ROSEMONT, Ill. – Shane Harper’s goal with 2:50 to go in overtime gave the Chicago Wolves a hard-earned 2-1 victory over the Utica Comets on Wednesday night at Allstate Arena.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Shane Harper’s goal with 2:50 to go in overtime gave the Chicago Wolves a hard-earned 2-1 victory over the Utica Comets on Wednesday night at Allstate Arena.
Left wing Terry Broadhurst forced overtime for the Wolves (29-22-6-1) when he scored with 4:46 left in the third period. Chicago did not put another shot on net until Harper’s game-winner.
Harper’s 26th goal of the season came directly after goaltender Matt Climie’s thunderous pad save ruined a 3-on-2 rush for the Comets. Adam Cracknell picked up the rebound and started the Wolves’ own odd-man rush, which concluded with defenseman Brendan Bell’s saucer pass across the slot to Harper.
“It was huge,” said Wolves head coach John Anderson. “Climie made some huge saves, including that last one to set up our 2-on-1. Our last game in Cleveland, he really looked solid and I think he feels really good about himself.”
North Division-leading Utica (34-19-6-1) opened the scoring despite the fact the Wolves fired more than twice as many shots as the Comets in the opening 45 minutes (27-13). Utica took the 1-0 lead at 5:25 of the third period when former Wolves forward Alexandre Grenier wristed a shot over Climie’s left shoulder while standing along the right wall just above the goal line.
Chicago rallied to tie with 4:46 to play on Broadhurst’s seventh goal of the season. The Wolves pressured the Comets for an extended period and, after Joel Edmundson’s shot from the left point deflected out into the slot, Broadhurst punched it past goaltender Joacim Eriksson’s stick. Edmundson and Cracknell earned assists on the play.
Climie (10-10-3) rejected 26 of 27 shots to earn his first win since Jan. 13. Eriksson (17-10-5) posted 31 saves.
The Wolves return to Allstate Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday for a rematch with Utica before hosting Rockford at 3 p.m. Sunday for the final Illinois Lottery Cup game in Rosemont this season.
Saturday’s and Sunday’s games are the final chances for fans to see the commemorative St. Patrick’s Day jerseys, presented by Jewel-Osco, and participate in the jersey auctions and raffles that benefit Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago and Chicago Wolves Charities. To find the best ticket specials, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
WOLVES 2, COMETS 1 (OT)
Utica 0 0 1 0 — 1
Chicago 0 0 1 1 — 2
First Period—None. Penalties—Biega, Utica (slashing), 7:41; Harper, Chicago (tripping), 9:51; Gaunce, Utica (cross-checking), 13:14.
Second Period—None. Penalties—Edmundson, Chicago (tripping), 6:43; Grenier, Utica (roughing), 19:37.
Third Period—1, Utica, Grenier 12 (O’Reilly, Baertschi), 5:25; 2, Chicago, Broadhurst 7 (Edmundson, Cracknell), 15:14. Penalties—None.
Overtime—3, Chicago, Harper 26 (Bell, Cracknell), 4:10. Penalties—None.
Shots on goal—Utica 9-3-12-3—27; Chicago 10-13-9-1—33. Power plays—Utica 0-2; Chicago 0-3. Goalies—Utica, Eriksson (31-33); Chicago, Climie (26-27). A—3,139. Referees—Peter Tarnaris and Jarrod Ragusin. Linesmen—Jim Scarpace and Bill Lyons.
