On Friday night, Utica broke a long losing streak to win their fourth game of the season in a game of firsts for Jakub Malek and Cam Squires.
A Good Weekend
On Friday night, the Utica Comets were on the winning side of a blowout game for once, beating the Bridgeport Islanders 5-1 on a 30 of 31 save performance by goaltender Jakub Malek. It was Malek’s first win for the Comets this season, after a short spell in the ECHL, and hopefully a sign of things to come. Prospects Lenni Hameenaho, Cam Squires, and Ethan Edwards all scored for the Comets, with Squires also earning a primary assist on Edwards’s tally. Those would be the first AHL points for Squires this season after his recall from Adirondack.
The Comets followed up Friday’s effort with a heartbreaking 3-2 OT loss. The Comets tied the game with 1:37 to go on a Kyle Criscuolo short-handed tally off a great feed by winger Lenni Hameenaho.
That goal would earn the team a point, but the Comets would ultimately fall in OT. Goaltender Nico Daws played well, stopping 30 of 33 in the effort, but it would not be enough for back-to-back wins.
Reshuffling the Lines
Angus Crookshank’s promotion to the NHL has also caused a line shuffle that has given some of the prospects more ice time, with Hameenaho moving up to the second line and Cam Squires moving up to the third. Criscuolo scored in both contests after swapping places with Ryan Schmelzer by moving up to 1C. Thomas Bordeleau’s demotion to the 4th line was also part of the shake-up. The result has been arguably the best weekend of Comets hockey this season. It’s a small sample size. Hopefully, it continues.
The Hot List:
- Freshman Center Mason Moe is starting to heat up for the University of Minnesota and now has five goals, three assists on the season, including this rocket.
- Winger David Rozsival is showing no signs of slowing down for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, adding more goals this week to up his season’s total to 12 goals, 6 assists in 25 games.
- Defender Chase Cheslock had a three assist effort for the University of St. Thomas and now sits at 13 points in 17 games, strong production for a defensive defenseman.
- Goaltender Veeti Louhivaara seems to have found his game for JYP U20, going 2-3-0 with 1 shutout, a 2.43 GAA and .918 SV%. One would like to see Louhivaara make the jump to the higher league, but the numbers are still encouraging after a season bouncing around between the Mestis.
Your Take
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