November 22, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets Brandon DeFazio scored twice but it was not enough as the Utica Comets lost to the Rochester Americans 7-4 Friday night at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The loss snapped the Comets three-game winning streak.

Brandon DeFazio (2-0-2) netted two goals en route to third star honors. Tim Schaller (2-3-5) picked up first star honors with a five point night for the Amerks. Andrey Makarov picked his fifth victory of the season stopping 24 of 28 Comets shots.

The Americans scored early and often in the first period, and struck for the first time just 29 seconds into the game. Tim Schaller dug out the puck from a boardside scrum just inside the Comets blue line. Schaller feathered it over to Mark Pysyk who quickly fired a wrist shot on goal. The puck snaked its way through a crowd in front of Jacob Markstrom and found the back of the net for Pysyk's first goal of the year. Matt Ellis picked up the secondary assist.

Just over four minutes later the Amerks doubled their early lead. Hunter Shinkaruk wiped out a Comets power play after he picked up a slashing minor. The ensuing face-off, all the way back in the Comets zone, was cleanly won back to Joel Armia by Schaller. Armia slid the puck over to Matt MacKenzie who fired a wrist shot that pinged off the post and across the goal line.

With just 52 seconds left in the first period, the Amerks again upped their lead over the Comets. With the Amerks on the power play, Jake McCabe took a feed from Pysyk let loose a shot from the point that went wide. The puck ricocheted off the end boards and into the feet of Armia. Armia collected the puck, spun, and fired a shot over the shoulder of Markstrom.

The Comets cut the Amerks lead to two with a power-play goal in the second. Dustin Jeffrey unleashed a shot from the hashmarks. Makarov made the save, but the rebound settled at the top of the crease. Hunter Shinkaruk and Jeffrey each took whacks at it before it squirted loose and onto DeFazio's stick. DeFazio all alone, buried it into the gaping net.

With the Comets set-up with another power play, and looking to cut the lead to one, a fortuitous bounce led to an Amerks short-handed goal. Dustin Jeffrey one-timed a cross ice pass into the shin pads of an Amerks defender. The rebound rocketed all the way back to the Comets blue line. A streaking Nick Petrecki picked up the puck, skated it into the Comets zone and wristed a shot on goal. Markstrom turned aside the Petrecki shot, but Schaller was there to put in the rebound.

Under a minute later DeFazio cut the Comets deficit to two once again. DeFazio niftily sliced his way through two Amerks defenders, as he drove to the net. Makaraov denied DeFazio's first shot, but DeFazio cleaned up his own rebound and tapped the puck through Makarov's legs, for his second power-play goal of the night. Peter Andersson and Henrik Tommernes recorded assists on the play.

The Comets cut the Amerks lead to one in the third period. At 11:11 of the third period Alex Friesen one-timed a pass from Ronalds Kenins for his first goal of the season, and his third point in the last two games.

It did not take long for the Amerks to re-establish their two-goal lead. Just 16 seconds to be exact. Schaller won the draw cleanly back to his defenseman, Jerome Leduc. Leduc blasted a slap-shot on net. Markstrom stopped the Leduc blast but Schaller tapped home the rebound for his third point of the night.

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Comets Fall to Amerks 7-4