first point as a Comet by tallying the secondary assist on the play.

Just four minutes later the Comets doubled their lead and found the back of the net again, this time on the power play. After a feed to Alex Biega from Jensen, Biega took one of his signature slapshots from the center point. The puck was blocked down by Vasilevskiy but Alexandre Grenier quickly found the rebound and slipped it by the Crunch goaltender for a power-play goal and a3-1 lead.

Syracuse quickly answered back just 27 seconds later from a Paradis slapshot that got deflected and bounced straight up over Eriksson's glove side to close the gap to 3-2. Jake Dotchin and Gourde both tallied assists on the play.

At the tail end of the second period, Utica re-gained their two-goal lead with another power-play goal at the 18:34 mark. After setting up on the attack, Hunter Shinkaruk fired a quick feed to Henrik Tommernes. Tommernes slipped it to Ronalds Kenins who took control of the puck and approached the hashmarks to the right on the Crunch's net. He fired a quick shot top shelf to the far side of the Syracuse goaltender to extend the Comets lead to 4-2.

Almost halfway through the third period, Syracuse mounted their comeback after Biega took a tripping penalty. At 11:29 Nikita Nesterov passed the puck to Jonathan Marchessault who buried a one-timer past Eriksson's right side for their first power-play goal of the night to make it 4-3.

Syracuse found the equalizer just over a minute later after the puck found its way directly in front of Eriksson's crease. The Swedish goaltender made the initial two saves but the third swat by Tanner Richard found its way past the goal line. Gourde and Jean-Phillipe Cote were both credited with assists.

With a little more than four minutes left in the period, Archibald found his second goal of the night and the game-winner. After a set-up from Jensen and Acton, a fluky shot from just above the right dot snuck the puck through Vasilevskiy's right arm which made the final score 5-4.

The Utica hockey club will have one day of rest before they return to The AUD this Friday to take on the Adirondack Flames for the third time this season. Previously the Comets slipped by the Flames in a 5-4 decision at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Nov. 1. Since then, the Flames have not lost a game and have won nine in a row.

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