It wasn’t much of a spectacle for the 6,002 patrons inside Ricoh Coliseum as they watched Toronto struggle to create many scoring chances against a well-organized Utica team.
First Period
In a game chock full of penalties, the opening period set the tone, with Utica guilty of an infraction 37 seconds in. The Marlies wasted four power-play opportunities and found themselves down by a goal through 20 minutes.
Darren Archibald should have put the Comets ahead at the five-minute mark when he was left unattended in the slot, but Garret Sparks moved swiftly from right to left to make the pad save.