FLAMES FALL AGAIN TO COMETS WITH 4-1 DEFEAT

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Utica, NY – The Adirondack Flames were defeated 4-1 by the Utica Comets on Saturday evening at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

David Wolf found the score sheet for the third straight game as he collected Adirondack’s long goal of the evening with a first period tally. Brad Thiessen started his second consecutive game between the pipes and turned aside 25 shots in the defeat. The Flames threw 43 shots on Utica netminder Jacob Markstrom but the Swede stood tall with 42 saves to earn the victory.

Adirondack once again found itself in an early hole against the Comets, as Dustin Jeffrey picked up his eighth goal of the season off of a nice individual effort just 2:08 into the game. Jeffrey collected a feed from Alex Grenier in front of Thiessen and squeezed the puck through on his second effort after the Northeastern grad Thiessen made the initial save. Jeffrey collected his 25th point of the season on the play, placing him second on the Comets.

The Flames knotted the score at one less than four minutes later, however, as Wolf came off the bench, collected the puck at the side of the goal, and beat Markstrom with a wrap-around. The goal, Wolf’s seventh of the season, came off of assists from Mathieu Tousignant and Nolan Yonkman after a shift where the Flames controlled the offensive zone.

The Comets would regain the lead just past the halfway mark of the first, as Darren Archibald beat Thiessen from the slot. A fortuitous bounce off of an errant skate put the puck right on Archibald’s stick in the slot and the big winger put a rifle of a shot over Thiessen’s blocker side. Winger Brandon DeFazio and defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti collected assists on the play, the tenth of the season for Sanguinetti.

Utica doubled its advantage midway through the second period as Will Acton tapped one home at the back post to make it 3-1 Comets. Acton, who scored his fifth of the campaign on the play, collected the puck from center Brendan Gaunce and buried it into the Flames net.

The home side extended its advantage at the 10:19 mark of the second period, as defenseman Kent Huskins scored his first goal of the season. Gaunce collected his second assist of the evening on the play, as his original shot led the puck right onto the 2007 Stanley Cup Champion’s stick for the goal. Winger Mike Zalewski also had an assist on the play, his third point of the season.

Despite 16 shots on goal during the third period, the Flames could not get anything else past Markstrom. Utica had 11 shots during the final frame, all of which were turned aside by Thiessen.

The Flames return to action next Saturday, when the Milwaukee Admirals will come to town for a 7:00 p.m. tilt. In addition to being Hockey Night in Glens Falls, next Saturday’s matchup against Milwaukee is also “Pink in the Rink,” where the Flames will wear special jerseys, to be auctioned off post game to benefit the C.R. Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital. For more information on that, visit Adirondackflames.com. Tickets are still available for that contest, and all remaining Flames’ home games. Visit the Flames box office, call 518-480-3355, or order online at glensfallscc.com.

Adirondack Flames Hockey • Fired Up

###