Wolves Comeback Falls Short Against Comets

UTICA, N.Y.--The Chicago Wolves looked to complete the two-game sweep of the league-leading Utica Comets but were thwarted by a late goal as they fell 4-3 Friday night at Utica Memorial Auditorium.

The Wolves (9-3-2-0) rallied twice with goals from forwards Pat Cannone and Ty Rattie and defenseman Petteri Lindbohm but saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

After being blanked by the Wolves on Wednesday, the Comets (11-2-2-0) wasted no time getting on the board as right wing Brandon DeFazio converted a penalty shot 32 seconds into the game. After being hooked up on a breakaway, he beat Matt Climie one-on-one for the early lead.

Chicago did not sit back, outshooting Utica 13-7 in the opening frame and then knotting the score 1:36 into the second period. Cannone went to the front of the net to screen goaltender Jacob Markstrom and redirected defenseman Chris Butler's hard shot from the point to tie it 1-1.

Utica regained the lead with two quick goals at 9:29 and 11:54 in the second period. Left wing Hunter Shinkaruk put his own rebound past Climie to make it 2-1 and right wing Alexandre Grenier potted a power-play tally for the two-goal lead.

The Wolves clawed back with two tallies in the third period. Lindbohm started the rally five minutes in when he pinched in from the point to blast a shot through traffic and past Markstrom to make it 3-2. Not long after, Chicago's leading scorer, Rattie, tipped defenseman Brent Sopel's shot five-hole to tie it up.

The momentum Chicago gained from the rally was halted with 3:38 remaining, but a bad bounce put Utica ahead. Shinkaruk collected his second of the night when his dump in from the blue line evaded Climie's glove for the game-winning goal.

Climie (5-2-1) finished the night with 27 stops while Markstrom (7-0-1) remained perfect in regulation with 29 saves.

Chicago's nine-game road trip continues at 6 p.m. Saturday in Rochester. The Wolves return to Allstate Arena on Saturday, Nov. 22, for Epilepsy Awareness Night, presented by Heidenhain, featuring a free commemorative Wendell Young T-shirt for the first 2,500 fans.

-- Chicago Wolves