In a Game Worth the 22 Year Wait, Comets Streak Past Wolves, Take 2-1 Series Lead
By Jay Flemma, Special to Facewash Magazine
UTICA, NY – With thunderous applause, playoff hockey triumphantly returned to Utica, New York for the first time in 22 years, and the Utica Comets responded with lightning, dramatically streaking past the Chicago Wolves 2-1 in overtime and taking a 2-1 series lead in their best-of-5 opening round AHL playoff series. Adam Clendening tied the game midway through the third period on a seeing-eye bank shot off both the crossbar and Wolves goaltender Jordan Binnington, then Darren Archibald ended it 10:58 into the extra frame on a sizzling wrister from the left wing. The Comets can close out the Wolves at home with a win either Friday or Saturday night (if necessary). They are 26-10-3 at the Aud on the season.
The game was an instant classic, arguably the greatest sports day in the region’s history since 1970 and the waning days of the old Clinton Comets EHL dynasty. The 27th sellout of the season saw nearly every one of the 4,000 fans was clad in white for a “Whiteout” of the Utica Memorial Auditorium, a spectacle never before seen in the entire history of even that venerable old building. “We are a team of 4000!” some t-shirts blared proudly. “When you play Utica, you play the whole city!” said others. It wasn’t so much a hockey game, but a celebration, an outburst of joy from an entire city that has waited nearly half a century for sports glory. Full-throated and lusty from puck drop to the three stars announcement, you’d have thought they were cheering the Stones or Led Zeppelin. At the height of the tumult, the decibel meter hit a deafening 116 dbs, just a hair under the sound a jet engine makes on takeoff.
“It was so loud at times, you couldn’t hear Tom Coyne announce the game,” marveled hockey expert Rodney Zilla. “Utica fans just continue to impress all of hockey with their passion. They are the story of the year.”
The loudest of the roars were for Archie, of course. They love to love him here, whether it’s a bare knuckle brawl with some gap-toothed goon or a gritty, timely goal like last night’s game winner. He got the most raucous ovation of anybody during introductions, and when the lamp lit on his laser beam from the circle, you’d have thought conquering Roman heroes had returned to the Coliseum victorious from the wars against mighty Carthage.
It came in the nick of time as the Comets, who dominated the play all night, were showing signs of tiring. They out-shot the Wolves 44-19 for the first three periods, including tallying 17 shots in the first 17 minutes of the game, a one-per-minute pace. Time of possession was just as unequal, as the Comets spent almost all of regulation playing in the Wolves end, out-skating, out-shooting, and out-hustling them, but the Wolves just wouldn’t fade. Jordan Bennington, who finished with 50 saves, always plays his best against Utica.
“He really stood on his head, by far their best player all night,” admitted a visibly impressed Archibald, simply saying what everyone in the building knew to be true.
Binnington made 50 saves last night, 30 saves in Game 2, and 40 saves in Game 3. He’s stopped 120 of 126 shots in the series’ three games for a 2.00 goals against average. It looked like one of those nights where the goaltender was going to win the game single handed. Moreover, Chicago won their last 48 games when leading going into the third period, perfect on the season, and with the Comets seemingly a half-step slower, the Wolves were circling the net and peppering Comets goalie Jacob Markstrom far more than they were able to muster during the first three periods.
Oh yeah…and they were hitting hard. It was the chippiest game of the year, “banging, facewashes, late punches, and shoves,” as veteran sports writer John Piterresi called it. You can say this for the Wolves, they weren’t intimidated by the atmosphere.
“Of all the people to come through at that moment, to have it be Archie was even more of a shot in the arm for the fans. They adore him because he so fearless.” stated Zilla. “He’s like Hines Ward was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he were on any other team, they’d hate him…more and more with every one of his passing exploits. But he’s theirs, so they love him for it instead,” Zilla concluded.
He’s also like Ward in that other players around the league totally respect him and his work ethic. You have to plan part of your game plan to account to for his devastating power and explosive acceleration – he’s so much faster than you’d expect from a guy that size. And he’s smart. How do you beat a goaltender having a night like Binnington was having? He can’t stop what he can’t see and Archie craftily got the defenseman to screen his own goalie and beat Binnington low to the glove side.
“We were coming out of the neutral zone, [Travis] Ehrhardt was breaking out through the middle, and he made a great pass to me on the left wing. I stepped over the blue line and used the defenseman as a screen, and I shot it on net and it went in,” Archibald explained. “This was the biggest goal of my career so far,” he added after being asked that directly by the assembled media.
At the other end of the ice, Markstrom was every bit the equal of Binnington. Now 10-2 lifetime against the Wolves, Markstrom hasn’t been credited with a loss in an AHL game since Feb. 21 against Albany. After surrendering a late first period goal on a Colin Fraser slap shot, Marky was letter perfect, his glove and stick a blur of leather and wood as he snared, swatted, and smothered every shot he faced the rest of the way.
This was the magic that had been missing from area teams for the last 45 years. Yes, the Utica Devils played AHL playoff hockey in 1993, but they were always upstarts and also-rans – never true Calder Cup contenders. In the past, so often on nights like this, Utica would come up on the short end, play straight man or sacrifical lamb to the other team. Bu this Comets team is different. Disciplined and single-minded, the groupthink mentality of the team has made them lethal. The offensive firepower added at the trading deadline gave the Comets four deep lines and triggered an 11 game winning streak that vaulted them to not just a North Division title, but the Western Conference’s top seed.
But more than that, four-and-a-half decades after Bill bannerman and Jack Kane helped the area hang championship banners from the aud rafters, the Comets have rekindled the city’s long-dormant, but always ardent love of hockey, and the fans have responded with adoration and adulation.
You know how there’s “Game Speed” and then there’s “Playoff Speed”? The difference between the speed and intensity of regular season hockey games on the one hand and the playoffs on the other? Well the fans elevated their game too.
“We really feed off the energy. I hope we can give them a long playoff run, because they deserve it, they’ve been so terrific all season,” said Hunter Shinkaruk.
“Most of the game we were down 1-0 and the fans are still chanting U-TI-CA! They are awesome,” beamed a grateful Archibald, stiull marveling at the fan’s fervor. “That definitely gives you an extra boost when you hop over the boards. We definitely have the loudest barn in the league.”
Indeed, Utica matched any of the great sports cities last night. The “White Out” was every bit as impressive as Busch Stadium’s “Sea of Red” or Pittsburgh’s “Blackout” of the Igloo or CONSOL Center. It was a game they’ll remember for decades as one of Utica’s greatest sports moments.
THE HOCKEYS GODS GIVETH AND TAKETH AWAY
Wolves fans, players, and coaches may grouse about some of last night’s officiating, but as so often happens, things even out in the end. Chicago supporters stridently shriek that Clendening’s tying goal = the 40 foot blast that banked in off crossbar and goalie might not have crossed the goal line.
“I was screened and I heard it hit the crossbar,” Binnington stated. “Immediately as a goalie, you go into a snow angel and I felt it under my back or butt there. The ref’s initial reaction looked like he wasn’t sure, but they told me I hit it in after, but I didn’t think I dragged it in.” (Like he could tell that with his eyes facing the other direction…unless his head can do a spin-o-rama like Linda Blair’s did in the movie “The Exorcist.”)
The only video reply view was from directly above the goal mouth, and with the puck lost somewhere beneath Binnington’s buttocks, you’d have an easier time finding a virgin in a maternity ward.
But the Wolves have nothing to gripe about for two reasons. First, the official on the spot immediately called it a goal, and the goal judge turned the red light on. Then the referee and linesmen immediately convened and were 100% convinced it was a goal, so they declined to look at the overhead angle on the video replay.
Second, an earlier goal by the Comets’ Sven Baertschi was waved off…perhaps wrongfully. Baertschi tipped in an Alex Biega wrister about three minutes before Clendening’s tally, but part of his stick was above the crossbar and part of it was below the crossbar. Upon review of replay, it appears the puck struck the part of BBaertschi’s stick that was below the crossbar, making the goal legitimate.
“It all washed out in the end,” concluded hockey expert Bruce Moulton, an expert hockey correspondent. “Over the long term, things usually tend to even themselves out, except, of course, if you’re the Cleveland Browns.
