The Utica Comets begin a 12-game season series against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at NBT Bank Arena, with the teams meeting for the first time this season.
Utica enters the matchup at 6-2-0-0, its best start since the 2021-22 season. The Comets won twice last weekend, including a comeback victory over Hamilton on Sunday. Lenni Hämeenaho leads Utica with seven points through eight games, including four goals and three assists.
Syracuse closes October with strong stretch
Syracuse is coming off a 7-0 victory over the Hamilton Hammers at Upstate Medical University Arena. The Crunch finished October with a 5-4-1-0 record after going 4-1-1-0 over their final six games of the month.
Jakob Pelletier scored three goals in the Hamilton game, producing his second consecutive hat trick. The performance made Pelletier the first Crunch player since Alexandre Picard in 2009 to score at least three goals in consecutive games. He also became the first American Hockey League player to accomplish the feat since Justin Bailey in 2020.
- Friday, Nov. 6: Syracuse at Utica, 7 p.m. ET
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Hartford at Syracuse, 5 p.m. ET
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Syracuse at Utica
- Friday, Dec. 11: Utica at Syracuse
Pelletier, the reigning AHL scoring champion, has 11 points on seven goals and four assists through 10 games. He is tied for the Crunch team lead in points and has three career hat tricks.
Defenseman Dyllan Gill recorded a career-high three points against Hamilton, with one goal and two assists. Gill has five points in four appearances this season and leads Syracuse with a plus-8 rating. Forward Nick Abruzzese added three assists for his second consecutive three-assist game. He leads the Crunch with eight assists and is tied for the team lead with eight points.
Friday’s game is the first of two November meetings between the teams in Utica. The Comets will host Syracuse again on Nov. 14, while their first visit to Syracuse is scheduled for Dec. 11. The Crunch won both teams’ meetings last season, including a 7-2 victory in Syracuse on Dec. 13.
Hartford follows on Syracuse’s schedule
After Friday’s game, Syracuse will host the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday. Hartford is 6-6-1-0 and has played nine road games, the most in the league, with a 5-3-1-0 record away from home. The Wolf Pack are in the middle of an eight-game road trip, and Saturday will be their third game in four nights.
