Utica, NY – The Comets returned to the Adirondack Bank Center to host the Rochester Americans on Saturday and lost by a score of 4-3.
The first period featured back-and-forth play with both teams trading chances and some big saves from Nico Daws and Devon Levi. A little past the halfway mark of the first, Rochester’s Konsta Helenius was sent in on a breakaway, but Nico Daws made a great poke check to deny the chance. Just moments later, Helenius intercepted a breakout pass and fed Brendan Warren in the left circle who beat Daws glove side to make it 1-0 at 13:14. The Amerks kept up the pressure when Brendan Warren found Mason Geertsen in the slot who fired a wrist shot through traffic, beating Daws high glove side to make it 2-0 in his Amerks’ debut at 13:45. The Comets would answer late in the first period when Calen Addison led a 3-on-2 rush up ice and found Lenni Hameenaho who wired one home blocker side past Levi for his third of the year to make it 2-1 at the 19:33 mark of the first.
The physicality picked up in the second period, which featured 44 combined penalty minutes, including a fight between Austin Strand and Jagger Joshua a little over six minutes into the period. The Comets also continued their strong efforts on the penalty kill, staving off two Rochester power plays. Later in the period, Jonathan Gruden flattened Zac Jones with a huge hit in the offensive zone freeing up the puck which led to a nice passing combination between Dmitri Osipov, Ethan Edwards, and Nathan Legare who blasted one home to tie the game at two for his second of the year at the 12:47 mark of the second. The Comets were assessed an interference penalty late in the second period and with just 28 seconds left in the middle stanza, Zac Jones sent one towards the net through traffic which beat Daws to make it 3-2.
The Amerks got an insurance tally early in the third when Trevor Kuntar found himself in alone and squeaked a shot through the pads of Daws to make it 4-2 for his team-leading eighth goal of the season at the 4:38 mark. The Comets ramped up the pressure as the period went on and drew a high-sticking penalty on Rochester, and it was Xavier Parent who snapped a shot low glove side past Levi to make it 4-3 at 14:37 for his fourth of the year. The Comets pulled Nico Daws and nearly tied the game on chances from Mike Hardman and Angus Crookshank, but Devon Levi came up big to hold the Comets off the board as the Amerks prevailed with a 4-3 victory.
The Comets outshot the Americans 36-30, while going 1-for-5 on the power play and going 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
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