By Andrew Chernoff
November 19 2016
The Utica Comets (5-9-1-0) have their first two game winning streak of the season, defeating division rivals Rochester Americans (7-8-0-1), 2-1, tonight at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
The Comets have won three of their last four games on their current homestand (3-2-0-0), with one remaining on November 23, with a visit from the Syracuse Crunch.
The previous two wins were in overtime, 3-2 and 5-4.
Utica keeps pace with Binghamton, who won 6-3 tonight against Albany, as the Comets continue to be tied for 6th place, with the Senators, with 11 points after 15 games.
Richard Bachman started the game, being replaced in the 3rd period by Thatcher Demko, when he got injured.
The Comets outshot the Americans, 27-20.
Cole Cassels scored the winning goal, shorthanded in the second period. Curtis Valk scored his 7th goal of the season for Utica in the first period. Joseph LaBate, with an assist on the Cassels goal; Jake Virtanen and Darren Archibald with assists on the Valk goal, had other points in the game.
Virtanen’s assist was his first point in 4 games with Utica this season.