Just your typical Sunday afternoon match-up with a game that featured 11 goals, 6 fights, 2 penalty shots, 1 shattered glass and 1 injured linesman, as the Utica Comets win a wild one 7-4 over the Binghamton Senators. Utica scored four goals in the third and takes advantage of a depleted Senators line-up as they kick off the first of the next six on the road.
GAME RECAP
Just 1:18 in Shane Prince scores his 17th on Utica’s starter Joacim Eriksson with Nick Tuzzolino assisting. Then right after Ryan Dzingel splits the defense but is tripped in the process as he was all alone heading towards the net and is rewarded a penalty shot. Dzingel scores beating Eriksson low glove side to give the Senators an early 2-0 lead.
Senators goaltender Peter Mannino gets roughed up by Alexandre Grenier as Alex Grant goes after him, then another fight breaks out between Fredrik Claesson and Brandon DeFazio as they both receive a game misconduct for secondary altercations. At 5:05 Utica scores a power play goal by Alexandre Grenier to cut the lead 2-1 as the puck goes in past Mannino off a Senator skate. Darren Kramer pounds Carter Bancks at the end of the period and skates off with a salute to the boos from the home crowd.
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Utica begins the second on the power play with Kramer given the extra two minutes for roughing, but Senators kill it. But the Comets get a shorthanded goal by Will Acton as Mannino wasn’t sharp on the play as we are tied up 2-2. Senators go on a 5-3 with Eicksson’s tripping and Alex Friesen’s unsportsmanlike for a full minute and Derek Grant cashes in to make it 3-2 for his 15th of the season as the Senators go back on the lead.
Alex Guptill is handled pretty good in his fight with Andrey Pedan as Prince gets knocked around by Nicklas Jensen. Darren Archbald trips up Chris Wideman and Tuzzolino steps in as they fight, but Archibald is not ejected as Tuzzolino gets the instigator call. Utica’s Bobby Sanguinetti scores to tie it back up 3-3 with 2:02 left in the middle frame. Senators outshot 32-21 as they will start the third with only two defensemen with Guillaume Lepine in the box for 19 seconds.
Comet’s Mike Zalewski wins the faceoff to defenseman Pedan and his slapper from the blue line whips in by Mannino into the net to give Utica the lead for the first time 4-3. Shortly after Dzingel scores his second of the day lifting the puck over Eicksson to tie it up once again as these two teams are battling hard. Buddy Robinson with the assist.
Comets break open the tie game with three goals in just 1:52 as Sanguinetti gathers his own rebound and beats Mannino high as they are ahead 5-4. Brendan Gaunce shakes off Carter Camper and roofs one past Mannino for a 6-4 game. Grenier dishes to Acton and he makes it 7-4 as Senators defense has run out of gas. Shots end up 45-28 Comets.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- David Dziurzynski‘s hard hit on Utica’s Peter Andersson shatters the glass delaying the game for repairs mid way into the first period.
- Two penalty shots featured also in the first with Dzingel cashing in but Mannino shuts the door on Grenier’s attempt.
- With Claesson’s ejection in the first, Wideman and Tuzzolino out for 10 minute majors, Senators forced with Danny New in his first game back from injury, A. Grant and Lepine in the first half of the third period.
- Senators lead the league with 70 fights with their 6 fisticuffs today. They end up with 74 PIM’s to the Comets’ 64 for a combined season high 138 for Binghamton.
- Linesman Matt Brady takes a puck to the face in the second but returns in the third, as there are four officials in this one.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT CARD
B-SENS LINES
Forwards – Puempel-D Grant-Prince, Greening-Camper-Schneider, Thompson-Dziurzynski-Kramer, Guptill-Dzingel-Robinson
Defense – Claesson-A Grant, New-Tuzzolino, Lepine-Wideman
Out – Brad Mills, Mike Sdao and Patrick Mullen, injured. Danny Hobbs, Aaron Johnson and Max McCormick, healthy.
UP NEXT
Binghamton play the next five games on the road with Wednesday’s meeting down in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to take on the Penguins.