The Utica Junior Comets NCDC and Premier teams opened their seasons on Friday against the Connecticut Junior Rangers at the Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Connecticut.
The regular season for the Utica Junior Comets’ top two programs is underway as the NCDC and Premier teams are each playing a three-game weekend series against the Connecticut Junior Rangers NCDC and Premier teams. Both series began on Friday with the Comets NCDC team taking a loss while the Premier team picked up a victory.
PREMIER
The Premier teams were the first to play on Friday, taking the ice at 11:30 am. The Junior Comets took the lead at just one minute and thirty-three seconds after the opening faceoff when Todd Smith scored the season’s first goal with Gregory Viehmeyer and Sean Tyrie drawing the assists. Smith’s goal was the only goal scored in the first period.
The Utica Junior Comets Season Begins This Friday
Utica got another early period tally in the second on a goal by Cameron Strykowski. Like the first period, Utica scored the only goal in this period and the teams went to the locker rooms for the second intermission with the Junior Comets leading 2-0.
Utica blew the game open in the third period. They registered twenty-two shots on goal to Connecticut’s four and got goals from defenseman Sean Tyrie and Cameron Strykowski to build a commanding 4-0 lead. Connecticut got a goal from Elias Holunga with two minutes and forty-four seconds left to spoil Utica goaltender Cameron Manley’s shutout bid, but the Junior Comets still skated away with a 4-1 win.
Notes: Utica outshot Connecticut 43-30…Utica was 0 -1 while Connecticut was 0 – 4…The leading scorers for Utica were Sean Tyrie (one goal and two assists) and Gregory Viehmeyer (two assists)…Utica goaltender Cameron Manley made twenty-nine saves to pick up the win, and Connecticut goaltender Jacob Tinson made thirty-nine saves in the losing effort…The teams play again on Saturday at 8:15 pm.
NCDC
Following the Premier game, the Junior Comets and Junior Rangers NCDC took the ice for their opening game of the season. In this game, it was Connecticut who opened the scoring when Jack Arizo lit the lamp at the 6:37 mark to give his team an early lead. Utica poured nineteen shots in for the period on Connecticut goaltender Alexander Bonrouhi and it was Medrick Bolduc who beat him at 12:09 to tie the game at one – a score that would hold through the rest of the period.
The Junior Rangers took the game over in the second period with three unanswered goals. Payton Miller got the first goal at about seven and a half minutes into the period and four minutes later Cody Nielsen got a power play goal to make the score 3-0. Less than two minutes later, Billy Shields scored to give Connecticut a commanding 4-1 lead.
Utica’s Michael Herrera scored with one minute and seven seconds left in the second period to get the Junior Comets within two goals. Utica outshot Connecticut by a twelve to seven margin in the third period but neither team would score and the game would end with a 4-1 victory for the Junior Rangers.
Notes: Utica outshot Connecticut 43-30 (similar to the Premier game)…Utica was 0 for 1 on the power play while Connecticut was 1 for 1…The leading scorer for Utica was Medrick Bolduc with two points (one goal and one assist), and the leading scorers for Connecticut were Payton Miller, Cody Nielsen, Jack Arizo (one goal and one assist each), and Cameron Grillo (two assists)…Connecticut goaltender Alexander Bonrouhi made forty-one saves to earn the victory, and Utica goaltender Waylon Esche made twenty-six saves in the losing effort…The teams play again on Saturday at 5:45 pm.
