For the second straight week, the Utica Comets (AHL) dropped two of three. Their lone victory came in the final game of the week as rookie goaltender Jakub Málek stole the show stopping 26-of-27 against the Syracuse Crunch.

For last week’s review, please click here.

Weekly Results

Americans 3, Comets 0; Jan. 23

The Comets weekend got off to a tough start courtesy of a 3-0 shutout at the hands of the Rochester Americans. Rochester scored a goal in each period, including a power-play tally in the third. Jakub Málek tended the net and stopped 18-of-21 in defeat.

Utica actually outshot Rochester 23-21, but their season-long finishing issues continued. They went 0-for-4 on the power play.

Crunch 6, Comets 3; Jan. 24

Despite scoring three more goals than they did on Friday, Utica was once again on thew wrong side of the scoreboard on Saturday. In their first of two straight games against the Syracuse Crunch, Utica dropped a 6-3 decision.

Syracuse jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two first-period goals. Utica answered back on the power play roughly five minutes into period two. Shance Lachance, who has been very hot recently, scored his seventh of the year. Syracuse quickly extended back out their lead with two goals within three minutes of each other making it 4-1. Brian Halonen did score his 12th of the season prior to the end of the four-goal second period making it 4-2 at the second intermission.

Halonen struck again just 20 seconds into the final frame to give the Comets a fighting chance. Unfortunately, despite piling on 10 shots in the third, Utica was unable to tie the game up and Syracuse got two empty-net goals at the end of the game, spelling the end to a 6-3 Comets’ defeat.

Nico Daws got his only start of the week and stopped 30-of-34 in defeat. He has now posted a sub-.900 save percentage in each of his last three games and in seven of his last nine appearances. Brian Halonen (two goals), Xavier Parent (two assists), and Ryan Schmelzer (two assists) were the Comets who posted multi-point efforts. The final shot tally was 37-36 Utica.

Comets 5, Crunch 1; Jan. 25

Unlike the first two games of the week, the Comets emerged victorious, defeating the Crunch 5-1 to cap their three games in three days schedule.

After some feistiness the night before between the two teams, that animosity carried over to Sunday’s game. In the first period, there was 40 total penalty minutes including two fights (Brian Halonen and Dmitri Osipov), one of which included a Comet knocking out a Crunch player (Osipov). Halonen’s first was in response to a massive open-ice hit that knocked Xavier Parent out of the game.

Around all the chaos, Utica was able to score three goals in the opening frame. Ethan Edwards, Nathan Légaré, and Kyle Criscuolo each scored. Criscuolo scored on the power play with just four seconds left in the period giving the Comets a 3-0 lead into the intermission.

In the second, Utica was able to add to their lead. Angus Crookshank scored a shorthanded goal just about two minutes into the frame. Then, after Dylan Duke got his 20th of the season for Syracuse, Jonathan Gruden responded with about three minutes left in the period to give Utica the 5-1 lead which stood through a scoreless and much calmer period three.

Utica and Syracuse both had 27 shots in the game. Despite being up big, Utica outshot the Crunch 11-4 in the third period to even the shot counter by game’s end. Jakub Málek was fantastic once again, stopping 26 of those 27 Syracuse shots. Despite five goals, the captain, Ryan Schmelzer, was the lone Comet that had multiple points (two assists). The Utica power play went 1-for-5 in the game but the penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5.

Statistics Update

Rookie goaltender Jakub Málek just keeps on performing well since his call-up from an ECHL stint earlier this season. Since returning to the AHL on November 30, Málek has a 0.920 save percentage and two shutouts. In comparison, Nico Daws owns a 0.883 save percentage. With Utica starting Málek in two of their three games this week, something they typically do with Daws, is there a rightful swing toward Málek as the team’s No. 1 going forward?

Since returning from injury on January 2, winger Brian Halonen has been red hot. The recently turned 27-year-old has nine goals over that 11 game span. He is up to 17 points in 22 games on the season and is currently, by far, Utica’s best offensive player.

Lastly, below is a check in on the Comets’ points leaderboard:

1. Lenni Hämeenaho (21 points, nine goals)
2. Xavier Parent (19 points, eight goals)
3. Seamus Casey (19 points)
4. Brian Halonen (22 points, 13 goals in 17games)
5. Angus Crookshank (16 points, 10 goals)

Standings Update

After the one-win week the Comets stand at 12-20-4-3 on the season. That record, good for 31 points, is second-to-last in the AHL. Utica has a six-point cushion on last place Iowa and are now three points off 30th-place Springfield.

The Comets also now find themselves 14 points back of Belleville (45 points) for the final playoff spot in the North Division. The Senators do have five more games played than the Comets, however. Springfield separates the two teams at 44 points.

Upcoming Schedule

There is only one game for the Comets this upcoming week. They are set to take on the Hershey Bears in Utica Saturday night. Hershey is fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 18-14-5-2 record.