AMERKS DAILY PRESS CLIPS Friday, M ay 14, 2021 Amerks Score Late, But Come Up Short To Comets By Staff Report Amerks.com The Rochester Americans (10-13-2-1) wrapped up the road portion of their 2020-21 regular season schedule with a 3-1 loss to the Utica Comets (15-10-0-1) Wednesday at the Adirondack Bank Center. Despite the loss, however, Rochester has collected at least one point in 23 of the last 34 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 17-11-2-4 over that span. Rookie forward Brendan Warren (1+0) notched the Amerks lone tally of the night, while fellow rookie forward Dominic Franco (0+1) added the primary assist and defenseman Nick DeSimone (0+1) got the secondary helper. Goaltender Michael Houser (0-1-0), fresh off a four-game stint with the Buffalo Sabres, got the loss as he made 34 saves on 37 shots he faced in his Amerks debut, becoming the fifth different netminder to appear in a game this season for Rochester. Utica forward Vincent Arseneau (1+0) opened the scoring in the first period with his fourth of year, while defenseman Jett Woo (1+0) and forward John Stevens (1+0) rounded out the scoring for the Comets, who improved to 9-2-0-0 in their last 11 home games. Tyler Tucker finished with a team-high two assists. Goaltender Michael DiPietro (3-1-0) earned his fourth straight start, extending his win streak to two games while fending off 33 shots from the Amerks. Trailing 2-0 in the waning minutes of the third period, Rochester pulled Houser in favor of the extra attacker, but the Comets would capitalize despite being a man down. From in-between the bluelines, Stevens converted on a long rage shot with 2:33 remaining in regulation to give Utica its largest lead of the night. It would take until there was just 1:16 left to go in the contest when the Amerks finally found the back of the net to spoil DiPietro’s bid for a shutout. From between the face-off circles, Franco fired an initial shot that DiPietro turned aside. Waiting just to the left of the crease, Warren found the rebound and tipped the puck in for his third of the season to make it a 3-1 game. Heading into the middle frame with a one-goal lead, Utica held off Rochester for another 20 minutes of play while finding its second marker of the contest. On the rush, Nolan Stevens drove the puck through the neutral zone and connected with Woo before gaining the offensive zone. Once Woo retrieved the puck, the Comets defenseman boomed a shot from the top of the left circle towards the Amerks crease. As Woo’s chance skipped across the ice, the puck took a sharp bounce and flew over the stick-side of Houser and into the upper left corner at the 6:54 mark. For the remaining 13:06 of the second stanza, Rochester was held to just three shots on goal heading into the final 20 minutes of play. As the clock ticked down on the opening period, Utica held Rochester scoreless while getting on the board not even five minutes into the period. As Cameron, who played four years of college hockey at Rochester Institute of Technology, eluded Amerks defenseman Ryan Jones from behind the net, he retrieved the puck back on a low cycle and made a feed to Arseneau, who was stationed to the left of the blue paint. The quick pass from Cameron enabled Arseneau to sneak the puck past Houser to put Utica in front 1-0. Heading into the first intermission, the Comets held a slight 11-9 advantage in shots while both teams were unsuccessful on the power-play to begin the contest. The same two teams exchange pleasantries again for the second time in three nights on Friday, May 14 as the Amerks kickoff their final homestand of the 2020-21 campaign with a rematch against the Comets at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV. The North Division matchup will also be tape-delayed on CW Rochester beginning at 10 p.m. Comets w in last home game as AHL affiliate of Canucks By Steve Jones Rome Sentinel The Utica Comets went out with a win, beating the Rochester Americans 3-1 Wednesday in the last home game as the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks at the Utica Aud. The Canucks are relocating the affiliate to British Columbia in the offseason. Utica will host the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils in the 2021-22 season, and will retain the Comets name. This year’s team was a powerhouse at home, with an 11-2 record at The Aud. “It was awesome,” said Utica head coach Trent Cull after the game. The coaches and players saluted the crowd before leaving the home ice one last time. “My goal as a head coach is to create a team that the fans can be proud of,” one with good work ethic that is worth the price of admission. His message before the game in the locker room was clear: “I want your best. I think the boys did a great job.” He added, “They knew I wanted this one. It’s the closest we’d get to a playoff game” this season. “I was a little choked up when I left the ice.” Vincent Arseneau started the scoring, recording his fourth of the season 4:34 into the game. Shawn Cameron sent a backhanded feed to Arseneau from behind the net to where he was cutting to the crease. Arseneau beat goalie Michael Houser to make it 1- 0 Comets. Cameron earned his second assist of the season and Mitch Eliot was credited with his fourth assist. “It’s pretty emotional,” Arseneau said after the win. He said scoring the goal motivated him the rest of the game. In the end it was Arseneau, a crowd favorite who spent four years in Utica, who came off the ice last. “I wanted to make sure I was the last one to step off at the end.” He said Utica has been “a great hockey town. It’s so much fun.” He added: “We just want to end it on a good note. And we did it.” The Comets built the lead to two goals just under seven minutes into the second when defenseman Jett Woo carried the puck in on the right side, slammed on the brakes and fired a wrist shot that rung the inside of the post and went in. It was Woo’s third goal of the season. Assists went to Nolan Stevens, his 12th, and Tyler Tucker, his fifth. John Stevens put the game away with an empty net goal for Utica with 2:33 left in regulation. It was his sixth of the season. Curtis McKenzie earned an assist on the goal, his eighth of the season. The Amerks would eventually spoil Utica goalie Michael DiPietro’s shutout bid with a rebound goal by Brendan Warren with 1:16 left but Utica held on for a 3-1 win. DiPietro, who had 33 saves in net for Utica to earn the win, said, “The end of the game was pretty emotional for me.” DiPietro, who joined the team last season, has made it a point to be a part of the local community. “You develop a connection.” He added of the fans: “They care so much about us so we should care about them.” And those fans showed up Wednesday, even if The Aud could only allow 400 inside. “It was still loud. That shows you the passion. The fan base is something I’ve almost never experienced with how much they care.” “I know New Jersey is lucky, that’s for sure,” Cull said of the incoming organization. The Comets improved to 15-10-1 on the season. They wrap up the season with road games in Rochester at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5:05 p.m. Sunday. Hofer called up by the Blues Goalie Joel Hofer was called up from Utica before the game Wednesday. Hofer, 20, recorded the shutout in the Comets’ 3-0 win over the Syracuse Crunch Monday, his second of the season. In 10 games with Utica this year, he was 4-6 with a .898 save percentage and a 3.33 goals-against-average. Comets earn emotional w in over Amerks in final home game as Vancouver Canucks' affiliate By Spencer Davidson WKTV In a moment that brought the past eight years full circle, the Utica Comets topped the Rochester Americans 3-1 in the team's final game at the Adirondack Bank Center as the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, Wednesday. Utica's first win in its inaugural season with the Canucks was on November 23, 2013, a 2-0 victory over the Amerks in the team's tenth home game at the Aud. After getting some potential nerves out on the first couple of shifts, the Comets took control of the game 4:34 into the opening period. From behind the Amerks' net, Shawn Cameron fed a centering pass in front to Vincent Arseneau who put a one-timer inside the far post to put Utica on the board.