ROSEMONT, Ill. – Goaltender Jacob Markstrom parried 27 shots to lead the Utica Comets to a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Goaltender Jacob Markstrom parried 27 shots to lead the Utica Comets to a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
The Wolves (29-23-6-1) came up empty on all six of their power-play chances while former Wolves forwards Alex Friesen and Alexandre Grenier notched 1 goal and 1 assist apiece for the North Division-leading Comets (35-19-6-1).
“It doesn’t matter what systems you use if you don’t work hard,” said Wolves head coach John Anderson. “If you’re not going to compete for loose pucks or get to the puck first, it doesn’t matter what you do after that.”
Utica broke on top at 8:58 of the first period when Grenier zipped a pass from the right circle to the left circle for open left wing Hunter Shinkaruk, who went top-shelf to beat Wolves goaltender Matt Climie.
The Comets pushed their lead to 2-0 with 1.8 seconds left in the first period as they killed a power play and turned it into a 4-on-1 rush. Cal O’Reilly’s backhand pass set up Friesen for a quick flip from just outside the crease.
Utica made it 3-0 on Grenier’s power-play goal at 7:40 of the second. The Comets kept hammering away at the puck near the crease and the Wolves couldn’t clear before Grenier slid it into the net.
Anderson pulled Climie for an extra attacker with more than three minutes to go to generate some offense, but the Comets capitalized with Brendan Gaunce’s empty-net goal at 18:10 of the third.
Markstrom (18-7-2) earned his fifth shutout of the season while Climie (10-11-3) worked feverishly to stop 31 of 34 shots.
“If it wasn’t for Climie,” Anderson said, “it could have been awful.”
The Wolves continue their four-game homestand at 3 p.m. Sunday with a visit from the Rockford IceHogs. It is the final chance 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.
COMETS 4, WOLVES 0
Utica 2 1 1 — 4
Chicago 0 0 0 — 0
First Period—1, Utica, Shinkaruk 8 (Grenier, Andersson), 8:58; 2, Utica, Friesen 8 (O’Reilly, Sanguinetti), 19:58. Penalties—Baertschi, Utica (slashing), 1:25; Pedan, Utica (crosschecking), 10:34; Shinkaruk, Utica (holding), 17:52.
Second Period—3, Utica, Grenier 13 (Conacher, Sanguinetti), 7:40 pp. Penalties—Bordson, Chicago (high-sticking), 0:49; O’Reilly, Utica (interference), 1:15; Bell, Chicago (hooking), 3:22; Brodeur, Chicago (high-sticking), 7:12; DeFazio, Utica (high-sticking), 10:04; Edmundson, Chicago (hooking), 10:57.
Third Period—4, Utica, Gaunce 10 (Conacher, Friesen), 18:10 en. Penalties—Edmundson, Chicago (high-sticking), 10:30; Edmundson, Chicago (high-sticking), 10:30; Brodeur, Chicago (goaltender interference), 11:25; Gaunce, Utica (high-sticking), 14:30.
Shots on goal—Utica 7-12-16—35; Chicago 10-7-10—27. Power plays—Utica 1-7; Chicago 0-6. Goalies—Utica, Markstrom (27-27); Chicago, Climie (31-34). A—8,905. Referees—Mark Lemelin and Trevor Hanson. Linesmen—Francois Dussureault and Al Stensland.
